Javin Whatley knew he was going to have to bring out his best to be a starting receiver for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga this season.
Receiver is probably the Mocs’ deepest position group in terms of young talent — 10 of the 13 on the roster are either freshmen or sophomores — and at 5-foot-9, 164 pounds, Whatley was never going to be confused with being some physical specimen at first glance. And while he had been a high school standout for Georgia’s Rockmart, it was as a dual-threat quarterback.
But then look at the Mocs’ 31-0 season-opening win against Wofford last Saturday, and who was one of UTC’s three starters at receiver? None other than Whatley, who finished with 26 yards on two catches, including an 18-yarder on a seam route over a defender.
While he may have redshirted last season as a freshman, he took a competitive mindset to the classroom and was on both the athletic director’s honor roll and the dean’s list.
“I’m a dog in everything I do,” Whatley said. “I’ve always been the smallest person on the field since I started playing football. So everybody else has been bigger than me, but I’ve always had that mentality.