ACKERMAN — It’s little wonder that college football coaches are finding their way to Choctaw County High School. And it doesn’t take them long to find Israel Whitmore.
Whitmore has been one of the top defensive players in Class 3A for the last two seasons, registering 231 tackles over that span, including a whopping 138 tackles as a sophomore for the Chargers.
That’s what makes Whitmore one of the Eleven Players to Watch in the Choctaw Plaindealer/Webster Progress Times coverage area, which includes East Webster, Eupora, Choctaw County High School, and French Camp Academy. Already announced as one of the Eleven To Watch is Parker Burleson of East Webster.
He instantly stands out for the Chargers as he comes in at 6-foot-2 and weighs about 220 pounds. So far, Whitmore has offers from Tulane, Southern Miss and Arkansas State as well as most of Mississippi’s community colleges.
“Israel is a kid with some offers,” first-year coach Jeff Roberts said. “He has had a lot of success, even before I got here. He had 120-something tackles as a sophomore and 93 tackles last year. He’s a linebacker who has been playing outside but if he’s needed, he can play Mike (inside). If he needed to play defensive end, he could drop down and do that that as well. He’s athletic enough to do that.”
Whitmore led the Chargers in tackles the last two years and had 93 stops last season with a season-high 16 in a 26-7 win over Hatley.
Not only is Whitmore a standout on the field, he’s also pretty stout in the classroom as well.
“If a coach calls me, I tell them about how athletic he is,” Roberts said. “I tell them he has a good GPA and a a good ACT score. He is a leader in the weight room. The other day, he was at a recruiting visit and he asked them how was their leadership. That tells you what kind of kid he is. He wants to know if he is coming into a program where there are built-in leaders in the senior class or do I have to come in and take over a chaotic situation. That tells you something about the kid right there.”
While Whitmore runs a solid 4.6 40-yard dash, he’s also a former state champion in the shot put and was runner-up last year in the shot-put for the Chargers track team.
“I knew what he was before I came here,” Roberts said. “I did track at Water Valley before I came here. He won a state championship in shot put two years ago and finished second last year in the state and that’s with him having to do high jump and long jump and other relays. He’s just a tremendous athlete.”
But Whitmore says the things he likes most is getting that “glory” hit on defense.
“I like that experience of hitting somebody, it’s just nothing like it,” Whitmore said. “When you get that glory hit on somebody, there’s just nothing like it. It’s going to fill you up with adrenaline. It’s good thing to be a part of. (On offense) you are the one getting hit. I’m the one who likes giving the hits. That’s why I’m a defensive guy.”
Whitmore said he would like to major in sports medicine or either science at college and has been doing everything he can to get to that next level. Whitmore said he makes As and Bs in the classroom and already has an 18 on the ACT but the score “isn’t as good as I want it to be.”
“I do a lot of pushups at home and a lot of footwork stuff,” Whitmore said. “If I get bored, I’ll go outside and work on my football work. They tell me I need to keep working on my footwork because having a big size 15 foot, that’s going to slow me down some. I’m going to get there.
“They are saying I’m probably an outside linebacker or maybe even a middle guy. They say maybe even a rush end to get after the quarterback.”
Roberts said Whitmore will have to continue doing what he’s been doing for the Chargers to be successful this season.
“He has to be our bell cow on defense,” Roberts said. “He’s got to be that guy and he has done that since he has been here. The last two years, he has made plays for them and now he is going to make plays for us.”
Whitmore said he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win, even filling up the water bottles.
“My role is to be a leader and help others out,” Whitmore said. “I have to make sure they are doing what it takes to get better. Doing the small things, like if there is no water, I’ll go fill up the water. Just small things like that. I’m the team captain. It’s just all a mindset. You have to want to be a leader.”
