Position: OT
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 295
Hometown: Alexandria, VA
High School: TC Williams HS
Twitter: @jay_whitmire
As a two player in HS, Jay Whitmire was a SuperPrep All-American and rated 3-star prospect by all the major scouting services. Rivals ranked him the 43rd best OT in the nation, ESPN ranked him 70th and Scout ranked him 30th. He was recruited by most of the ACC as well as Notre Dame and Penn State.
At 6'6" and nearly 300 pounds, Whitmire clearly has the size to play OT. As part of the Hoos "best 5" plan, Whitmire won the job of RT in the spring. He was fighting against Sean Cascarano, but Cascarano's experience at OG forced him there, while Whitmire will stay on the outside.
Whitmire probably has more physical ability to play OT. He's certainly a better athlete than Cascarano, which helps him against quicker DEs. He's also got the potential to be a devastating run blocker. He's agile and has good footwork, allowing him to finish a block while keeping his balance, giving him a chance to make a second level block. That good footwork should also give him the ability to make trap or pull blocks, although he hasn't had the opportunity to make blocks in space yet. The main thing that missing is some attitude and aggressiveness. That may exist, but it hasn't shown itself yet. This is often the case for younger players.
This past year, as a redshirt freshman, Whitmire saw time in every game. Most of his experience was on special teams, but he did see time on offense as well, especially when Aboushi or Moses were out.
Just a sophomore, Whitmire could struggle this year, especially if there are communications problems along the OL. But the experience he gets playing early will really help him in the future. Whitmire could very well be the next in the line of Virginia OTs playing in the NFL.