It seems the bad news refuses to stop for Mississippi State football. The Bulldogs are off to a horrible start to the season, and the team has been plagued with significant injuries. Now, a talented play-maker won't be a part of the team going forward.
Sophomore WR Creed Whittemore sitting out for remainder of 2024 season
Wednesday night, On3's Robbie Faulk reported that Mississippi State sophomore wide receiver Creed Whittemore will sit out the remainder of the 2024 season and redshirt. Whittemore had been listed as OUT on the initial availability report for the Bulldogs ahead of Saturday's trip to Texas.
SOURCE: Mississippi State sophomore WR Creed Whittemore plans to redshirt 2024 season https://t.co/AjBNuZbhFA pic.twitter.com/O4zQkaJfml
— Robbie Faulk (@robbiefaulkOn3) September 26, 2024
Whittemore was the Bulldogs' backup slot receiver behind Louisville-transfer Kevin Coleman. Through four games, he had four catches for 65 yards and one rush for a 41-yard touchdown. As a true freshman, he caught 11 passes for 102 yards and two scores, adding four rushes for 60 yards and a touchdown.
News of Whittemore's redshirt comes following wild day for college football portal and NIL news
It's been a busy news day in college football when it comes to players opting-out for the remainder of the season. Wednesday morning, UNLV QB Matthew Sluka announced his decision to redshirt and transfer due to NIL disputes with UNLV, sparking extensive discourse about the current state of the sport. Later in the day, USC's DT Bear Alexander also announced a redshirt and transfer from the Trojans, though his decision seems to be more based on playing-time rather than NIL. With free movement for players, this type of in-season news is only going to become more commonplace.
Creed Whittemore was greatly underutilized in Starkville
Though an official reason for Whittemore's decision to redshirt and presumably transfer has not been released, it seems most likely that this move is due to a lack of playing-time and opportunities. Whittemore was a big signee for State ahead of the last season, but after scoring two explosive TDs in the '23 season-opener, he rarely saw the field for the Bulldogs.
There was hope that he would be better utilized in Jeff Lebby's system. Like last year, he scored a long TD in the season-opener. But outside of that, he's gotten limited touches to this point. This is frustrating considering that nearly every time he does get a play-designed for him, he makes the most of it.
And while playing him ahead of former Bulldog Tulu Griffin last season and Kevin Coleman this season wouldn't have been the move, getting him the field at the same time as those players would have been more than justified. That happened only a handful of times during his 16 games in Starkville, and for as good as he looked when he did get the ball, the fact he didn't see more snaps is a problem.
State has plenty of talent in the WR room and solid depth there, so overall, they can withstand the loss. But it's a shame that a talented player who showed-out when he did get chances, more so than other skill players, seems to be leaving for not being used enough.