PSU and WVU In a Showdown for Whitehead’s Services
by Ayo Fapohunda
Posted February 16, 2014 1:38 pm
Aliquippa, Central Valley, Class of 2015, Dravon Henry, James Franklin, Jordan Whitehead, ohio state, PA Football, penn state, PREPS.COM, Robert Foster, Tony Gibson, West Virginia
Photo Courtesy of timesonline.com
High profile college coaches are familiar with the drive to Monaca, PA in Beaver County from recent five star recruit Robert Foster who ended up snubbing University of Pittsburgh to join forces with legendary coach Nick Saban and his stable of five star recruits. Foster’s junior year he was joined by youth football legend, Jordan Whitehead. At Preps.com we had been hearing about Whitehead since he was in 7th grade and were looking forward to seeing him compete at the high school level with Foster.
Fast forward three years and it’s now Whitehead’s turn to be courted by every school in the country. Last year we chatted with Jordan at Nike Football Training Camp at The Ohio State University and he had just finished meeting with Urban Meyer, and was very high on the Buckeyes and life in Columbus. Now almost a year later it seems like OSU may be in a distant third in the race for the Central Valley superstars services.
With James Franklin making a vow to dominate the state, immediately after taking the Penn State job he hired former Gateway and Temple coach Terry Smith to take care of the fertile recruiting grounds of Western PA. According to sources, Whitehead is the highest priority guy PSU has on the board in the WPIAL and after taking the job Smith started working the relationship he had with Whitehead. One he had formed previously through the spring and summer 7 on 7 circuit years before.
Enter West Virginia, with the Mountaineers reeling in Dravon Henry this could pose issues for years to come for any coaches trying to build a pipeline in Beaver County. The Aliquippa legends influence and relationship with Whitehead has pushed WVU into the top two for his services and the two had always dreamed about manning the cornerback positions together in college. With assassin recruiter Tony Gibson just being promoted to defensive coordinator, we could be in store for a showdown between old friends Terry Smith and Tony Gibson for the WPIAL’s most dynamic prospect.
With spring right around the corner and class of 2015 recruiting about to heat up, don’t be surprised to see this story line intensify. Along with University of Pittsburgh making a push for Whitehead’s services, we wouldn’t be surprised if schools like Alabama and Florida State start rearing their head in the hunt for the CV playmaker.
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Aliquippa, Central Valley, Class of 2015, Dravon Henry, James Franklin, Jordan Whitehead, ohio state, PA Football, penn state, PREPS.COM, Robert Foster, Tony Gibson, West Virginia