F.W. Bucholz (Gainesville, Fla.) three-star wide receiver Creed Whittemore made his way to Clemson’s campus for an unofficial visit on Friday.
In an exclusive interview with The Clemson Insider Friday night, Whittemore recapped his first visit to Clemson, in which he got to meet with receivers coach Tyler Grisham and experience the culture first-hand.
“It was awesome,” Whittemore said. “We got there and we toured the campus. Then, we went back to the facility and we walked around with Coach Grisham.”
What was Grisham’s message to him?
“I’m gonna go back up, hopefully, in the early spring,” Whittemore said. “He wants to work with me, run some routes, and, hopefully, good things come from that. Coach Grisham, I think he’s one of the best receiver coaches in the country. He knows what he gets himself into when he gets the players he wants. He always wants to work with his guys and I’m pretty sure he’s getting the right players. I respect that to the fullest.
“I have no problem running some routes for him and getting to work with him. I think that’ll benefit me because I get to see how he interacts with his guys, whenever he works with them. It would be a good opportunity to work with him and just showcase my talent to him.”
Whittemore had no idea that Grisham was also a 5-10 slot receiver, who played at Clemson. He didn’t learn that until Friday. He also offered Whittemore a comparison to a current Clemson slot receiver, who Grisham recruited as part of the team’s 2021 recruiting class.
“He compared me to the freshman that came in this year that tore his ACL, he plays baseball,” Whittemore said. “Will Taylor, he kind of compared me to him in just the way that I can play some quarterback if needed, I can return punts and also catch balls. I think [Grisham] just likes my versatility and my ability to play anywhere on the field. He was just intrigued and that’s what you want to hear from a player’s perspective.”
What did Whittemore think of the comparison?
“I was honestly surprised when Coach [Grisham] said that,” he said of Taylor. “I didn’t know he caught the punts vs. Georgia in the first game. Clemson’s a place where if you’re good, they’re gonna play you. They don’t necessarily care if you’re a freshman, a sophomore, or a senior. If you’re a good player, you’re gonna get on the field and I respect that. Obviously, that’s something you want to see as somebody like somebody I compare myself to that’s getting on the field as a freshman and contributing.”
Just walking around campus, Whittemore was absolutely blown away by Clemson’s culture.
“Obviously, everyone is always talking about the culture at Clemson and it’s definitely real,” Whittemore said. “You could feel it just walking around. I talked to the five-star quarterback that just got in (Cade Klubnik). I talked to him for a little bit. He’s a great kid. He’s gonna be a great player. He’s got the right mentality. I talked to Troy Stellato, the freshman receiver. That’s one of my guys from down south in Florida. He’s a great kid. They’re all hard workers. They know what they get themselves into.”
“You don’t meet a non-nice person there,” he added. “Everybody’s willing to fight for you and willing to put it all out on the field for you.”
Creed and his family were also accompanied by Mickey Conn during his tour around campus.
Clemson’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach was the one to invite the talented Sunshine State athlete up for Friday’s unofficial visit and passed along Grisham’s interest in him.
“We walked around with him,” he said of Conn. “He’s obviously coached some great players that have moved on to the NFL. You’ve got to respect everything he says. Guys like that, it’s just a blessing to even be able to be just walking around and talking with them. I think it’s a great place. I can’t wait to get back up there and run around with him and see what happens.”
It also helps that Conn has a prior relationship with the Whittemore family. Conn is familiar with Creed’s father, Mark Whittemore, who played receiver at UCF and serves as his son’s head coach at Bucholz. They know each other “decently well,” according to Creed.
With that being said, what did his family think of Clemson?
“I think they were just really impressed with just how genuine the coaches were,” he said. “I think their favorite thing about it was definitely the team aspect. I’m a Christian, a lot of those guys are Christians. Their families represent it. They represent it. For my family and my little brother to see that was just cool.”
Creed has a pretty busy weekend ahead of him. After Friday’s stop at Clemson, he’ll be taking an unofficial to Wake Forest on Saturday and will visit Auburn later in the weekend. Creed, who currently holds offers from schools like Florida, Texas A&M, UCF, Wake Forest, West Virginia, recently added an offer from Mississippi State.
“It’s encouraging to be where I am,” he said. “A lot of people don’t get that opportunity. It’s definitely a blessing and I just praise the Lord every day.”
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