LOS ANGELES -- As soon as Kermit Whitfield took the ball in the end zone, those closest to him knew what would happen.
Back home in Orlando, Florida, his track coach started celebrating after he cleared the first wave of defenders. His high school football coach thought, “Wow! He is flying!”
Jimbo Fisher raced down the sideline with him, screaming, “Go! Go! Go!” Whitfield covered 100 yards with his blazing track speed and raced for a touchdown to instantly swing momentum to Florida State in the BCS National Championship against Auburn.
That kickoff return became Whitfield's big moment of triumph, a play that will forever be remembered in Florida State history.
But in the year since, Whitfield has become a forgotten man. His playing time at receiver has diminished; he has zero touchdowns; his kickoff-return yardage is down. Could a return to the Rose Bowl -- the stadium where he made his career-defining play -- put Whitfield back in the spotlight?
“I feel really good,” Whitfield said in the days before the Seminoles face Oregon in one College Football Playoff semifinal. “I’ve been watching a lot of film on these guys, and we’ve got something up our sleeve that we’ll do, and I’ll probably press and hit.”
Whitfield built his name in high school on his speed. Ricky Argro, who started working with him on the track in ninth grade, said, “He’s definitely one of the most explosive athletes I’ve ever been around.”
Kenard Lang, who coached him in football in high school, said, “One day in practice as a freshman, he went from first gear to third gear in two seconds.”
That track speed was evident last year in Pasadena, California. When Whitfield came back to Orlando in the offseason for a visit, he told Lang, “That’s the first time in my life when I really had to run.” Because nobody in high school was ever fast enough to catch Whitfield.
But this offseason was different than all the others. In high school, Whitfield never really had an offseason. He would go from football straight to track dominating just about every meet he entered. Track kept him in shape.
After the Florida State football season ended, Whitfield elected to skip track, in hopes of focusing on football and the possibility of winning an open starting receiver job. The plan was to bulk up his frame for his sophomore season.
But Argro said the new strength plan, an offseason without track and an NCAA legislation allowing schools to provide student-athletes with unlimited food and snacks, caused Whitfield to put on more weight than his frame should carry.
As a result, Whitfield was not in the right shape when preseason camp opened. When asked whether skipping track was a contributing factor to some weight gain, Whitfield said, “It probably was,” then added he was considering running track after this football season ended.
“I missed it,” he said.
What specifically did he miss?
“The winning,” Whitfield said.
Track is a solitary sport, and Whitfield got accustomed to having his way when the starter’s gun sounded. He was also used to having his way on a football field. But football requires much more than practice and games. His playing time started to diminish as Florida State opted to use tight end Nick O’Leary more. Whitfield grew frustrated.
In six of the final seven games of the season, Whitfield did not have a catch. In all, he has 11 receptions for 145 yards. Although those are better numbers than a year ago, he was expected to have a bigger role this year, with only Rashad Greene returning as a starting receiver.
“He’s been working hard trying to figure out what he can do to get a little role,” co-offensive coordinator/receivers coach Lawrence Dawsey said. “It’s just a matter of getting him in there. He’s been frustrated, but he has been working hard. There’s only so many balls that can go around.”
Whitfield said he was frustrated because he was never told why his playing time diminished. But he has tried to get past those frustrations and said he is working harder at practice to run more precise routes and carve out a niche.
But returning kicks has been frustrating too. Last year, Whitfield led the nation in kickoff-return average (36.4 yards per return) and scored two touchdowns. This year, he has nine more returns but 85 fewer yards, for an average of 20.5 yards per kickoff. Whitfield said he has been pressing but hopes his preparation will allow for a repeat Pasadena performance.
Argro believes it. The two spent time together in Orlando during the Christmas break. The first thing Whitfield told Argro: “Coach, I told you I lost the weight!”
“He looked like he looked last year, after I saw him in the Rose Bowl game,” Argro said. “He looks like he’s in tip-top shape to do some good things.”
