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Jordan Whitehead’s Pitt career is over, as the safety announced Monday morning on Twitter that he will be leaving the Panthers to enter the 2018 NFL Draft.
Whitehead, a Western Pennsylvania product who chose Pitt over national offers as a four-star prospect in the 2015 recruiting class at Central Valley High school, was a three-year starter for the Panthers. He played in 31 games over the last three seasons and started 30 of those; his only non-start was the first game of his freshman year, and he was in the starting lineup by Week Two.
From the time he stepped on campus, Whitehead was one of Pitt’s best overall players. As a run-stopping boundary safety, he led the Panthers in tackles his freshman season, and while his sophomore season was cut short due to an arm injury he suffered in the win over Clemson, Whitehead was still one of the most productive players on defense.
In nine games, he had 65 tackles, good for sixth-most on the team. His 46 solo stops ranked second, and he led Pitt in tackles per game.
This past season, Whitehead continued his productive ways, He was third on the team in tackles and second in tackles per game, but his overall production was limited due to a suspension that kept him out of the first three games.
Throughout his career, Whitehead was also a weapon on offense. He scored two touchdowns in 2015 and averaged 10 yards per carry that year and in 2016. This season, he had a three-game stretch where he was Pitt’s best offensive threat, rushing for team-high totals against Rice, Syracuse and N.C. State.
Over the weekend, WalterFootball.com rated Whitehead as the No. 7 safety in the upcoming draft, and a mock draft from USA Today in mid-November projected him as a third-round pick.
Whitehead is the second Pitt player to announce he will enter next year’s draft, joining receiver Quadree Henderson, who made a similar announcement last Monday.
