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FCS Spotlight: Blake Whitmore anchors Western Carolina O-Line

Redshirt senior has 27 career starts, listed among top returning linemen in SoCon

Published

July 8, 2024

What started as an invitation to walk on at Western Carolina has evolved into an all-conference collegiate career and preseason 2024 national recognition for offensive lineman Blake Whitmore.

North Carolina Football News turns its player spotlight today on the Raleigh native and former Millbrook High School standout, who has been a mainstay on the front lines for the Catamounts since 2021.

Whitmore will be a redshirt senior in Cullowhee this season. He’s coming off a second-team All-Southern Conference season a year ago after starting all 11 games for WCU (7-4). He also started 11 games in 2022 and five in 2021 before an injury derailed that campaign.

HERO Sports lists Whitmore as the top returning interior lineman from the SoCon and also the No. 21 returning offensive lineman in all of FCS. Sam Herder from the HERO Sports recently posted on Twitter/X that Whitmore is the best returning player to wear No. 72 in the FCS ranks.

#72 Blake Whitmore

Position: Offensive Line
Height: 6-2
Weight: 295
Hometown: Raleigh
High School (Previous School): Millbrook HS

2023 Highlights: Helped pave the way for a huge, record-setting offensive season, which saw the Catamounts pile up 5,545 yards and contend for a playoff berth until the final weekend. Whitmore also worked hard in the classroom, being named to the 2024 NFF Hampshire Honor Society and as a 2023-24 SoCon Academic Honor Roll member …

Earned third-team all-conference status from Phil Steele to go with second-team honors from SoCon coaches.

Other WCU Highlights: Started and played center for all 11 games of the 2022 campaign. Helped the Catamounts set what was then a school-record for offensive production (5,339 total yards) … Recovered a fumble at Gardner-Webb during the 2021 season…

Saw the field as a true freshman for four games in 2019 as a reserve on the line and in special teams … His debut came against Gardner-Webb on Oct. 5, 2019… Played in two games during the 2020-21 COVID season.

Earned spots on the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll three times.

High School Highlights: Played center, guard and long-snapper for Millbrook and earned all-conference as a senior … Also played baseball for the Wildcats.