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Jersey Number 43
Will Whitson
- Position:
- DL
- Height:
- 6-5
- Weight:
- 295
- Class:
- Graduate Student
- Hometown:
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- High School/Previous School:
- Winton Woods HS (Coastal Carolina)
Career Honors
2025 SEC Defensive Linemanย of the Week (Wk 1 atย Southern Miss)
2025 Panini Senior Bowl Top 300 Watch List
2025 Shrine Bowl 1000
Career Notes
Played in 19 career games with 14 starts โฆ Transferred to Mississippi State from Coastal Carolina ahead of the 2025 season โฆ Following the 2025 season, had 71 career tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, seven QB hurries and one forced fumble โฆ Earned a medical wavier to play in 2026.
ย
2025 (Graduate Season)
Played in two games with one start โฆ Suffered a season-ending knee injury against Arizona State โฆ tallied eight tackles, 4.5 TFLs with two sacks โฆ Recorded four tackles against Southern Miss and Arizona State โฆ had a sack in both games played.
ย
2024 (Graduate Season โ Coastal Carolina)
Played in four games with four starts โฆ Recorded 21 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, one forced fumble and two QB hurries โฆ Made season debut on Aug. 29 โฆ Missed two games before playing against Old Dominion & James Madison โฆ Missed the final seven games of the season ... Earned a redshirt.
ย
2023 (Senior Season โ Coastal Carolina)
Played in 13 games with nine starts โฆ Recorded 42 total tackles, including 19 solo stops, 5.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, and five QB hurries โฆ Totaled eight tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks against Texas State (Nov. 11) โฆ Eight tackles with 0.5 tackles for loss against Army (Nov. 18) โฆ Finished with seven tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss, and 1.0 sack against James Madison (Nov. 25) โฆ Tallied five tackles and two QB hurries against Appalachian State (Oct. 10) โฆ Rated as a three-star recruit at defensive edge in the junior college ranks for the Class of 2023 by 247SportsJUCO and On3 โฆ Rated as the fourth-best defensive edge junior college recruit in the Class of 2023 by On3 โฆ Ranked as the seventh-best defensive edge junior college recruit in the Class of 2023 by 247Sports JUCO โฆ Chose Coastal Carolina over Tennessee, Buffalo, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech.
ย
2020-22 (Independence CC)
Spent three seasons at Independence Community College โฆ Played in 21 games โฆ 2022 Kansas Jayhawk All-Conference Second Team โฆ 2021 Kansas Jayhawk All-Conference honorable Mention โฆ Recorded 63 tackles, 16.0 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks.
Career-Highs Entering 2026
Tackles: 8, 2x, last at Army (11/18/2024) *
Tackles for Loss: 2.5, at Southern Miss (8/30/2025)
Sacks: 2.0, vs. Texas State (11/11/2023) *
Forced Fumbles: 1, at Jacksonville State (08/29/2024) *
* Career-high set at Coastal Carolina
2025 SEC Defensive Linemanย of the Week (Wk 1 atย Southern Miss)
2025 Panini Senior Bowl Top 300 Watch List
2025 Shrine Bowl 1000
Career Notes
Played in 19 career games with 14 starts โฆ Transferred to Mississippi State from Coastal Carolina ahead of the 2025 season โฆ Following the 2025 season, had 71 career tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, seven QB hurries and one forced fumble โฆ Earned a medical wavier to play in 2026.
ย
2025 (Graduate Season)
Played in two games with one start โฆ Suffered a season-ending knee injury against Arizona State โฆ tallied eight tackles, 4.5 TFLs with two sacks โฆ Recorded four tackles against Southern Miss and Arizona State โฆ had a sack in both games played.
ย
2024 (Graduate Season โ Coastal Carolina)
Played in four games with four starts โฆ Recorded 21 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, one forced fumble and two QB hurries โฆ Made season debut on Aug. 29 โฆ Missed two games before playing against Old Dominion & James Madison โฆ Missed the final seven games of the season ... Earned a redshirt.
ย
2023 (Senior Season โ Coastal Carolina)
Played in 13 games with nine starts โฆ Recorded 42 total tackles, including 19 solo stops, 5.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, and five QB hurries โฆ Totaled eight tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks against Texas State (Nov. 11) โฆ Eight tackles with 0.5 tackles for loss against Army (Nov. 18) โฆ Finished with seven tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss, and 1.0 sack against James Madison (Nov. 25) โฆ Tallied five tackles and two QB hurries against Appalachian State (Oct. 10) โฆ Rated as a three-star recruit at defensive edge in the junior college ranks for the Class of 2023 by 247SportsJUCO and On3 โฆ Rated as the fourth-best defensive edge junior college recruit in the Class of 2023 by On3 โฆ Ranked as the seventh-best defensive edge junior college recruit in the Class of 2023 by 247Sports JUCO โฆ Chose Coastal Carolina over Tennessee, Buffalo, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech.
ย
2020-22 (Independence CC)
Spent three seasons at Independence Community College โฆ Played in 21 games โฆ 2022 Kansas Jayhawk All-Conference Second Team โฆ 2021 Kansas Jayhawk All-Conference honorable Mention โฆ Recorded 63 tackles, 16.0 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks.
Career-Highs Entering 2026
Tackles: 8, 2x, last at Army (11/18/2024) *
Tackles for Loss: 2.5, at Southern Miss (8/30/2025)
Sacks: 2.0, vs. Texas State (11/11/2023) *
Forced Fumbles: 1, at Jacksonville State (08/29/2024) *
* Career-high set at Coastal Carolina
Saturday, September 26
Saturday, September 26
Monday, September 21
Monday, September 21
