Charlie Whitehurst Answers Your ‘Ask The Tigers’ Questions

Aug. 9, 2001

Below are Charlie Whitehurst’s answers to the selected questions that you submitted this past week to “Ask The Tigers”. ClemsonTigers.com would like to thank you for all of your questions submitted. We would also like to thank Charlie for his time and sincere effort with “Ask The Tigers”.

Choice Clip – 08/09/01

Charlie Whitehurst (:24)

Hi Charlie, My question is: Where do you see the football team in a few years down the road?Greg Hiott Simpsonville, SC

Well, we had a great recruiting class, and great senior leadership now. And I think that if they can teach us younger guys what it’s all about, then I think we are going to have a shot at a lot of really successful seasons in the future. I like the chemistry on the team, I’m new, but I can tell there is something good going on with Clemson football right now.

Charlie, Thanks for choosing Clemson! Woody and Willie have clearly distinquished themselves as two different types of quarterbacks. What is your style, and how will that integrate with Clemson’s wide open offense?Andrew J. Patrick III Anderson, SC

Well, I’m definitely closer to Willie’s style than Woody’s. I’m not going to beat too many people with my feet. But I think I can beat people with my arm. I just need to learn the offense, and pretty much live it. Hopefully then, I can get in there and show everyone what I can do.

Hey Charlie, What was the lure that caused you to want to be a Tiger? Certainly, you had many choices. Why the Tigers?John L. Caudle II Columbia, SC

Well, I think just the excitement of the Tigers. The whole university, Death Valley, all those things. We ran down the “Hill” on my visit, and that’s not going to happen on other visits. North Carolina was my second choice, and they are more of a “basketball school” and maybe they don’t get up as much for football, but here, people really get up for football. So that plus the coaching staff with Coach Bowden and Coach O’Cain and the other offensive coaches just seemed like great people and I just knew that this is where I wanted to make my home.

Charlie, Talk about your relationship with Coach O’Cain. I have heard that he was a huge reason that you chose to attend our fine university.Jack Rutledge Charleston, SC

He was pretty much the reason I was really considering North Carolina so much. When he came here, it kind of raised the bar at Clemson, so to speak. So I don’t know if I really followed him here, but he was definitely a big reason I chose to come here.

Charlie, What are your thoughts on Clemson football after your first couple days of practice?Mike Martinez Myrtle Beach, SC

I have to say that it is a lot different from high school football to begin with, but I think the excitement on this team and the unity that I am seeing is just unbelievable. I thought college football, you know, would be tough and everything, but it seems like you can’t have any more fun than Clemson football.

Charlie, Is it strange being teammates with guys like Roscoe and Woody that get so much media attention?Bill Rupple Gastonia, NC

Not really, I feel like when we are on the field we are on the same team with them. They put their pants on one leg at a time and it is just really fun to have those kind of guys that you can really count on. Sometimes, you know you don’t have to make every single play. You can rely on those guys.

Charlie, Being from Atlanta, what would a win over the Yellow Jackets mean this year, especially since they have had Clemson’s number over the past four years?Rey Outzen Alpharetta, GA

Oh, it would be really, really big for me. Even though I’d be a freshman, I would really like to see that happen. I have never been a huge Georgia Tech fan, if that answers your question.

Charlie, Which newcomers have impressed you the most in the brief amount of time you have been on the field with them?Nate Anderson Jacksonville, FL

I have really only seen the offensive players, so that is all I can really talk about. Of course Roscoe is about as smooth as they come, he is the total package. And Airese, he is just raw, he can fly. They have impressed me. You have to throw it out in front of those guys and let them go get it. Also, Chip Myrick. He seems like he is really into it mentally, he just needs to get a little bigger. I think he is going to be a player.