The Buckeye Battle Cry will be counting down the Top 25 players of the past decade all spring/summer. Every Monday and Thursday, Jim will be announcing a new player. Our #1 player will be presented on Monday, August 30th. Three days later, the 2010 season officially begins. To view the previous entries in our Top 25, click here.
Donte Whitner (2004-2005)
As a strong safety for the Buckeyes, Donte Whitner was a heat seeking missile locked on to any apposing player who was unfortunate enough to be holding the ball. His ability to “bring the wood” was a joy to watch and what every Buckeye fan hopes to see from the Silver Bullet defense.
The only potential knock on Whitner was that his time as a starter was artificially shortened by his entry into the draft, but oh what a time it was.
Whitner showed flashes of greatness in 2004, a year in which he recorded 69 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 interception. Despite these numbers, good enough to be the 4th leading tackler on the team, 2004 as a whole was a disappointing year for the Buckeyes, overshadowing any individual achievements.
If 2004 was a the year that Whitner showed flashes, 2005 was certainly the pinnacle of his Buckeye career. To top things off, 2005 was an excellent year overall for the Buckeyes, culminating in the highly enjoyable beat down of Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.
The 2005 team that went to the Fiesta Bowl was one of the best teams that Ohio State has fielded in the past decade, and the defense that shut down the vaunted Notre Dame offense, with Whitner as one of its leaders and stars, was one of the best ever.
As a junior on that superb defense, Whitner recorded 73 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, 6 pass breakups, and 1 forced fumble. He was the third leading tackler on the team, and a central cog in the overall excellence of the squad. Beyond the numbers, Whitner’s combination of speed and power were off the charts and a lot of fun to watch.
But back to the numbers, 9 tackles for loss and 4 sacks from the safety position? That is extremely impressive, and a clear indicator of Whitner’s central role on one of Ohio State’s best rush defenses of the past decade (73 yards per game, 2.2 yards per cary).
For his efforts in 2005, Whitner earned First-Team All-American and All-Big Ten honors.
After the 2005 season, like a flash, Whitner was gone, choosing to enter the NFL draft a year early.
You can’t really blame him for his decision to leave, as he was selected 8th overall in the 2006 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills.
Still, Whitner could have certainly furthered his legacy as one of the best safeties to play in scarlet and gray if he had chosen to return for his senior season.
Regardless, Whitner has been a starter for the Bills since his rookie year in 2006, and he ranks 4th among NFL defensive backs for most tackles since then. Special side note, he recorded his first interception in the NFL in his first game… against Tom Brady.
That alone is worth a point or two.
A few legal issues aside, he has been another cog in Ohio State’s defensive back producing machine.
For his outstanding All-American season in 2005, for his freakish combination of speed and power that was so enjoyable to watch as he smashed opposing ball carriers, and for representing the Buckeyes so well in the NFL, Donte Whitner is #16 on our countdown of the top 25 Buckyeyes of the last decade.
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