William Whitlow Jr has unfinished business in Memphis
Avery Braxton
William Whitlow Jr returns for his fifth year as a Memphis Tiger after an All-AAC First Team effort in the 2024 season.
In the era of the transfer portal, it’s rare to see a player stick around for four years, much less five, but that’s exactly what William Whitlow Jr did.
Now he is the trusted anchor of the Tigers’ defense and determined to complete unfinished business.
Whitlow is entering his fifth year of college football, but he is quick to remind anyone how young at heart he still is.
“Everybody calls me the old head, because I’ve been here five years,” Whitlow said. “It’s still guys here older than me. I’m only 22.”
Much like former Tigers quarterback Seth Henigan, who spent four years at Memphis, Whitlow has spent his entire career as a Tiger. He jumped in the transfer portal at the end of last season, but it only took a week for him to know he was staying put.
“I took a drive to Nashville to be with my mom. I took a drive, and, on that drive, I’m like, ‘bro, my heart is deeply rooted in Memphis. Like, I feel like this is where I need to be,'” Whitlow said.
Whitlow is an All-AAC First Teamer and the presumptive disruptive force for the Jordan Hankins defense. As a defensive lineman, he collected 24 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks, three quarterback hurries and one forced fumble in 2024. His loyalty to Memphis is not unnoticed.
“Whit loves it here. The guys look to him,” said Jordon Hankins, the Tigers’ defensive coordinator. “It’s not like he’s pounding his chest and saying, ‘I’m the guy because I stayed here.’ He goes out there and works his tail off every day.”
Whitlow knows his coordinator is depending on him, Hankins said as much.
“(When) he became the (defensive coordinator), he called me like, ‘Whit, like, I’m going to need you. I’m going to need to trust you to help me lead this team,’” Whitlow said.
The pair has unfinished business. The last few years have seen Memphis play well, but fall just short of the big goal — an American Conference championship. Whitlow recalls seeing the pain in his former teammates’ eyes when they fell short of their goal as seniors in 2023 and 2024 after 6-2 seasons in the conference.
“I got to do it for them,” Whitlow said. “It’s always been a bad taste in my mouth — we’re one game away. One game away. I need to go back and help lead these guys to get over the hump and potentially play in the game and win the game.”
Stack that with one big solo accolade, and you can put a bow on Whitlow’s career in Memphis.
“I would love to go out with a conference defensive player of the year; I would love to. But my main goal is getting my team to the American championship and potentially winning it,” he said.
The Tigers kick off the season on August 30 in Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium against Chattanooga.
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