By JOSE NEGRON
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Chase Whatton will soon be exchanging his Elizabeth Forward red and black for Bowling Green orange and brown.
The senior all-state defensive end made his highly anticipated college decision Wednesday, verbally committing to continue his academic and football careers at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
Whatton, who had over 30 Division I offers, will play for head coach Scot Loeffler and the Falcons.
“It’s definitely a huge weight off my chest, my shoulders, my head and my body,” Whatton said with a laugh. “I think it was definitely the right choice for me. I got to see the campus and everything, and it just felt like home to me. I couldn’t ask for much more.”
Whatton’s recruiting process began last November when he started emailing coaches and requesting to visit college campuses.
He utilized Twitter to his advantage, marketing himself to college programs, and eventually picked up his first offer from the University of Buffalo on Feb. 1.
That’s when the floodgates opened.
Whatton received three more offers over the next 24 hours and more followed in the months after.
Bowling Green, which went 3-9 overall and 2-6 in Mid-American Conference play last season, was the fifth school to send an offer Whatton’s way.
“You always want to go where you’re wanted,” Whatton said. “I’ve been feeling that a lot.”
Whatton narrowed his list of offers down to seven in July. In addition to Bowling Green, he considered Akron, Delaware, Florida International, James Madison, Navy and Western Michigan.
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