Javin 'Nunu' Whatley 'modeling the way' for Arizona's receivers

Javin Whatley spent most of his life in the southern part of the United States, so living in Tucson over the last few months is a brand-new experience for the Arizona wide receiver.

As often said in Tucson, it’s a dry heat, where Georgia and Tennessee are on the other side of the precipitation spectrum.

“I’m from Georgia, so it’s always humid and hot,” said Whatley, who transferred from Chattanooga in January. “You step outside and can’t breathe. The air out here (in Tucson) is amazing. I haven’t seen nothing like it. Seeing cactuses every day and palm trees, I’ve never seen that. Mountains everywhere. The scenery is beautiful. I love it.”

Whatley is originally from Rockmart, Georgia, “a very small city” between Atlanta and Birmingham with a population of just over 5,000 people. It would take nearly two Rockmarts to fill the “Zona Zoo” at Arizona Stadium.

In a town with a total area of 4.4 miles, there “ain’t really much to do” besides play sports, Whatley said.

“There wasn’t really much to do but get work in,” he added.

Whatley’s nickname growing up was Snoop-Snoop until his older brother — one of Whatley’s nine siblings — pronounced it “Nunu” (pronounced noo-noo) and created the name every UA player and coach calls the receiver.

Prior to playing receiver at the collegiate level, Whatley quarterbacked Rockmart High School and amassed 2,201 passing yards, 3,241 rushing yards and 69 total touchdowns. Whatley led the Yellow Jackets to a 35-4 record in his last three seasons.

Playing quarterback “helped me become a leader and it helped me know what everybody is doing,” Whatley said.

“I still have a quarterback mindset, so when I’m playing receiver, I look to read the defense as well and know what everyone else has,” Whatley said. “I’d say it helped me how I play receiver and how I view the field.”

Whatley was a multi-sport star who also ran track growing up and was the anchor leg for the fastest 4x100 relay team (41.97 seconds) in Rockmart school history.

“Track helped me a lot, because where I come from in Georgia, speed is a big thing,” Whatley said.

That speed “carried over to the football field” and Whatley transitioned to wide receiver at Chattanooga.

After redshirting in 2021, the 5-10, 167-pound Whatley recorded 108 catches for 1,810 yards and 12 touchdowns in the last three seasons for the Mocs and became a Second-Team All-Southern Conference selection in 2023 and ‘24.

Whatley earned preseason FCS All-American and All-SoCon honors last season and was named an honorable mention on the “Freaks List,” an annual ranking of athletically gifted college football players by The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman.

With one season of eligibility remaining, Whatley took his talents from the FCS level to Power 4 and rejuvenated an Arizona receiver room that added “real speed, which I think we were missing a year ago at that position,” said UA head coach Brent Brennan.

“Speed was something we needed to address this offseason, especially in the receiver room,” said Arizona receivers coach Bobby Wade. “We felt like the direction we were moving in offensively was going to require guys who can really stretch the football field, something we failed to do last year.”

Whatley said he “liked the vibe (Arizona) gave me” during his official visit and “they made me feel comfortable, so I felt like this was the best opportunity for me.” Additionally, “I was very confident in myself and (offensive coordinator Seth Doege’s) style,” Whatley said.

“I just felt like it was the best thing for me,” he added.

Doege said “Whatley’s speed is going to be a problem and he’s made some big-time plays."

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Even though Whatley’s new home stadium is more than twice the size of Chattanooga’s Finley Stadium, in addition to an upgrade in resources and facilities, the receiver hasn’t made his new chapter bigger than it is.

“I had the same mindset, because football is football,” Whatley said. “The same goals I had at my old school are the same goals I have here. Obviously, I want to help the offense and help the team however I can and be beneficial. I have the same mindset for everything.”

Whatley is among the most notable standouts at slot receiver this spring, along with Washington State transfer Kris Hutson and New Mexico transfer Luke Wysong, among others. Whatley has shown the ability to run shorter routes and earn yards after the catch or hit fifth gear and take the top off the defense with a deeper route.

Whatley has shown the ability to create separation from defensive backs — and starting defensive backs such as leading tackler Dalton Johnson, who lost multiple one-on-one battles against Whatley on Saturday.

“He’s been a great addition,” Brennan said of Whatley. “He’s a guy that has played a lot of football. That was one of the things that was really important to us when we were going after players in the portal, guys that had experience playing the game. He’s a playmaker, he’s great with the ball in his hand, he’s a tough kid and I think because he has played, he understands how to block, he understands how to run routes, he understands coverage.

“Some of that experience is accelerating the process of him settling in here, because he has played football. So, when we’re like, ‘Hey, we need you to go dig out that safety,’ he knows exactly what that means versus someone that has never had to do that before.”

Whatley and the other veteran receivers Arizona added in the transfer portal are “modeling the way” for the rest of the receiver room.

“That’s one of those things where everyone is like, ‘Whoa, these guys who got here eight weeks ago are locked in and making plays, because they know what to do,’” Brennan said. “Their maturity is giving them a chance to do that. They have played in big games, they know what those things are and understand offensive schemes.”

Brennan open to joint practices

NFL-style joint practices in college football has been a popular topic of conversation in college football circles, especially after the NCAA denied Colorado and Syracuse’s request for a joint practice, citing potential recruiting concerns, especially in the days leading up to the spring transfer portal window.

Several coaches, including former Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez, who’s now at West Virginia, have supported the idea of joint practices with multiple teams. Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy said, “We get tired of practicing against each other.”

“We’re moving towards the NFL (model),” Gundy said. “Why not do that?”

Brennan said joint practices is “a really interesting idea.”

“I know there’s a high level of success with the NFL teams that do that and they think it’s a valuable thing,” Brennan said. “I’d be interested in continuing the conversation and seeing if that’s something if people want to move in that direction. The biggest question would be, ‘Can we do that and get good work without it turning into something that we don’t want to be a part of, which you sometimes see on (HBO’s) ‘Hard Knocks?’ All of sudden there’s a football practice and then it’s a 40-on-40 fight and no one is getting better at football.

“I think it’s a great idea. I think it’s an interesting idea and I think what some of the people are talking about is progressive. If that’s the way we go with college football, then let’s go.”

Extra points

Brennan, on the rise of redshirt freshman receiver Brandon Phelps, who concluded his high school career at American Leadership Academy — Gilbert as a state record-holder for career receiving yards (4,475), touchdowns (60) and receptions (271): “It’s great to see Brandon Phelps healthy and making plays again. ... So far, he’s had a really good spring. I think everyone on the team is excited about him and excited about his future.”

NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter currently projects former Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan to land at No. 12 to the Dallas Cowboys. Reuter has the Detroit Lions drafting former UA offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea at No. 28 overall and Tucson native and Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom at No. 102 in the third round. The NFL Draft from Green Bay, Wisconsin begins on April 24.

Photos: Arizona Wildcats workout for a spring practice at Arizona Stadium