Charlie Whitehurst is the son of David Whitehurst who was a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers from 1976-1983. His sister is a member of the Clemson ladies basketball team. In high school David was not only the quarterback of the football team, but he also played outfield and first base on the baseball team. He passed for 1,708 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior before being forced to miss most of his senior season due to a separated shoulder and a broken thumb. He received several scholarship offers and ultimately chose Clemson over North Carolina. He sat out the 2001 season as a redshirt but made an instant impact in 2002. He saw some playing time against Ball State and Virginia, completing all 11 passes he attempted in those games for 113 yards. He made his first start against Duke, passing for 420 yards with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions in a 34-31 victory. He set school records for passing yards and touchdowns in that game. His sophomore year was another record breaking year for Whitehurst. He broke the school record for passing yards in a single season with 3,561 yards through the air and tied the record held by Woodrow Danzler for touchdown passes in a season with 21. He was honorable mention for the all-acc team that year and won the Banks McFadden award given to the best collegiate player in South Carolina. 2004 was a season Whitehurst would probably like to forget. He struggled completing just over 50% of his passes while throwing 17 interceptions and just 7 touchdown passes. Although he did have a down year, too much of the blame was placed on his shoulders. Clemson had very poor offensive line play that year and their receivers dropped a good number of catchable balls. Whitehurst entered his senior season already having completed a degree in Business Management, seeking a second degree in Marketing. He has thrown for more yardage than any other active division I quarterback and he holds 33 Clemson passing records including the career attempts and career passing yardage marks.

Charlie Whitehurst has prototypical size for an NFL quarterback. He is a pure pocket passer who possesses enough arm strength to make all the required throws. He has a nice release and gets good touch on his deep ball. He did struggle as a junior when he was received a good deal of pressure but he will step up in the pocket and make an accurate throw with a defender in his face. He doesn’t lock on to a single receiver—he goes through his progressions well. He isn’t the most mobile quarterback. He will get out of the pocket and make an accurate throw on the run but don’t expect him to be able to make a play with his feet. He has been a very durable player throughout his college career and he holds the Clemson school record for consecutive games started by a quarterback. Whitehurst has all the intangibles you look for in an NFL signal caller—He is an intelligent player with good leadership qualities and unquestionable character. He is one of the top senior quarterback prospects available in the 2006 NFL draft.