WHITTIER, Calif. (May 9, 2025) – The returning Whittier College football program may not take the field until 2026, but is already thriving with a recruiting class of 26 new Poets who will make their way on to campus this Fall 2025.
The new crop of players will enroll for classes and train with the coaching staff as a team ahead of the team's reintroduction to the SCIAC and Division III football in 2026.
"I was truly surprised by the overwhelming interest in class of 2025 players that wanted to come in and spend a season to develop and help lead this team for the '26 season," Head Coach
Cory White said. "That is a major credit to our college leadership and the vision for the future of Whittier College. My staff and I could not be more excited to work such a great group of talented, motivated football players."
Whittier officially hired White on Feb. 10, 2025 with the coach tabbed to tackle the unique challenge of building a football program and culture from the ground-up, and the unique challenge of creating a winning formula both on the field and in the classroom. He has since hired former Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator
Mark Odin to the same role and brought back former assistant
Lucas Govan, who was with the program in 2021-22, as the Offensive Coordinator. White himself got his start in Whittier as a graduate assistant with the football team between 2004 and 2006.
It was officially announced that football would be returning to Whittier College on Oct. 25, 2024, marking the resumption of a 115-year tradition. To make it so, the Whittier College alumni raised over $800,000 that has gone towards the startup costs of the program.
Those initiatives have successfully bore fruit. Of the new crop of players, 24 are freshmen, while two are transfers. All 26 hail from the states of Washington, Hawaii, and the Poets' home state of California. The California recruits will come to Whittier from all across the state, with players from the Bay Area, along with Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, and Riverside counties. Additionally, seven of the new players come from four local high schools: La Serna High School, Pioneer High School, and El Rancho High School, and Whittier High School.
While football will not open play until 2026, at least four of the first 26 athletes into the new-look football program will be two-sport athletes. Four players will compete in track in field, while one other player will be a part of the baseball program.
Read on to see the full list of athletes set to join the Whittier College football team in Fall 2025:
Tanner Adkins / Linebacker / Oaks Christian
Jordan Barber / Linebacker / Mary Star of the Sea
Ryan Dominguez / Quarterback / El Rancho
Angel Escandon / Quarterback / San Juan Hills
Hayden Figueroa / Running Back / Whittier
Chase Flores / Long Snapper / Rancho Cucamonga
Nathan Flores / Offensive Line / Whittier
Gavin Garcia / Defensive Lineman / Pioneer
Ethan Gomez / Linebacker / Wilson
Luke Holguin / Defensive Line / Xavier Prep
AJ Hudson / Wide Receiver / La Salle
Phillip King / Linebacker / Fillmore
Ryland Kyle / Defensive Back / North Central
James Mertz / Quarterback / San Francisco City College - Washington High School (San Francisco)
Braden Mitchell / Quarterback / Notre Dame (Riverside)
Armando Moreno / Defensive Line / Damien
Kaden Orosz / Defensive Back / Portola
Julius Padilla / Running Back / Artesia
Salvador Rangel / Offensive Line / La Serna
Amiri Resendiz / Quarterback / Pioneer
Gregory Silva / Wide Receiver / La Serna
AJ Tran / Running Back / Gabrielino
Sean Walker / Defensive Line / Millikan
Dash Watanabe / Wide Receiver / Punahou
Cameron Weaver / Wide Receiver / Dana Hills
Matthew Woods / Defensive Line / Rialto
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