Cody Whitehair a steady force for Kansas State in unpredictable season

Cody Whitehair has never tried to drink water out of a fire hose, but he knows what the sensation feels like.

Whitehair, a senior left tackle, compares his first days at Kansas State to that arduous task, admitting he felt lost and overwhelmed trying to learn how to block at a level high enough to satisfy Bill Snyder.

Practice was much more demanding than what he grew accustomed to during high school in nearby Abilene, Kan. Thoughts such as one day becoming K-State’s top offensive lineman and best NFL prospect seemed like pipe dreams. It took everything he had to put his head down and work hard enough to make it through each day of his redshirt freshman year on the scout team.

So you can imagine Whitehair’s emotions five years later when coaches selected him co-MVP of K-State’s offense.

“That is a great honor,” Whitehair said. “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates rallying behind me. I took a lot of pride in that. It was very humbling to me.”

Offensive linemen rarely win awards on a scale larger than their own position. College football’s award season is typically dominated by quarterbacks, running backs and receivers — players that put up the biggest stats. The thought of a blocker being selected MVP of a team or unit normally seems farfetched. But Whitehair was an exception to the rule this season.

He was the slam-dunk selection for K-State’s offensive MVP, going toe-to-toe with the Big 12’s top pass-rushers and winning all-conference honors from both the league’s coaches and media. If not for receiver Kody Cook flashing his versatility by filling in at quarterback at a moment’s notice throughout the season, Whitehair would have won the honor solo.

Whitehair is the best player on K-State’s roster and likely a future NFL Draft pick.

“He is the most consistent guys on the offensive line and on the team,” K-State defensive end Jordan Willis said. “He is basically the rock of that offense.”

Whitehair proved himself this season by excelling at left tackle. Whitehair, 6 feet 4 and 305 pounds, lacks the size of most blindside blockers, and he started his career at right tackle and then left guard. But the Wildcats wanted their best blocker to play left tackle, so he moved there out of necessity.

He had trouble with the transition as a junior, but he mastered the position this season, holding his own against standout defensive ends such as Oklahoma State’s Emmanuel Ogbah and Baylor’s Shawn Oakman.

Whitehair started to gain major buzz when he held Oakman, an Internet sensation known for his massive size, to three tackles and no sacks in early November.

“I played with a little chip on my shoulder that game,” Whitehair said. “He got the best of me two years ago when we were down there. That was a big game for me. He won some and I won some, but at the end of the day I thought I played pretty well.”

On one play, he twice shoved Oakman to the ground and gave quarterback Joe Hubener plenty of time in the pocket.

“Cody was up for the challenge. He always is,” Snyder said. “He meets all those challenges the same way. He does very well.”

Whitehair may play his final game at left tackle against Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2. He projects to be a guard, the position he feels most comfortable with, in the NFL. And he thinks his versatility across the offensive line — he is open to playing center at the next level — will help him most as a professional.

But first, he wants to go out with a bang. He’s come too far to accept anything less.

This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 5:07 PM with the headline "Cody Whitehair a steady force for Kansas State in unpredictable season."