Lampasas star Ace Whitehead is taking the trip down Highway 183 to play for the University of Texas. However, the quarterback is trading the turf for the diamond.
Whitehead announced his commitment on Twitter, saying his childhood dream is now a reality.
🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼 pic.twitter.com/Y3F9udiN8O
— ace whitehead (@freshflashash) June 17, 2020
"Sometimes I would drive around and just listen to 'The Eyes of Texas' or 'Texas Fight,'" he said. "And now, whenever I hear that or 'Hook 'Em Horns,' it's gonna mean a little bit more."
Whitehead chose to play baseball for the Longhorns, bypassing any opportunity to play football in college. He said it was a difficult decision.
"That was always in the back of my mind, like, 'what if something happens and you can play football,' but eventually I just had to let go of that and just be like 'whatever happens, happens,'" he said.
The Lampasas High senior racked in several awards during his junior football campaign. Whitehead was named the AP Class 4A Offensive Player of the Year, District MVP and Central Texas Football Player of the Year by the Austin American-Statesman.
New Orleans Saints quarterback and Austin Westlake graduate Drew Brees presented the latter award to Whitehead during a virtual ceremony on June 18.
"I look up to him," Whitehead said. "He's a shorter stature quarterback, a Central Texas guy, and I just look up to him. For them to be able to do that, it was really special to me and my family."
He was also named a finalist for Dave Campbell's 2019 Mr. Football. This season he will serve as the magazine's Class 4A coverboy.
The #Lampasas star is going down to Austin where it looks like he will play baseball. He is also a top 4A quarterback. https://t.co/8nF0QSUBQW
— Jack Allen (@JackAllenKXXV) June 17, 2020
His coaches say despite the awards, he has remained a humble leader entering his senior season. Whitehead said he has tried to use his status in Lampasas as a platform to spread important messages about COVID-19.
"It's about having pride in his community and the community having pride in the Badgers and representing Lampasas the way it deserves to be represented," Lampasas Head Coach Troy Rogers said. "Then they come out in droves."
Lampasas returned to practice this month after a long break due to the coronavirus. The Badgers are ranked No. 3 in Dave Campbell's preseason Class 4A-1 rankings.
