James Wilhoit
Encyclopedia
James Howell Wilhoit II was the placekicker
for the University of Tennessee
football team
between 2003 and 2006
.
in Hendersonville, Tennessee
where he received All American honors from PARADE
, PrepStar, SuperPrep, Student Sports and Borderwars.com.
his freshman year, but went on to become a four-year starter
at Tennessee where he handled field goal
and extra point
attempts and kickoff
s. Wilhoit was known for ability to make field goals in the clutch during his four-year career. When he left Tennessee he was the second leading scorer in school history. Included in his last minute field goals was a 50-yard field goal with 6 seconds left to give Tennessee to a 30-28 victory over Florida in 2004. Earlier in the quarter he missed an extra point that would have tied the game. Wilhoit ranks it the all time top five of several kicking statistic at UT. He made 59 of 82 field goal attempts (72%) and kicked 47% of his kickoffs for touchback
s. during his career. He became the 2nd all time leading scorer at Tennessee with 325 points. He led the SEC in scoring with 96 points in 2006 and was ranked 7th in SEC
history.
, but signed with the Baltimore Ravens
as a rookie free agent
on May 4, 2007. He was later released from the team in July shortly before the 2007 NFL preseason began.In late 2007, Wilhoit signed with the New All American Football League
that never played a game. He helped promote the league by doing several autograph signings.
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
for the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
football team
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
between 2003 and 2006
2006 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 2006 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the college football season of 2006–2007. Tennessee entered the 2006 season coming off an 5–6 record in 2005...
.
High school
Wilhoit attended Hendersonville High SchoolHendersonville High School
Hendersonville High School is one of two public high schools located in Hendersonville, Sumner County, Tennessee. The principal is Joni Worsham, a former assistant principal at the school...
in Hendersonville, Tennessee
Hendersonville, Tennessee
Hendersonville is a city in Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, on Old Hickory Lake. The population was 51,372 at the 2010 census. Hendersonville is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located 18 miles northeast of downtown Nashville. The city was settled around 1784 by...
where he received All American honors from PARADE
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
, PrepStar, SuperPrep, Student Sports and Borderwars.com.
College
Wilhoit redshirtedRedshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
his freshman year, but went on to become a four-year starter
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
at Tennessee where he handled field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
and extra point
Extra Point
Extra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio that covers generic sports-related topical news and opinion. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
attempts and kickoff
Kickoff (American football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...
s. Wilhoit was known for ability to make field goals in the clutch during his four-year career. When he left Tennessee he was the second leading scorer in school history. Included in his last minute field goals was a 50-yard field goal with 6 seconds left to give Tennessee to a 30-28 victory over Florida in 2004. Earlier in the quarter he missed an extra point that would have tied the game. Wilhoit ranks it the all time top five of several kicking statistic at UT. He made 59 of 82 field goal attempts (72%) and kicked 47% of his kickoffs for touchback
Touchback
In American football, a touchback is a ruling which is made and signaled by an official when the ball becomes dead behind or above a goal line and the team who is attacking that goal line is responsible for the ball being there. Responsibility is determined by which team gave the ball the impetus...
s. during his career. He became the 2nd all time leading scorer at Tennessee with 325 points. He led the SEC in scoring with 96 points in 2006 and was ranked 7th in SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
history.
Professional football career
Wilhoit was not selected in the 2007 NFL draft2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
, but signed with the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
as a rookie free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
on May 4, 2007. He was later released from the team in July shortly before the 2007 NFL preseason began.In late 2007, Wilhoit signed with the New All American Football League
All American Football League
The All American Football League was a proposed professional American football league. The league, which was to combine a professional pay structure with the requirement that all players be college graduates, had originally been scheduled to start in the spring of 2007, but later postponed its...
that never played a game. He helped promote the league by doing several autograph signings.
Currently
Wilhoit recently studied under Special Teams Coach Gary Zauner for six months to learn his acclaimed kicking and punting techniques. In addition to Coach Zauner, he has trained under Coach Bill Renner in Chapel Hill, NC. He is now working with high school and college kickers in Tennessee.Honors
- 2006 Lou Groza Place Kicker Award (semifinalist)
- 2006 All-SEC
- 2005 Academic All-SEC
- SEC Special Teams Player of the Week (September 18, 2004)
- 2004 Academic All-SEC
- 2003 Freshman All-America Scripps Howard/FWAA and The Sporting News (2nd)
- 2003 Freshman All-SEC
- SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll