Whitley accepted a football scholarship from
Texas Tech University. As a
redshirt freshman, he was a backup at multiple positions on the
offensive line, until starting the final 2 games at
right tackle, including the
2002 Tangerine Bowl, where he helped the offense score 55 points (school record in a bowl game). As a sophomore, he was a full-time starter and part of the nation's top passing offense. He helped reduced the number of sacks from 46 in 2002 to 23. As a junior, he started 12 games, helping
quarterback Sonny Cumbie lead the nation in passing and total offense. As a senior, he played at least one game at every
offensive line position. He started mainly at both
guard positions and at
center, as part of an offense that led the nation in passing for the fourth straight year. He finished his college career with 45 total starts, 20 starts at right tackle, 15 at left guard, 5 at right guard, 4 at left tackle and one at center. ==Professional career==