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"Being a part of the original staff that started football here at ODU, a graduate of ODU, and now living and recruiting in the Hampton Roads Region (the 757) - I have developed a tremendous pride for this area, and the tremendous student-athletes the high school coaches within this region produce. Our spread offense continues to develop and grow based off of the regional speed and talent in this area - allowing our version of the spread to truly be a reflection of the state and community ODU represents."
- Coach Whitcomb
Ron Whitcomb finished his fifth season at Old Dominion in 2012. Since joining the staff as the quarterbacks coach in 2007, he has been elevated to Recruiting Coordinator and Offensive Pass Game Coordinator following the success of the 2011 season.
This season the Monarchs led the FCS in scoring offense with 45.15 points per game, passing offense at 393.85 and total offense with 548.23 yards per game. Whitcomb helped lead Taylor Heinicke to the most prolific season by a quarterback in FCS history. Heinicke led the nation in passing yards, passing yards per game, touchdown passes, total TD's, total offense and points responsible for. Heinicke set FCS single-season record for passing yards and completions. Heinicke threw for 5,076 passing yards surpassing Steve McNair's record of 4,863 he set for Alcorn State in 1994. Heinicke's 398 completions broke Brett Gordon's mark of 385 he set in 2002 for Villanova. The 2012 season also saw Heinicke earn CAA Offensive Player of the Year honors and first-team All-CAA honors. He received First-Team All-America honors by three organizations and won the Dudley Award for the best Division I Player in the state of Virginia.
Under Whitcomb's watch, over the last three seasons the Monarchs have a two-time Walter Payton Watch List member in Thomas DeMarco in 2010 and 2011 and the College Football Performance Awards FCS National Performer of the Year, Jerry Rice Award Runner-Up, and Walter Payton Watch List member in Taylor Heinicke.
In the Monarchs' first season of FCS play, Whitcomb tutored quarterback Thomas DeMarco, who went on to become the second leading quarterback in the FCS in rushing behind Florida A&M's Curtis Pulley and seventh among FCS student-athletes in scoring, averaging 9.45 points per contest. DeMarco completed 137 of his 255 attempts throwing for 21 touchdown passes and making only four interceptions as the Monarchs finished at 9-2 as the winningest FCS start-up program in history.
Whitcomb's tutelage of signal caller Thomas DeMarco continued in year two and resulted in the Monarch quarterback being named to the prestigious Walter Payton Award Watch List in the preseason and ending the 2010 campaign ranked seventh in the nation in total offense.
Success continued for the Monarch signal callers in 2011 with DeMarco being named to the Walter Payton Watch list for the second straight season and Heinicke, as a true freshman, having a breakout year completing 211 of his 307 passes with just one interception. Although Heinicke did not appear in the minimum 75% of games plays to have his name listed among the national stats, Heinicke would have ranked 18th nationally in passing yards, fifth nationally in pass efficiency rating, and 10th among all FCS athletes in total offense per contest.
Before joining the Old Dominion staff, Whitcomb was a four-year starter at the University of Maine where he played under Coach Wilder from 2003-2006.
Whitcomb, departed as the Black Bears' all-time leader in completions (755), total offense (8,801) and touchdown passes (68). His 8,183 passing yards ranked second, as did his .592 completion percentage. One of three senior captains at Maine in 2006, Whitcomb was named the Atlantic-10 and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Rookie of the Year as a redshirt freshman after passing for 2,428 yards and 21 touchdowns. The passing yardage was the most by a freshman in Atlantic-10 history and he also established a new school record with touchdown passes in 11 straight games.
A standout off the field as well, Whitcomb was honored as the 2006-07 Atlantic-10 Student-Athlete of the Year. He earned his B.S. in Education from Maine in 2006 and a M.S. Ed. in Educational Leadership at Old Dominion University in 2009.
For the last three seasons, Whitcomb has participated in the annual Lauren's First and Goal Football Camp at Lafayette College. The one-day clinic features nearly 275 college coaches who volunteer their time to teach aspiring football players the in-and-outs of the game and raise money for Lauren's First and Goal, a charitable organization created to support pediatric brain tumor research and support local pediatric cancer services.
The Whitcomb File:
Birthdate: November 1, 1983
Hometown: Rochester, NY
High School: East Rochester High School
College:Maine `06, Old Dominion `09
Recruiting Areas:
Primary:All Quarterbacks (National), North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia: Atlanta (Cobb and Gwinnett County)
Auxiliary:New York
JUCO/Prep: North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas
Coaching History:
2012 - Present: Old Dominion University - Offensive Pass Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks/Recruiting Coordinator
2011: Old Dominion University - Quarterbacks/Recruiting Coordinator
2007 - 2010: Old Dominion University - Quarterbacks
All-Conference Monarchs Under Coach Whitcomb:
2012: Taylor Heinicke - First Team All-CAA - CAA Offensive Player of the Year
2011: Taylor Heinicke - Third Team All-CAA