Alonzo Whaley Season 2012

Honors & Awards

• Big 12 Commissioner's Spring Academic Honor Roll (2009)
• Nebraska Defensive Scout Team MVP (2008)

Linebacker Alonzo Whaley completed his Nebraska career in 2012, and had a breakout season for the Blackshirt defense. The 6-1, 230-pound Whaley had been a valuable reserve in his career, but emerged to earn a starting role as a senior. Whaley teamed with fellow fifth-year seniors Will Compton and Sean Fisher to form a dependable corps of veteran linebackers.

Whaley played in every game in 2012 and made eight starts at Will linebacker. Whaley finished fourth on the team with 65 tackles, incuding four tackles for loss and a sack. He led the team with four fumbles caused, including one that helped clinch a victory over Wisconsin in Lincoln. He also sealed the Iowa victory with his first career interception.
Whaley was one of 20 Nebraska players, including 17 seniors who played the Capital One Bowl as a graduate after picking up his degree in criminal justice in December.

2012 (Senior)
Southern Miss: Whaley had a solid showing in his third career start with a then-career-high six tackles, one TFL for a one-yard loss and a fumble recovery... six tackles topped his previous best of five tackles against Western Kentucky in 2010. UCLA: Started his second straight game and produced three tackles. Arkansas State: Played but did not record a tackle against the Red Wolves. Idaho State: Helped hold the Bengals to 210 yards of total offense... registered one QB hurry on the afternoon. Wisconsin: Doubled his season total for tackles with a then-career-high nine stops... topped his six tackles against Southern Miss in the season opener... notched his first career sack with an eight-yard sack of Joel Stave in the second quarter... totaled two TFLs on the night for 11 yards... biggest play came on the Badgers' final offensive possession, when Whaley forced a fumble on 4th-and-1 to secure NU's 30-27 comeback win. Ohio State: Totaled eight tackles against the Buckeyes, including two solo tackles... added his first pass breakup of the season. Northwestern: Did not record any stats against the Wildcats... saw limited snaps due to NU playing multiple DBs to counter Northwestern's spread attack. Michigan: Ranked second on the team with eight tackles... one shy of tying his career high of nine tackles, which he recorded earlier in 2012 against Wisconsin... helped limit UM to 93 yards on the ground and fewer than 200 total yards. Michigan State: Recorded five tackles against the Spartans... posted his fourth TFL of the season. Penn State: Forced a pair of fumbles during the game, with one recovered by fellow linebacker Will Compton... was his second and third forced fumbles during Big Ten play... finished the day with six tackles. Minnesota: Came off the bench to rank third on the team with five tackles, including three solo stops... helped the Blackshirts shut out the Gophers through the first three quarters of the game. Iowa: Led the Blackshirts with a career-high 11 tackles in his final regular-season game at NU to help the Huskers secure a bid to the Big Ten Championship game... bettered his previous career high of nine against Wisconsin on Sept. 29... intercepted a pass with 2:11 remaining in the fourth quarter and Iowa trailing by six... was the first pick of his career. Wisconsin (Big Ten Championship): Started his eight game of the season and the 10th of his career... finished the game with two tackles. Georgia (Capital One Bowl): Made two tackles against Georgia in his final game in a Husker uniform.

2011 (Junior)
Whaley played in all 13 games and made his second career start against Iowa. He finished with 11 tackles, including six solo stops, with three of his stops coming on coverage units. Whaley had single tackles in five of the first 10 games, then made three stops at Michigan, including two tackles for loss totaling four yards. He added two tackles against the Hawkeyes and had one stop against South Carolina.

2010 (Sophomore)
Whaley played in nine games, including a start against Western Kentucky. He made nine tackles, including six solo stops and had a career-high five tackles vs. the Hilltoppers. Whaley added a tackle for loss against South Dakota State, keeping the Jackrabbits out of the end zone on a fourth and goal attempt.

2009 (Redshirt Freshman)
Whaley was a reserve linebacker, but did not see game action.

2008 (Redshirt)
Whaley redshirted and was Nebraska's defensive scout team co-MVP.

Before Nebraska (Madisonville HS)
Whaley was one of nine Texas natives in the 2008 Husker class, and was a standout throughout his career at Madisonville High School. He showcased his ability to find the football as a senior with 162 tackles during the 2007 season, helping Madisonville and Coach Greg Morgan to a 9-2 record. In addition to his huge tackle numbers, Whaley also forced eight fumbles, recovered five and scored on an interception return.

Whaley's play earned him Defensive MVP honors in his district, along with first-team Class 3A all-state honors from the Texas Sportswriters Association. Whaley also earned first-team all-state honors in 2006, helping his team to a 7-4 record, while making 172 tackles.

Whaley was ranked among the top 100 players in the state of Texas by Rivals.com and among the top 100 players in the Southwest region by SuperPrep Magazine. Whaley visited Oklahoma State and Louisiana Tech and drew strong recruiting interest from Baylor, Missouri, Texas A&M and Arizona State.

Personal
Alonzo is the son of Annie Whaley, and was born on Jan. 4, 1990. A criminology and criminal justice major, he earned his bachelor's degree from Nebraska in December of 2012. He was named to the 2009 Big 12 Commissioner’s Spring Academic Honor Roll. Whaley has volunteered his time at the Village Manor Retirement Center and multiple hospital and elementary school visits.

Whaley's Career Statistics 

	.	Tackles			.	.	Fum.	.	.	.	QB
Year	G/S	UT	AT	TT	TFL	Sacks	C-R	BK	PBU	PI	Hry.
2008					Redshirt
2009	0/0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0
2010	9/1	6	3	9	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0
2011	13/1	6	5	11	2-4	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0
2012	14/8	24	41	65	4-11	1.0-8	4-1	0	1	1	1
Totals	36/10	36	49	85	7-16	1.0-8	4-1	0	1	1	1

Single-Game Highs
» Tackles-11 at Iowa (2012)
» Solo Tackles-4 twice (Western Kentucky in 2010; Wisconsin in 2012)
» Tackles for Loss-2 twice (Michigan in 2011; Wisconsin in 2012)
» Sacks-1.0 vs. Wisconsin (2012)
» Pass Breakups-1 at Ohio State (2012)
» Interceptions-1 at Iowa (2012)