University of Massachusets Athletics
Football
- Title:
- Assistant Defensive Ends Coach
Season at Massachusetts: Second
Kayon Whitaker joined the UMass football staff in 2025 as assistant defensive ends coach.
Before arriving in Amherst, Whitaker spent three seasons at Rutgers, serving as a player personnel assistant in 2024 after working as a graduate assistant with the defensive line in 2023 and player development/wide receivers in 2022.
Prior to Rutgers, Whitaker worked in defensive quality control and football operations at Maine in 2021.
A standout defensive lineman at Maine from 2016-19, Whitaker appeared in 40 career games and finished with 183 tackles, 45.5 tackles for loss, 27 sacks and seven forced fumbles. A three-time All-CAA selection, he earned First Team All-CAA honors and was named the Black Bears' Most Outstanding Defensive Player as a senior after recording 20 tackles for loss and nine sacks.
A native of Washington, D.C., Whitaker earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Maine in 2019.
