The Rancho Buena Vista place-kicker and punter, whose kickoffs have consistently soared into or through the end zone this season (he says he can remember only one full kickoff that wasn't a touchback), already has received mail from national powers like LSU and Notre Dame.

A rarity among high school kickers, Whiddon has been a weapon for RBV coach Eric Jorgensen, whose defense has benefited from good field position all year. “As a defense, you always want to know where you're going to start,” Jorgensen said. “Playing with 80 yards behind us is big.”

In addition to his impact on kickoffs, Whiddon has the ability to kick 40-plus-yard field goals with ease. He has a 51-yarder to his credit in a preseason game.

So which program will Whiddon suit up for next fall? It all depends on who needs a goalie.

Despite Whiddon's abilities on the football field, the All-CIF soccer goalie hopes to spend his college years on the soccer pitch. A soccer player since his childhood and the son of RBV athletic director and boys soccer coach Dave Whiddon, Trevor has spent most of his life preparing to play at the next level.

At the end of football season, he shuttled between games with his San Diego Surf club team and practices with the Longhorns' soccer and football squads.

“I want to play in front of big crowds,” – Trevor Whiddon, Rancho Buena Vista

Soccer is where his passion lies, and although he says his football teammates have always welcomed him as a member of the group, the reality remains that his role changes from fall (football) to winter (soccer).

“On the soccer team, I'm a captain; I'm one of the team leaders,” he said. “On the football team, it's like, 'Hi, my name's Trevor, I'm the kicker.' ”

Still, the lure of a possible football offer looms for a few reasons. First, Trevor says he hungers for the big stage.

“I want to play in front of big crowds,” he said.

He'll be hard-pressed to find a college soccer crowd to compete with the throngs that attend SEC football games each Saturday or the chance to play with a national championship on the line.

Second, there's the matter of scholarships.

“The average soccer program has 9.9 scholarships each year,” Dave Whiddon said. “Football teams have 85.”

For a player trying to decide between the two sports, a “full” scholarship is almost impossible to attain in soccer, while football could offer a free education.

Complicating things further is the fact that football kickers are often the last members of a recruiting class to receive a scholarship offer.

“We talked to Ryan Plackemeier's dad (Plackemeier is a Fallbrook alum who punted at Wake Forest before being drafted in 2005 by the NFL's Seattle Seahawks),” Dave said, “and he said Ryan didn't get an offer until a couple of weeks before signing day.”

Trevor says he is leaning “70/30” in favor of soccer, saying, “It would have to be a pretty amazing offer” to turn his decision toward football. Nonetheless, Dave admitted that the book won't be closed on either option until well into the spring.

“Soccer is his first choice,” he said, “but if that perfect offer came along, I told him he'd owe it to himself to take a look.”

If Trevor were a field player, he says finding a college fit wouldn't be such a challenge. But as a goalie? And a kicker?

“We joke that they're the worst two positions,” Trevor said. “As a kicker and a goalie, obviously you only need one. I want to be able to compete for a starting job.”

Then again, Trevor might scrap it all and fly across the pond. Confused? Dave was born and grew up in England, making Trevor a dual citizen. It means Trevor would be a shoo-in for an English work visa and an attractive prospect for professional English soccer clubs.

Although both said the chance is remote, Dave's connections could help Trevor get a tryout overseas and an opportunity to mind the net on a pay-for-play basis sooner rather than later.

Three options. Four busy months to figure it all out.

 Zach Jones: (760) 752-6751; zach.jones@tlnews.net