Family Values Inspire Isaiah Whittaker-Francis On and Off the Pitch

Isaiah Whittaker-Francis knows a lot about discipline. The senior midfielder on the South Carolina men’s soccer team is the youngest of five children in his family. His sister Kristina, who is 14 years older and the family babysitter of sorts while his parents were at work, taught him a lot about doing the right thing, even if he didn’t always like it.

“My sister was sort of like a mother figure,” said Whittaker-Francis, who is studying economics and hopes to play professionally when he finishes at South Carolina. “You can’t get away with anything with her. Even now, she hates it when I go out on the scooter without a helmet. She was kind of hard on me, but she really does love me. I really do look up to her. She graduated university and went on to complete a post graduate studies program all while raising a young child. I see her as sort of a superhero.

“My parents also had a big impact on me because of how much they gave up for me to have food, a roof over my head, and to be able to play soccer because in Canada, it’s pretty expensive. They really motivate me.”

A native of Brampton, Ontario, Whittaker-Francis tried a lot of sports as a youngster, but he fell in love with soccer at the age of six and never looked back.

“I was good at it,” Whittaker-Francis said. “My dad also loved it. At a young age, people always said I was good, but when I was around 17 or 18 and playing U-19, I felt like the game really slowed down for me. A lot of things seem to get easier. Before that, D1 (college soccer) seemed so far away.”

Coming to the U.S. from north of the border wasn’t a huge adjustment, but there were certainly some challenges becoming a collegiate student-athlete.

“As an athlete, there is always a lens on you, so you always have to be on top of everything, and you don’t have your family around you,” Whittaker-Francis said. “It’s easy to make mistakes. I had never been away from home before.”

Last semester, Whittaker-Francis missed most of the spring training with the team due to an injury. Rehabbing from a sports hernia was tough, and so was having to sit out and watch the team do what he loves to do.

“I had never been injured in my life,” Whittaker-Francis said. “This was something different from me. After surgery, I thought I’d be right back out there, but it hurt a lot. Seeing the team being so close together but not being able to be a part of that was tough. It’s like when you’re sick and your nose is stuffed, and you think about how great it was just to be able to breathe. I’m glad that I’m back and doing my part.”

After spending his first two years at Drexel, he feels right at home in his second year with the Gamecocks.

“Coming from Canada, I didn’t know a lot about colleges, but South Carolina was one that I always knew about growing up,” Whittaker-Francis said. “I always wanted to play here. The image of being a Gamecocks was something that always stayed with me. I don’t know how, but it was one of the only schools I followed growing up in Canada. I’ve always known the logo, the word ‘Gamecocks,’ and it always stuck with me.”

After struggling through a 7-9-2 season in his first year in Columbia, the Gamecocks got off to a hot start this year, going from unranked to number one in the nation in one poll after rattling off six straight wins to open the year, including three in-a-row over nationally ranked teams. That also included a thrilling 3-2 victory over rival Clemson in front of a school-record 7,671 fans at Stone Stadium.

“I think it all started in the spring when we all got together after the season,” Whittaker-Francis said. “We said we wanted something different for this program. We really stuck together as a group. You could see that we were building something with the players we had back and the ones we brought in. The additions that we had this fall really brought it all together.

“That Clemson game was unbelievable. There are a lot of schools that won’t get a thousand people to the game. To know that this game means so much to so many people in the state, it gives you an extra push. In those games, you never get tired.”

For now, Whittaker-Francis recognizes the opportunity in front of him to be at South Carolina and to elevate the soccer program.

“Things are going great right now, but I think even when we face adversity, it will still be great because the guys want the best for each other,” Whittaker-Francis said. “We see each other as brothers. Even off the field, we’re always together.”

As a team captain, he tries to be a leader.

“When you’re given the captain armband, it’s easy to lose yourself and get in your own head,” Whittaker-Francis said. “You try to be perfect all the time. You have to embrace it and stay within your personality. I can relate to a lot of guys on the team. You don’t have to yell. I just want to ensure that the group stays together. I want to win and continue to win.”

That being said, he probably won’t fuss at a teammate if they’re riding a scooter without a helmet.