He played college football for the UC Davis Aggies and was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2022.

[5] He committed to play college football for the UC Davis Aggies following his time at Rancho Mirage.

[7][8] In the 2021 spring season (postponed from 2020 due to COVID-19), Whelan punted 17 times for 815 yards, a Big Sky Conference-leading 47.9 yard average, earning four first-team All-American selections, a first-team all-conference selection, and being named a finalist for the FCS Punter of the Year Award.

[2][8] After going unselected in the 2022 NFL draft, Whelan was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent.

[12] He made the team and served as their punter in all 10 of their games as they went on to be league championship runner-ups, being named All-XFL after having an average of 45.6 yards on 29 attempts.