Jacob “yay” Whitaker: The Rise of a VALORANT Star
Jacob Whitaker, known as yay, has quickly become a prominent figure in the world of VALORANT since joining Envy in August 2021. His exceptional skills as an Operator user and his composed approach to the game have earned him the nickname El Diablo.
Initially, the nickname El Diablo seemed incompatible with yay’s friendly and cheerful personality. However, it was actually coined by Envy when he first joined the team. According to yay, the name gained popularity when TSM started calling him that after witnessing his outstanding performances in games and scrims.
“I’m not really sure where it stems from,” yay said. “I think some of the Envy guys called me that and then TSM popularized it. They started calling me that because in games and in scrims I always had really good performances. I guess, according to them, I was just really hard to play against.”
TSM, one of the top VALORANT teams at the time of yay’s signing, had played against him multiple times. Despite the friendly banter typical among professional players, yay has given meaning to the name El Diablo by consistently dominating the competition. His numerous grand finals appearances and international title have turned the nickname into reality.
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