Born to European basketball player in Ghent, Belgium, Corliss Waitman spent most of his early life playing soccer in the Netherlands. He began playing football at age-15 when his family moved to the United States.
As a South Alabama Jaguar, Waitman was named preseason third-team All-American (Athlon Sports), preseason first-team all-Sun Belt Conference (Athlon Sports). His junior year, Waitman punted in every game. He was chosen as honorable mention on the inaugural All-American Punter team. He ranked third on the organization’s top five list of Coffin Kickers with a 89.86 rating and was a first-team all-Sun Belt Conference selection.