White Talks Irish Pledge
Drew White needed to think about it, but not for long.
Two days after receiving an offer from Notre Dame, the 2017 Florida linebacker jumped on it, announcing his verbal commitment to the Irish on Monday night.
“I loved everything about it,” said White, who visited and landed his offer while in South Bend for the Irish’s Junior Day on Saturday.
“I loved the football, the academics, the campus. I had a great relationship with all of the coaches. After coming home and just discussing everything I saw and felt with my family, I just thought it was the right place for me.”
White also had offers from LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Missouri, Purdue, Wake Forest, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Cincinnati among others
Notre Dame recruiting coordinator Mike Elston and the rest of the Irish staff were pumped to hear the news.
“They were psyched,” the 6-foot-1, 225-pound White said. “I called Coach Elston first, he’s my position coach. He was extremely excited and said he couldn’t wait for me to come up to South Bend.”
The St. Thomas Aquinas standout was part of a flurry of 2017 commitments for Notre Dame with his pledge sandwiched between Pittsburgh defensive tackle Kurt Hinish’s announcement and Indiana linebacker Pete Werner’s.
“It’s awesome that we’re all part of the family at Notre Dame,” said White. “Those are all great players. I can’t wait to be teammates with those guys and play with them.”
White expects to arrive in South Bend next summer ready to do whatever he can to help the program.
“I’ll give them everything I’ve got,” he said. “I think I’ll bring leadership and bring my football talent. I’ll just contribute to the defense the best I can. Off the field, I want to be a great student and work hard.”
White received encouragement from his older brother and current Auburn quarterback Sean White, who is actually a Notre Dame fan himself.
“He was psyched,” Drew said. “He told me that he was so proud of me and that I deserve it from all of my hard work. He said he couldn’t wait to watch me play on Saturdays.”
White isn’t sure when he’ll get back to South Bend, but is looking forward to his next visit.
“I haven’t made any definite plans, but I would definitely love to go up there and visit again.”