Coach | Future Bright For Notre Dame DL Commit Segun Alexander

Derek White had every reason to want an additional year coaching one of the nation's top defensive linemen.

Instead, the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee head coach encouraged Segun Alexander‍ to do what was best for his future, even if it meant White losing one of the nation's top players a year early.

"State championships and all that are great," White told Irish Sports Daily. "They're awesome. But we talk about changing your family tree.

"When he's 35 or 40 years old, what did Rabun Gap do for you? Rings and stuff get tarnished.”

Alexander committed to Notre Dame last month following an official visit to South Bend, choosing the Irish after an accelerated recruiting process that picked up when he reclassified from the Class of 2028 to 2027 earlier this spring.

“When he's 35 or 40 years old, this decision to go to Notre Dame is going to change his family tree and make him a better husband, a father and things like that,” White continued. 

White acknowledged that decision will almost certainly hurt his own football team next fall, but it also made perfect sense.

"It kind of started with a couple SEC schools trying to say, 'Man, we want you right now,'" White said. "Shaggy looked at me and said, 'Coach, what do you think?'

"I said, 'Well, bro, I'm just going to be honest. If you can get the same value in the right spot, then why not?’ It may hurt our football team, but I'm in it for young men down the road. Every day and every snap is numbered, so you don't know how long you're going to get to play the game."

As Alexander's recruitment unfolded, White watched schools across the country push for the versatile defensive lineman. By the time Notre Dame received the final official visit, he was convinced the Irish had a legitimate chance.

"I knew Notre Dame was going to have a great shot just because of the education, the tradition, the development and the national stage," White said. "I knew all that was going to come into play."

White said Notre Dame is getting far more than just a talented defensive lineman.

"First off, you've seen how good of a player he is and what he's going to be, but he's an unbelievable student and an unbelievable human off the field," the coach said.

"He's probably one of the best kids you're ever going to meet. He always has a smile. He's special, I'm being honest. He's charismatic and all that. He's going to draw people to him."

The Rabun Gap-Nacoochee coach also believes Alexander's versatility will make him valuable almost anywhere along the defensive front.

"I know he's up to 300 pounds now," said White. "He's got long, long arms, which you don't find with interior defensive linemen. He can play all five positions up front from a zero to a five to a seven. He can play everything up front.

“He's strong, strong, strong. Very, very strong. And I'll be honest, he's really, really, really twitchy."

As impressed as White is with Alexander today, he believes the future Notre Dame defensive tackle is still only scratching the surface.

"I believe his best football is still ahead of him," White said. "He's just young in the game and he's going to get even better."

White pointed to Alexander's football IQ as the area with the most room for growth after only a few years playing the sport.

"He's been playing football for about three or four years," White said. "Just watching him diagnose, understand and learn technique, it's been a lot of God-given ability. I think it's going to get better."

Losing Alexander a year early won't make replacing him any easier next season, but White never viewed that as the priority.

"I'm just glad that Shaggy got this opportunity and we could support him and him to live his dream out."

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