Legend of Louisiana ATH Devin White Grows after First LSU Scrimmage
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
There were several Class of 2016 players that took on a legendary status leading up to National Signing Day but perhaps none were as intriguing as North Webster High School’s Devin White.
White was a true athlete able to capture the imagination not only within the state of Louisiana but nationwide. Listed anywhere from 6’0.5”, 235 pounds, to 6’1”, 258 pounds, the two-way star jumped on the scene as a sophomore rushing for 1,094 yards with 20 touchdowns and on defense came up with 99 tackles playing middle linebacker.
The die had been cast and it was up to White to continue his growth on the field as a standout player… and he did not disappoint. During his junior season he rushed for 2,287 yards with 30 more scores and made another 93 stops. During his senior season, White rushed for 1,650 yards with 31 scores helping lead the Knights into the second round of the playoffs before falling 45-42 to Amite with the All-State player coming up with 260 all-purpose yards and two scores in his last high school game.
In July of 2015, White narrowed his list of some 40 scholarship offers down to a Top 10 giving hope to Arkansas, UCLA, Ole Miss, Georgia, Florida State, Alabama, Miami, LSU, Texas A&M, and Auburn (in no order). That Top 10 was essentially trimmed to four with Florida State getting his first official visit on Oct. 10 followed by Arkansas on Dec. 4, LSU on Dec. 11, and Alabama on Jan. 22. The visit to Tuscaloosa never happened with White committing and signing with LSU on Jan. 8 becoming an early enrollee.
Three months into his collegiate career and a whole other level of folklore is rising up out of the Sportsman’s Paradise after the Tigers completed their first full scrimmage of the spring on Saturday. White, now listed at 6’1”, 255 pounds, had a scrimmage tying high of six tackles (Arden Key) after making the switch from running back to linebacker during spring workouts. White has been able to take advantage of Kendall Beckwith being sidelined with a minor injury through the early part of spring drills showcasing his skills to the LSU staff.
Defensive coordinator Dave Aranda has already moved his elite true freshman into the first team unit pairing him with Donnie Alexander on the inside in LSU’s 3-4 defense. Reporters and fans were kept out of the first scrimmage of the spring leaving the coaching staff to comment on individual performances. Head coach Les Miles commented about White’s performance adding, “He’s going to be a very talented linebacker. He needs to work on his tackling but he’s a guy who will be an every down linebacker for us very quickly. He has a natural instinct and he’s a special player.”
Notes from the Scrimmage
Heisman Trophy Award candidate Leonard Fournette was limited to a couple of carries allowing Derrius Guice and Darrell Williams more scrimmage repetitions. Guice led all rushers with 73 yards on 14 carries and notched a 35-yard touchdown reception. Malachi Dupre led all receivers with six catches for 80 yards. D.J. Clark led all receivers with 146 yards off five receptions aided by a 47-yard touchdown.
2015 starting quarterback Brandon Harris was 16 of 20 passing for 246. Danny Etling completed 14 of 18 for 220 yards and Justin McMillan was 11 of 14 for 226 yards. Harris and Etling both took snaps with the first team offense.
Photo credit: theadvocate.com; Kendall Beckwith (left) and Devin White (right) receive instruction from defensive coordinator Dave Aranda.