Brendon White ready to play wherever Ohio State asks

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COLUMBUS – Brendon White committed to Ohio State two days after being offered a scholarship, but determining what position he’s going to play is going to take a little longer.

White, who graduated early from Olentangy Liberty High School and is already enrolled at Ohio State could end up at any of three positions – wide receiver, linebacker or safety.

White, the son of Lima Senior graduate and former Ohio State and NFL player William White, talked about what the future might hold for him on national signing day on Wednesday.

White, rated a 4-star recruit, was projected as a defensive player by most people until recently.

But the lack of production by OSU’s receivers last season and Noah Brown’s unexpected decision to enter the NFL draft changed that.

“When I first got here Coach (Urban) Meyer brought me into his office and said, ‘Right now we’re down (at receiver).’ Noah Brown left and that was a shock to him and he said he was going to try me at receiver,” White said.

“I was super excited but at the end of the day I’m just trying to get onto the field. They’ll put me where it best fits me to be successful. I’m excited to see what it will be,” he said.

William White was a four-year starter at defensive back for Ohio State and played 11 years in the NFL for the Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons. His final NFL game was the 1999 Super Bowl.

Brendon White was recruited by schools like Notre Dame, Michigan State and Kentucky, but there was not much doubt where he was going to go if Ohio State offered.

He said the dream of being a Buckeye was planted before he started kindergarten. He remembers going to Ohio State games when he was four years old.

“And my dad always took me to the Woody (the Woody Hayes Athletic Facility) and I was really close to Coach (Jim) Tressel.,” he said.

He pointed to a Michigan game he watched with his dad as the moment when he began to work to make the dream become reality.

“I think it was around eighth grade, they were playing that team up north and the atmosphere around the stadium was very exciting. From that time I knew I was going to work very hard and try to get that scholarship and come here and play football.

“Hard work definitely paid off for me. I’m just soaking it all in and taking advantage of it so I can be able to make an impact on this team and hopefully go to the next step, which is the NFL,” he said.

Brendon White says there are two things his dad accomplished at Ohio State that he wants to match.

“He was a captain, so I want to be a captain. He was an almost 4.0 student so I told him my two goals here are to be an academic All-American and eventually be a captain here,” he said.

White is one of nine Ohio State recruits who enrolled in January. Overall, Ohio State’s recruiting class is being called one of the best in school history and being compared to the 2013 class, which included Vonn Bell, Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott, Eli Apple, Darron Lee, J.T. Barrett, Billy Price, Tyquan Lewis, Jalin Marshall and Gareon Conley.

“It’s definitely an honor to be compared to that class. At the same time we have to be humble about it. But all that ranking and stuff doesn’t really matter when you get here,” White said.

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By Jim Naveau

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Reach Jim Naveau at 567-242-0414 or on Twitter at @Lima_Naveau.

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