Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BY ANDREW IVINS Drew White isn't new to the col- lege recruiting process. He is not new to stars and the ranking sys- tems, either. So when the Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas line- backer finished his junior season with just one offer in hand (from Cincinnati) and just two stars next to his name in the Rivals rankings, he didn't panic. Instead he looked at his older brother Sean's recruitment for some perspective. Sean, like Drew, flew under the radar the winter before his 2013 se- nior season at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) University School. The undersized quarterback had the arm to play in college and the film to back it up, but it wasn't until he dominated the offseason camp circuit that the major schools got involved in his recruit- ment. He won MVP honors of the Elite 11 quarterback competition that July, which in turn led to scholarship offers from Arizona, South Carolina and Auburn, where he eventually signed. While Sean's path from an un- known to a major prospect might seem simple — perform well at camps and impress college coaches to earn major offers — Drew knew that his recruitment was going to be a little different. A foot injury caused the 6-1, 225-pound linebacker to miss the final three games of his junior season at St. Thomas Aquinas, and that same injury was going to limit him all spring at camps. That's why when an offer came from Notre Dame March 19 during a Junior Day visit, the younger White didn't waste much time securing his spot in South Bend. "When I came back from a trip up there, I was just talking about it with my family. I kept saying that I really Florida Linebacker Is A Fit At Notre Dame White made 101 tackles while helping Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas capture the Class 7A state title this past fall. PHOTO BY ANDREW IVINS COMMITMENT PROFILE DREW WHITE