Former 4-star, Ohio State DB Transfer Brendon White Commits to Rutgers

The early signing period may be over, but Ohio State transfer Brendon White, who announced his commitment with the program Friday.

Head coach Greg Schiano announced the signing of White soon after on Twitter:

A former high 4-star recruit, White was the 126th best overall player in the 2017 class according to the 247 composite which includes other sources. He was the 3rd best athlete in the country and the 2nd best recruit in the state of Ohio that year. He played his first two years at OSU under defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, hence the connection. Schiano must be overjoyed to get a former starter from one of the nation’s top two teams who seemingly lost playing time in 2019 solely due to a scheme change. White entered the transfer portal on December 13 after playing in ten games, recording 19 tackles as a member of the hybrid linebacker (nicknamed “The Bullet”) rotation.

As a true freshman, White played in five games on special teams and a wide receiver, then was in an expanded role on specials as a sophomore in 2018 before being thrust into heavy snaps on November 3 at safety. All he did was register a career-high 13 tackles (2 for loss) in that win over Nebraska, solidifying his starting position the remainder of the year. He capped the year in the Rose Bowl (you may have heard of it) with seven tackles, two for loss, and a pass break up on his way to being named defensive MVP in OSU’s 28-23 win over Washington.

Brendon has one year of eligibility remaining but may need to sit out next season due to transfer rules. White did enroll in January 2017, so he has been at Ohio State for three full academic years. His father, William, was a 1987 OSU captain before playing 11 years in the NFL as a cornerback and safety. Unfortunately, William has been battling ALS and that may impact the status of a potential hardship waiver for immediate eligibility. More to come on Brandon’s status for 2020 as the story unfolds.

White like most OSU personnel, has NFL talent. If you’ve ever read the Ohio State blogs, including our friends at SB Nation’s Land-Grant Holy Land, you’ll have noticed Buckeye fans don’t feel that Schiano was a very good defensive coordinator on game day. What I have read over the past 48 hours though is how the one player Schiano got the most out of in Columbus was Brendon White. White is an absolute missile flying up from the safety spot to make tackles on perimeter runs and can deliver hits without needing to wrap up quite often. As long as it’s not a habit, that’s fine. He only has one career interception, but it did go for 49 yards against Michigan. Even at OSU, he often looked like the fastest player on the field. At Rutgers, White will not be adding to the logjam at SAM linebacker, he should start at either Safety spot from the first day he is eligible to play in a game and make his bid for a short at the NFL himself.

Position: SS (6’2”, 215 lbs.)

Previous stop: Ohio State

High School: Olentangy Liberty

Hometown: Powell, OH

Most notable offers (High School): Alabama, Ohio State

In his second tenure in Piscataway, Schiano has said he wanted to utilize connections he established while at Ohio State to expand the footprint of the “State of Rutgers” to include Big Ten country. Adding a player from Ohio who started on the 2018 Big Ten champions is a pretty good way to follow the addition of Malik Barrow who also played at Ohio State.

You can watch White’s sophomore highlights at OSU below:

Welcome to the banks Brendon!