De Smet's White The Traveling Man This Summer

One of the sure-fire graduation presents for students of any age is the Dr. Seuss classic Oh, The Places You'll Go. Even though he won't get his diploma from until next spring, you get the sense that Donnie White, Jr. can relate to the title. Such is life for high school athletes looking for exposure and opportunity to play at the next level.

Thursday, as part of a contingent of area prep athletes participating in the NFL's High School Player Development Program. White was one of a handful of lineman selected for a league leadership program. While not an opportunity to be recruited by college coaches, former Rams lineman Todd Steussie told White and the other linemen that it is another opportunity to meet people and to make an impression that could be important down the road.

It will be White's second trip to Indiana this summer, having visited Purdue during a select camp that also made stops at Cincinnati, Louisville and Miami, (OH).

White said the exposure has been good because it has allowed college coaches to see how he operates in the open field and not just in the trenches.

The select trip hasn't opened up additional scholarship offers yet (he has offers from Arkansas, Arkansas State, Wyoming, and New Mexico State, among others) as coaches from those programs have told him they want to see tape from the first three games of his senior season.

He created a lot of buzz , ironically on his home field at De Smet. The Tigers are holding off for now.

"They liked what they saw, but as of right now, I’m not an offer because my size," White said. "They said they already offered a couple linebackers and I’m more of a linebacker-type guy."

And so, the journey, and the travel, continues.

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