Rivals100 outside linebacker Enai White has been one of the most heavily recruited athletes in this class and now he is narrowing his focus ahead of a busy June full of official and unofficial visits. The Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Institute Charter School star is down to eight finalists, all of which he is planning on visiting this summer.
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IN HIS OWN WORDS
"I have an official visit to Florida the first weekend of June," White said. "The second weekend of June I will be at Georgia for an official visit. The third weekend of June I'll be at Alabama for an official visit. The final weekend of June I'll be at Ohio State for an official visit. I'll have some unofficial visits with Clemson, Oregon, Miami, and Texas A&M. The unofficial visits are going to happen mid-week in June. I haven't put any dates on them yet. I'm going to decide if I'll take my fifth official visit before I commit after these visits.
"I do want to be committed before I start my senior season," he said. "If I'm not feeling 100% on a school, I might wait. The plan is to do it before my 12th grade year."
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Florida: "I really like their style of play and how they've been building," said White. "I saw how they helped Kyle Pitts, a Philly guy, on and off the field. I think that could be a good fit for me."
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Alabama: "Just being able to compete with the best talent everyday at practice is big," he said. "I talk to coach Sal there. We have a really good relationship."
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Ohio State: "Coach Larry Johnson and I have been talking a lot," White said. "He had little bit of a different approach. A lot of these schools want to play me at outside linebacker and as a pass rushing defensive end. He wants me to play as a hand in the ground defensive end. I liked that because it was different than what everybody else was telling me. I want to be versatile and put my hand in the ground and drop into coverage if I need to. That advice coming from a coach like him, I'm not going to take that lightly. If he's saying that's what he sees me as, he coached Chase Young, Nick Bosa, and all those guys, so why not listen to him?"
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Georgia: "I like their style of play," he said. "They had a player that just got drafted that I'm kind of built like so I liked what they did with him."
Clemson: "The vibe at Clemson is really different," said White. "I got the best vibe out of them. When I was talking with them, I felt something I didn't feel at other schools. I really wish I could take an official visit this summer but they don't do official visits in the summer. I'd need to wait and do it in the fall. The system they have is really good there too. A lot of players have gone there and succeeded on the field. I felt that family vibe when I talk with them and that's what stood out."
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Oregon: "Coach Joe (Salave'a) is my guy," he said. "We talk every day and he motivates me on a different level. He makes sure I'm motivated. He's been really consistent with me and if I go there I know I'll get coached up really well."
Texas A&M: "My guy is coach Elijah Robinson," White said. "He was one of the first coaches to offer me. When we first started talking we had a connection. I know I would be in good hands if I went there because he's already got a few recruits from Philly. I know that would be a good situation for me."
Miami: "I like their style of play," he said. "They were telling me that they'll let me play free. They'll let me play and make some mistakes but they'll also let me fix them too. I like to play free and be an animal out there."
RIVALS' REACTION
The next 10 weeks are the most pivotal of White's recruitment. He clearly has a lot of strong relationships and his official visit schedule does paint a picture but there is still a lot he wants to figure out before making any decisions. The SEC teams have been viewed as the favorites but Ohio State and Clemson have clearly gotten White's attention. It's also pretty obvious White would have scheduled an official visit to Clemson this summer if they'd allowed him to do so. Keeping tabs on White's relationships and conversations with college coaches will be the best way to gauge which way his recruitment is going until visits start in June.
