Alabama suffers stunning recruiting loss after top QB chooses unlikely school
Most players would jump at the chance to play college football for Alabama, the reigning national champions and top program in the nation over the last 10 years.
But when you’ve also got the chance to attend one of the best schools in the country — Princeton — that decision becomes a little tougher.
For quarterback Brevin White, considering life after football, it was a no-brainer.
After being tempted by Alabama, he made it official Friday — he’s going to Princeton.
White, from Lancaster, California, is the 338th-ranked player in the recruiting Class of 2018 and the 13th-ranked pro-style quarterback, according to Scout.com.
Last July, he committed to Princeton, saying, “I took a lot of visits during this process and I came to realize what I wanted in a school. I wanted a strong football program with a coaching staff that was passionate about winning but was also very focused on education. Princeton offered the best of both worlds for me and I didn’t see any reason to put this off any longer.”
@BrevinWhite Welcome to the Princeton family. I can attest that there are a plethora of resources and opportunities available to students. Although I’ll be graduating this year, I am looking forward to return for future homecoming games! Best of luck to you #GoTigers 🐅 https://t.co/VGMtzTvJhF
— Brandon McGhee (@iambmcghee) February 2, 2018
The move surprised many, considering he was being pursued by big-time football schools like Arizona State, Utah, Washington and Washington State — all of which offered him a scholarship.
But then Alabama, the current national champions, came calling. Nick Saban offered him a scholarship on Jan. 25.
Honored and humbled to have received an offer from the University of Alabama #rolltide 🐘 pic.twitter.com/3tY79QtSBi
— B.White7 (@BrevinWhite) January 26, 2018
So White, a four-star recruit, visited Alabama last week and came away impressed.
“It was an incredible visit. I’m really glad I had a chance to experience it,” White told reporters. “I would say the highlight was probably having breakfast at coach Saban’s house and being in that environment with the rest of the coaches. It was all a pretty surreal feeling sitting across from the best college football coach in the country. …
“Coach Saban was very upfront and honest with me and he told me they like me and want me to be their guy. He didn’t give me a deadline or anything in terms of when I need to let them know what I’m going to do but I’m not going to drag this out. I know they need an answer so they can move on to another quarterback if I decide to stay with Princeton.”
This week, despite the tempting offer, White decided to stick with Princeton.
“The main reason I decided to stick was because Princeton offers me opportunities to fulfill my aspirations on and off the field,” White told ESPN. “Alabama is a first-class institution and a program with a great education, but Princeton checks more boxes personally for me. Princeton is the best fit for who I am.”
Alabama has yet to land a quarterback in this year’s recruiting class, but it still has the hero of the national championship game, Tua Tagovailoa, along with Jalen Hurts and Mac Jones on the roster.
As for White, the competition in the Ivy League won’t be nearly as tough as the SEC, but that Princeton education will sure serve him well when he pursues a career in investment banking after his football career is over.
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