VA High's Randy White playing football at UNC

**cvcgrad** · June 19th, 2007, 08:36 AM

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Virginia High's White ready for the big time

Tuesday, Jun 19, 2007 - 03:33 AM

BY Allen Gregory
Sports Writer
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BY ALLEN GREGORY

BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

BRISTOL, Va. ? Randy White achieved a lifelong dream last week, yet he didn't take much time to celebrate.

In fact, the Virginia High senior returned to his laboratory on a hot Monday afternoon.

"My hard work has paid off so far, and I'm going to keep working hard,'' White said.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound three-sport standout made a verbal commitment to play football at the University of North Carolina on Friday morning.

White's decision culminated a recruiting process which had become increasingly intense. The centerpiece in White's busy summer agenda included trips to invitational showcase camps at Virginia Tech and North Carolina. He planned to visit the University of Tennessee this past weekend before opting for UNC.

"I narrowed it down to those three schools. It's a big relief to get my decision out of the way,'' White said.

White, recruited as a tight end, said he was impressed with the surroundings in Chapel Hill and inspired by new Tar Heel head coach Butch Davis and his coaching staff. Davis is the former head coach at the University of Miami and the National Football League's Cleveland Browns.

"I just fell in love with UNC on my trip,'' White said. "The [North Carolina] coaches really know their football, and I felt real comfortable with them, plus the campus is beautiful and offers a great learning environment.''

White worked out for the Tar Heel staff on Thursday evening, then finalized his plans Friday morning at 8.

White has started the past three years at VHS, branching out to a roving linebacker spot last season. After weighing just 180 pounds as a freshman, White has bulked up and now has a bench press in the 340-pound range.

"Coach Davis raved about Randy's attitude and work ethic,'' said VHS head football coach Terry Smith, a former graduate assistant football coach at the University of Virginia. "According to the UNC coaches, they knew Randy was going to be good last year but they didn't know how good he really was until last week. "Randy has become more aggressive and quicker, and he will continue to improve.''

Since school ended at VHS, White has come to the high school almost daily to lift weights, run sprints and hone his pass-receiving skills.

"The [UNC] coaches said my speed was fine, but they would like to get me up to 240-245 pounds,'' said White, who transferred from Honaker in his eighth grade year. "College football in the ACC is played at a very quick pace, but I believe I can handle it.''

White said he realized his goal of competing at the Division I level was achievable in his freshman season at VHS. His interest grew last fall after he watched several collegiate games, including Alabama versus Tennessee and North Carolina versus Virginia Tech

"Coach Smith and my father have pushed me and prepared me for this opportunity,'' White said. "I grew up watching North Carolina basketball, and I've always enjoyed ACC football

"It's been a good week, but the work has just started.''

According to Virginia High officials, Scott Jones (Virginia Tech) in the mid-1980s was the last Bearcat to earn an NCAA Division 1 football scholarship as a senior. Alex Walls, a 2000 Lou Groza Award finalist as the nation's top placekicker, eventually received a scholarship at Tennessee after walking on as a place-kicker.

<span style="color: #FF0000">A total of 12 VHS male and female athletes have signed to play at various college levels this year. The Bearcats won five regional titles despite having a Group A-sized enrollment.
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**kmccall** · June 19th, 2007, 08:45 AM

Congradulations! He is also a good kid.

**cvcgrad** · June 19th, 2007, 08:52 AM

Would love to have seen him at UT but thrilled to see another local athlete move on to Div 1 sports.

**kmccall** · June 19th, 2007, 08:56 AM

My wish would have been tech

**cvcgrad** · June 19th, 2007, 01:32 PM

White would have been a nice addition to VT.

**gcdevil22** · June 19th, 2007, 02:20 PM

VT took a look on June 9 and took another TE, Eric Martin, instead of him

**imported_Hokies4Ever** · June 19th, 2007, 03:13 PM

Congratulations to White. I wish he could have been a hokie but its great to see another kid from swva move on to D-1 next year. Way to go.

**1inStripes** · June 20th, 2007, 12:03 PM

Good luck to the kid. I didn't realize he was quite on the upper D1 level.

**kmccall** · June 21st, 2007, 09:44 AM

This is an example of not having the stats in high school because of his role in the offense, but having the physical size and potential with his work ethic. This guy just looks like an athlete and is very impressive to watch doing drills.

**1inStripes** · June 21st, 2007, 03:51 PM

Maybe so, but he has never really stood out in the games I have seen. I never knew what his stats were, but I guess this is more on physical size and POTENTIAL.