This Guy Plays Notre Dame Football: #40 Drew White, Linebacker

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster full of players, and we want to talk about them all. One Foot Down’s player profile series will, once again, take a look at every single one of them, and hopefully we all learn a little bit more about these guys, and Notre Dame’s chances for the upcoming 2021 season.

# 40 Drew White, LB

Drew White committed to Notre Dame on March 21^st, 2016 as a member of the 2017 recruiting class. White selected the Irish over offers from Arkansas, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, among others. White held a 3-star ranking per 247Sports Composite rankings. He was rated as the 41^st best inside linebacker, 137^th best player in the state of Florida, and the 977^th best overall prospect in the class of 2017. His attended St. Thomas Aquinas, and his hometown is Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He currently stands 6’ 0’’ and weighs 227 pounds.

White’s career at Notre Dame got off to an inauspicious start as he did not see the field at all as a freshman. In the spring of his freshman year, White suffered a broken ankle, resulting in him becoming buried on the depth chart. As a sophomore in 2018, he managed to get onto the field for 4 games and finished the year with 8 total tackles. His injury woes continued during the spring of his sophomore campaign when he suffered a fractured AC Joint in a skiing accident during spring break. Undeterred, White returned from his injury to claim the starting middle linebacker job heading into the 2019 season. He ended the year having started 12 of a possible 13 games, finishing with 80 total tackles (tied for the team lead), 2 sacks, 2 quarterback hurries, and 2 fumble recoveries. Last season White again manned the middle of the defense. He primarily saw action on 1^st and 2^nd downs, ceding his position to Bo Bauer on 3^rd downs. In total, White finished with 56 total tackles and 1.5 sacks.

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The Restaurant That Fits

Maggiano’s

Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

Good Italian food with sizable portions should be a no-brainer on everybody’s list of top restaurants. I’ve always had incredible meals at Maggiano’s, yet it never is in the forefront of my mind when I go out to eat. I think the problem is that there is no excitement associated with it because it is such a dependable restaurant that allows delivers. Similarly, Drew White has flown under the radar for most Irish fans the past couple of seasons despite his production. He wasn’t a big-time recruit and didn’t play his first 2 years on campus. However, his steady presence has been a major reason for the elite defenses at Notre Dame the past 2 seasons. Try not to take him for granted during his final season in South Bend.

2021 Outlook

There is zero question that Drew White will play an integral role on defense for the Irish in 2021. Though he missed most of spring practice with a high ankle sprain, White has shown more than enough the past 2 seasons to be penciled in as a starting linebacker, with the most probable scenario being that White will be the starting Mike linebacker. If there is one aspect of his game he must improve upon, it would be his pass defense. Last season, White was targeted 15 times and allowed 12 completions, a number that must change if he is going to stay on the field for all 3 downs. Interestingly, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah had this to say about White heading into the 2021 season, “I expect Drew White to be the best player on the field, even with Kyle Hamilton on the field.” With Hamilton’s talent being quite obvious, this quote should make fans extremely excited to see what Drew White can accomplish in 2021.

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