SAN DIEGO – Brevin White could have played in the SEC. Plenty of Pac-12 schools were pursuing him.
His brother, Brady, plays at Arizona State so that was a legitimate option.
However, the Lancaster (Calif.) Paraclete quarterback chose a different route, committing to Princeton recently and becoming only the third four-star in Rivals.com history dating back to 2002 to pick an Ivy League school.
The others were Cambridge (Mass.) Buckingham Browne & Nichols tight end Blake Barker in 2010 and 2008 Greenwich, Conn., linebacker Jonathan Meyers, who also selected Princeton.
After taking visits all over the country, White decided the Ivy League provided him the best opportunity for his future – on and especially off the field.
“It’s a big decision,” White said recently after Paraclete defeated San Diego Helix in the Honor Bowl. “It’s a life-impacting decision. So going through the process I kind of came to the realization of what I really wanted in a school. I got to experience and go through a lot of visits.
“I was patient. I did a lot of visits across the country, Tennessee and all the Pac-12 schools. Ultimately, I wanted to make the best decision that would benefit my future and my life, not just necessarily in football. If the NFL is an opportunity after Princeton, then I’ll take that. Right now, I’m just trying to focus on this season but I’m definitely happy to be a part of the Princeton family.”
When quarterbacks pick a school, there are regularly NFL considerations. Playing in the SEC or Pac-12, a Power Five conference with maximum exposure, could be beneficial to White, rated as the No. 12 pro-style quarterback in the 2018 class.
For the four-star quarterback, he feels the pros will find him if he performs well enough, even in the Ivy League.
“It didn’t really factor in as much,” White said.
“I feel like if you’re good enough the NFL is going to find you. That’s just what I’ve been going off of. The quarterback right now for Princeton, Chad Kanoff, will have a chance to try out for a team and get picked up on a roster. I feel like if you’re good enough, the NFL will find you.”
A standout quarterback from an early age and the younger brother of a Pac-12 quarterback, White started the recruiting process earlier than most. High-level programs targeted him, but as the four-star worked his through the recruiting process, he wrote out pros and cons of each school recruiting him.
When it came down to figuring everything out, the Ivy League school in central New Jersey won out.
“The hardest part about it was when you weigh out all the pros and cons of all the schools, the only cons I found at Princeton is that it’s not a full-ride scholarship and it’s far away from home,” White said.
“That’s all I came up with and not to bag on any other school, but most of them had more cons for me. I could live with those two sacrifices and I’m fortunate enough to have parents that will support me in my decision-making. Princeton was the choice and I’m happy with it.”
