Had a chance to interview Tennessee 2021 DB commitment Edwin White last week. White, from Mobile, AL, was offered by Coach Pruitt as a freshman in high school withing week of Jeremy Pruitt taking the Tennessee job and committed to the Vols in early March after a Junior Day visit. Check out what the uber-confident defensive playmaker had to say below.
Q: What’s your current height and weight?
A: “6’0.5, 196 pounds”
Q: “ You were offered way back when Coach Pruitt took the Tennessee job, correct? Talk about that relationship
A: “I talk to them every day. I’m close with all the staff, really.”
Q: “How many times have you been to Tennessee’s campus? Talk about the experience
A: “I’ve been on three visits. Just a chill vibe, and it always feels like home there.”
Q: Do you feel like you’re going to be a leader for your team? If so, what kind of leadership qualities do you bring?
A: “Yes sir. I bring commitment, determination, and relentlessness. I lead by example with those things but I’m also vocal with my guys.”
Q: Do you play any other sports? Talk about those and how you think competing in multiple sports helps you on the gridiron.
A: “I’ve played basketball, soccer, and run track…hurdles my freshman year. They wanted me to play baseball, too. Playing all of those sports kept me in shape, but I might not have time for any of them except football this coming season.”
Q: What have you been doing workout wise during the shutdown?
A: “Ive been working on agility, strength and speed. I’ve got a spot I can work out with my trainer.”
Q: I saw you tweeted that you knew Dylan Brooks was going to commit to Tennessee for about a week. How well do you know Dylan?
A: “(Laughs). Yeah, I know him pretty well. We were supposed to play his team in the playoffs last season, but they lost. I also know Juju (Julian Nixon) well too. We’ve got a group chat with some of the commitments – Jordan (Moseley), Dylan, Kamar (Wilcoxson), Juju, Walker (Merrill), Roc (Taylor), (Jaylen) Wright, and Jay Jones. We’re working on Lewis right now.”*
Q: Tennessee has five commitments now from the state of Alabama. Why do you think Pruitt and Tennessee are having so much success there this cycle?
A: “The coaches just communicate a lot and build relationships. They talk about more than just football, which isn’t the same as other schools. More like a family.”
Q: Any other schools still contacting you?
A: “Kansas, UCF, South Carolina…Georgia texts me some too.”
Q: Which schools do you plan to see after the shutdown ends?
A: “I’ll probably try to see Georgia again.”
Q: You also tweeted, ‘No disrespect to the class of 2020 or 2021 safeties but y’all stats don’t come close to mine at all. These ranking and stars don’t mean nothing and the people who are doing them never got on that field.’ Do you feel like you’re underrated? I mean, you had 9 picks, 6 PBUs, 4 fumble recoveries, 4 TFLs and a blocked FG just last season. Do you think that’s because analysts question your top-end speed?
A: “(Laughs) And 79 tackles, too. Of course. Look at the stats. If you take some of the top 2020 safeties and corners, like (Texas A&M signee) Jalen Jones or (UGA 5-star signee Kelee) Ringo, or the top 2021 safety from Florida (James Williams)…they’re stats don’t compare to mine. When I was at Georgia’s camp last year it was just me and Ringo taking all the reps and I did as well or better than him. Am I slow? I’m a kick returner. Ask other teams about me. It all comes down to guarding the guy opposite you.”
Q: How does that motivate you?
A: “Just to be better. But once you get to college things like rankings don’t matter anymore.”
Q: You mentioned potentially visiting Georgia. How hard would it be for someone to steal you from Tennessee?”
A: Pretty hard, I don’t think it’s really possible. They’d just have to really show me they want me more than Tennessee does, or Tennessee would have to lose a bunch of coaches or something like that.”
Q: Lastly, anything else fans should know about you?
A: “Just that I’m ambidextrous (laughs again)”
White is clearly a very confident young man. Genial but with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder when talking about his competition, he’s the kind of player Coach Pruitt and Coach Ansley love and a prospect you can probably put in the “Underrated 3-star” and feel good about him outperforming that ranking if recruiting services don’t catch up with Tennessee like they did with guys like Jimmy Calloway last cycle. White is all about competition and showing what he’s got on the field. He’s got a longer relationship with Pruitt than most recruits, so Tennessee fans should feel fairly confident in his commitment sticking even if he does end up being offered by and visiting places like Georgia, but that will be something to keep an eye on for an important part of Tennessee’s secondary class.
*Interview was conducted on Wednesday, April 29th before Lewis committed on Thursday April 30th and of course the subsequent run that continued
