A dream once gone, but now found for White as NFL Draft nears
Ka’Raun White always saw the possibility of a future in the NFL for his two brothers, but for himself?
Nothing but a dream that seemed too distant to consider as a high school prospect.
See, White hasn’t taken the most direct path to where he is now.
A one-time safety at Emmaus High School in Pennsylvania, White rarely saw the field outside special teams and stood only 5-foot-9. It’s not that he didn’t want to make his mark on the gridiron, he just never could make his mark in football leaving him to consider alternate options.
There were no plans for him to continue the game of football once he graduated as he instead dove headfirst into the work force.
White spent two years working in fast food and factories with any thoughts of football nothing but unfulfilled memories from his past. The dream wasn’t on hold, it was dead.
“It was over. I was done,” White admitted.
That’s when his life changed forever.
During those two years away from the game, the late bloomer grew in size and also couldn’t help but take notice of what his older brother Kevin was doing at Lackawanna College in Scranton. There he would develop on the field and draw scholarship offers from a number of programs.
White attended games in order to watch his brother and that’s when that that spark ignited again.
“He went to Lackawanna made things happen and I followed suit or I’d still be at a warehouse somewhere,” White said.
White had considered rejuvenating his career at a division two program but petitioned the coaches at Lackawanna to give him a chance. They did and after a try out, he made the roster.
It took some time to transition to a wide receiver spot he hadn’t played in the past, but after a redshirt season he was routinely exceling in practice and made his way up the depth chart.
Eventually scholarship offers would come calling for him too, and like his older brother Kevin before him, decided to spend the next step of his career at West Virginia.
His star only continued to get brighter as the mature college athlete increased his numbers each season finishing his three-years in Morgantown with a 1,000-yard season and 12 touchdowns.
“Pretty crazy story,” he said.
But it isn’t done yet.
In the months following the end of the season, White traveled with his two brothers to Arizona where they participated in a strict training regimen six-days a week, two-times a day. During that time the focus was centered on improving speed and endurance while adhering to a stringent diet plan.
Already a solid route runner, he had to improve other areas, namely his speed.
“I worked on it a lot,” he said.
The hard work paid off.
White participated in the NFL Scouting Combine and was able to put up the most bench reps at 24, while putting together a respectable 4.52 40-yard dash. He also performed admirably at the West Virginia Pro Day showcasing his ability to catch the ball and move.
He’s had to answer questions about his past, which he doesn’t shy away from. The time away from football, the jobs and the dream that was fading but now has been revived.
White, now 24, will turn 25 in July and is mature for a potential NFL Rookie still he doesn’t bear the miles that many players would have at that junction considering his time away from the game.
“I can achieve my dreams that we all wanted since we were young,” he said.
It’s not typical, but what about White’s story has been so far?
