Brendon White won't be back at Ohio State next season, but he is reuniting with one of his former Buckeyes coaches.
After entering the transfer portal earlier this month, White decided on Friday morning to continue his college football career at Rutgers, joining a cavalcade of players who have committed to play for Greg Schiano in his first month as the Scarlet Knights' head coach.
Jeremiah 29:11... pic.twitter.com/Uew0NYDAU4
— Brendon White (@therealestbw0) December 27, 2019
Schiano previously coached White as Ohio State's defensive coordinator in 2017 and 2018. He was also the Buckeyes' safeties coach in 2017, White's first season in Columbus.
Now, White will play for Schiano at Rutgers, where he's likely to immediately become one of the Scarlet Knights' top defensive players after playing only sparingly for the Buckeyes this past season.
White had a breakthrough second half of the year in Schiano's defense in 2018, emerging as the starter at strong safety and one of the best players on a struggling Ohio State defense in the final six games of that season, in which he recorded 41 tackles, four tackles for loss, an interception and two pass breakups.
In Ohio State's new defensive scheme this year, however, White became an afterthought. His offseason move to the "bullet" position came with much hype, but he ended up effectively becoming Pete Werner's backup at strongside linebacker and played just 176 snaps this season, mostly in the second halves of lopsided games.
White becomes the second former Ohio State player to transfer to Rutgers since Schiano's arrival, joining defensive tackle Malik Barrow, who was medically disqualified from playing for the Buckeyes in 2018 and spent this past season at UCF before entering the transfer portal again.
Welcome to the F.A.M.I.L.Y. @therealestbw0 #CHOP pic.twitter.com/a7MDSiQ640
— Greg Schiano (@GregSchiano) December 27, 2019
Having played for three seasons at Ohio State, White will have one remaining season of eligibility for the Scarlet Knights.
