DJ White

orientalnc

Helluva Engineer
Retired Staff
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9,919
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Oriental, NC
I think this young man makes his parents proud. Not necessarily because of his football skills, but his perspective seems so honest. It's nice to have him as a Yellow Jacket.
 

Whiskey_Clear

Banned
Messages
10,486
Another great young man to be proud of. Another great example of what a "Tech man" is IMO. I'm proud of the quality people our athletes are. All these guys are young and some will make mistakes. I made more than my share I know. But we have a bunch of guys that are easy to cheer for. Btw....he's damn fast :)
 

Lexjacket

Ramblin' Wreck
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663
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Kennesaw
White’s hustle putting him in right spot

Posted: 7:42 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014

By Ken Sugiura - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Upon further review, D.J. White conceded it was a pretty remarkable play. Immediately after Georgia Tech’s 56-28 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday, the Yellow Jackets cornerback said he thought he could run down Panthers running back James Conner as he broke away for an apparent 75-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. However, White later saw what everyone else saw — he was engaged with a Pittsburgh blocker at the Panthers’ 27-yard line when Conner broke through the line. By the time White fought off the block and took up pursuit, Conner was about five yards downfield, building to a dead sprint.
upload_2014-10-30_15-46-43.png

Pitt’s James Conner fumbles the ball before he crosses the end zone as he’s defended by Georgia Tech’s D.J. White in the first quarter at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on Saturday. (Matt Freed/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/MCT)

Legs whirring and arms pumping, White reeled in Conner, who conceded after the game that he eased up because he didn’t think anyone could catch him. Just short of the goal line, White lunged at the ball, which came loose and then bounced out of the end zone, turning what would have been a touchdown and a score tied at 7-7 into Tech’s play of the game and perhaps even more. Pittsburgh was denied the touchdown, and Tech received the ball at its 20. The Jackets scored on a 79-yard touchdown pass three plays later for a 14-0 lead to trigger the rout.Honestly, I was actually surprised at how far I came to get him,” White said Tuesday. “Like I said, in my mind, on the field, you just react. You’re not thinking, just going.”The play earned White, from Union Grove High, a spot among ESPN’s “Top 10 Plays” on “SportsCenter” that night. Defensive coordinator Ted Roof called it “just an unbelievable effort play.”


In a season when the Tech defense hasn’t had much to celebrate, White has contributed two of the more significant plays of the season. Before chasing down Conner, he intercepted Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Brewer with 1:58 to play, setting up the Jackets’ game-winning field goal as time expired in their 27-24 win in Blacksburg, Va., on Sept. 20.White’s 40 tackles rank fifth most on the team and are 10 shy of his total from last season. The two plays withstanding, White has not necessarily stood out, but he’s improving, and the play at Pittsburgh typified why.“Great example for everyone to emulate,” secondary coach Joe Speed said. “If we can get all 11 guys, and even more guys, playing like that, we’ll win a lot more ballgames.”Speed said that White brings the same high-effort mentality daily to the practice field, working on technique before and after practices. He also calls him a “night film junkie.”He asks me every week, ‘Hey, Coach, did you break down the receivers yet?’” Speed said. White’s approach and outlook are unusual in their maturity. The position he plays, perhaps, has helped. Playing cornerback means little is hidden. Two Saturdays ago, when North Carolina quarterback Marquise Williams converted a critical fourth-and-6 with a 36-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of Tech’s loss to the Tar Heels, White was the one unable to elevate to contest the pass. (Against a near-perfect pass by Williams, White said he lost the ball as wide receiver Mack Hollins rose up to make the catch.)The play, coincidentally, took place on nearly the identical spot on the field, albeit a different stadium, as his strip of Conner — on the left sideline, inside the Tech 5-yard line. “You win some, you lose some, I guess,” he said.After the losses, he hears the critiques from friends text messaging him and from fans on social media.

“The biggest thing is just really keeping it in perspective, like, Why do you play the game?” White said. “I don’t play the game for them. I play for my teammates and for my family, so going on the field, you know those things are going to happen, but it’s a maturing process. As a younger player, those things are tough to deal with, but I feel like, for me, it really helped me grow up.”
 

33jacket

Helluva Engineer
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4,653
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Georgia
really starting to like Gaudin

he has so much more dry jokester personality than Wes, its refreshing "you think you can beat me in a race" LOL, "what do you think" ...."No"

even the way he and PJ go at it is fun.

Wes was always so calculated, overly professional to a degree for what this job is...you need to be fun, a bit of a homer etc...

Brandon is starting to do better and better...
 

dressedcheeseside

Helluva Engineer
Messages
14,220
really starting to like Gaudin

he has so much more dry jokester personality than Wes, its refreshing "you think you can beat me in a race" LOL, "what do you think" ...."No"

even the way he and PJ go at it is fun.

Wes was always so calculated, overly professional to a degree for what this job is...you need to be fun, a bit of a homer etc...

Brandon is starting to do better and better...
I agree on the interviews. However, Wes was a better play describer, by far. I hope Brandon improves in this area. I was forced to listen to a game on radio not too long ago and had a hard time picturing where the ball carrier was during runs because Brandon didn't call out the yard line as the runner ran. I thought that was play-by-play 101.
 

33jacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
4,653
Location
Georgia
I agree on the interviews. However, Wes was a better play describer, by far. I hope Brandon improves in this area. I was forced to listen to a game on radio not too long ago and had a hard time picturing where the ball carrier was during runs because Brandon didn't call out the yard line as the runner ran. I thought that was play-by-play 101.

yes Wes was better at play by play but the last images you remember from wes are after 25 years of doing it...give brandon time...he will get it.

FYI as good as wes was over brandon in play by play, there were other areas he lacked...
 

Whiskey_Clear

Banned
Messages
10,486
Wes is one of the best in the business....was sorta born and bred to it. But I really like Brandon. Hope we can keep him long term. Harder to do so now than back in Ciraldo's days....back when tv played a small number of games each week and Tech was lucky to get televised more than a couple times a year. Al was the best ever.
 

ibeattetris

Helluva Engineer
Messages
3,604
I agree on the interviews. However, Wes was a better play describer, by far. I hope Brandon improves in this area. I was forced to listen to a game on radio not too long ago and had a hard time picturing where the ball carrier was during runs because Brandon didn't call out the yard line as the runner ran. I thought that was play-by-play 101.
Wasn't Brandon mainly a basketball play by play at his previous position? I've always found his basketball play by play to be superior to football. I also agree that comparing him to Wes this early is a bit unfair.
 
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