The New York Jets took the field on Sunday as 11 point underdogs to the first place Cincinnati Bengals who looked to be rolling after dominating the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7. The Jets were on the opposite end of a blowout a week ago, suffering a 54-13 loss at the hand of the New England Patriots, on trajectory to record their sixth straight losing season. The team, as years passed, has been plagued with mediocre play at the quarterback position even after selecting Zach Wilson with the second overall pick in the draft. It looked like it was going to be another tough offensive showing against a Bengal’s defense holding opponents to 18.5 points per game.
Then, the unlikeliest of heroes showed.
Due to an injury to Wilson, backup quarterback Mike White was thrust into the starting job, and in his first career NFL start, he put forward one of the best performances all year by a quarterback. He completed 37 out of 45 pass attempts for 405 yards and three touchdowns. After two early interceptions on back to back drives in the first quarter, White kept the Jets in a competitive game against Joe Burrow’s Bengals, throwing two touchdowns on back to back drives in the fourth quarter to secure a shocking comeback win. He even caught a pass in the winning effort, securing a Philly Special-esque two point conversion throw from Keelan Cole to put the Jets up by a field goal late in the fourth quarter.
In one of the most shocking turns of events, the mysterious White went from a no-name backup quarterback to Jets’ fans thunderously chanting his name as he left the field this past weekend.
So, who is Mike White?
White’s early football journey is similar to how his NFL career started. He played high school football in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but did not start at quarterback until his senior season. He defied all expectations, throwing for 22 touchdowns and just two interceptions, capturing 3A Florida Player of the Year and a state championship. This spectacular senior season landed him a three-star rating, and he eventually committed to play football close to home at the University of South Florida in 2013.
White was able to gain the starting job late into his freshman season, a luxury he had not been afforded in high school, but he struggled early on. In five games, he completed 93 passes out of 175 passes for 1,083 yards with just three touchdowns and nine
interceptions. Despite this, he was named the starting quarterback going into sophomore year, putting up 1,6639 yards, eight touchdowns and seven picks in 10 starts. The next year, White decided to transfer to Western Kentucky due to a switch in offensive style, and sat out 2015 due to transfer rules., but was given the starting job in 2016. He started 27 games in his next two years, compiling 8,540 yards with 63 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, proving himself to be the talented quarterback he showed to be in his senior year of high school.
His last illustration of his NFL prospects came in the 2018 Senior Bowl, leading Bill O’Brien’s South team in a 45-16 rout, completing eight of 11 pass attempts for 128 yards and two touchdowns, significantly heightening his draft stock. The NFL combine was not kind to White, however, and was projected to end up in the third or fourth round of the draft, marking him as the eighth best quarterback in the draft.
White would fall into the fifth round in the 2018 NFL Draft, but was still drafted as the eighth quarterback in the draft by the Dallas Cowboys, becoming the second Western Kentucky quarterback to be drafted and the highest since Brandon Doughty, the quarterback he replaced as a starter.
White struggled to really make a name for himself with the Cowboys, becoming the team’s third string quarterback in 2018 and failing to win the backup job to Dak Prescott in 2019. The team kept just two quarterbacks on the active roster, so White was waived and not given an opportunity to join the practice squad.
White then signed with the Jets in September, and in his first two years with the team, he was mainly relegated to the practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on several occasions, but would never last for more than a couple of games before being sent back. He never received game action, and is heading into the 2021 season. It seemed as if it was going to be more of the same, as the Jets drafted Zach Wilson to be their franchise quarterback.
However, White continued to hold out hope, and his chance finally came after Wilson was hurt early in the second quarter against the Patriots. The theme of White’s football journey has been seizing the moment once his opportunity comes. Whether it took waiting for senior year, transferring schools or bouncing from the active roster to the practice squad, White has eventually been able to take his opportunities, though slim, and make the most of them. It remains to be seen whether or not White’s play in his action with the Jets will jump start future NFL success, but the kid from Fort Lauderdale left his home crowd chanting his name as he exited the field on Sunday, proving once again he has what it takes to shine brightest in the big moments.
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