Oklahoma State made a very strong bid, but highly-recruited Darius White committed to the University of Texas over the weekend.
"It just felt more comfortable,” White said. “It’s a great place and I had a great feel about it.”
Ranked as the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver by Tom Lemming, football analyst for CBS College Sports and MaxPreps, the Dunbar (Fort Worth, Texas) superstar also considered Oklahoma.
White is the Longhorns' 22nd verbal commitment. Signing day is Feb. 3.
"He’s a big target," Lemming said. "He has very good speed and good leaping ability. I imagine he will contribute as a true freshman. Texas is loaded with great athletes, but he’ll fit right in.”
Though playing just nine games as a senior due to injuries, the 6-foot-5, 205-pounder still caught 24 passes for 486 yards and eight touchdowns.
White also starred in the Under Armour All-American game in St. Petersburg, Fla., scoring on an 11-yard reception and a 35-yard punt return as Team Nitro defeated Team Blur, 32-7.
“I give it all to God,” White said of his all-star game performance. “He’s the one who made it happen. I had a pretty good performance in the second half.”
Dunbar coach Todd Lawson expected White to end up in Austin.
"Going into his junior year, he asked me ‘What do I have to do to attend the University of Texas?’ I knew he had the size and attitude to be there," Lawson said. "He just had to put the numbers (statistics) up there. (As a junior he made 40 catches for 1,057 yards and 17 touchdowns.)
“I think he has a chance to be able to go right in and be able to play. I told him to not get down on himself if he doesn’t start right away. I can see him putting on another 20 or 25 pounds, which won’t even change his makeup (speed).”
White’s goals are “to win a national championship and get a great education.”
He will be teaming with another standout wide receiver, Dallas Skyline star Mike Davis, who committed to Texas a couple weeks earlier. As a senior, the 6-1, 185-pounder made 48 catches for 1,157 yards and 19 touchdowns as Skyline posted a 12-1 record.
“I think with us two on the field, nobody is going to be able to stop us,” White said.
Dylan Favre
File photo by Chris Evans
Dylan Favre, who set numerous Mississippi state passing records and was named Mr. Football, has made a commitment to Mississippi State University.
The 5-11, 192-pound senior quarterback completed 342 of 529 passes for 5,589 yards and 63 touchdowns while leading Bay St. Louis St. Stanislaus to its first Class 4A state championship. He threw only six interceptions. He also ran for 1,265 yards and 18 touchdowns. In addition, he punted for an outstanding 41.4 average.
“That’s a relief – to get the whole process over with,” Favre said. “In the beginning, it was frustrating (because the major scholarship offers were very slow in developing).”
Favre admits that his numerous records “still haven’t meant as much as you might think. The state championship is 10 times as exciting.”
His goal is “to come in and play (as a freshman). If that doesn’t happen, it’s not the end of the world. I’ll have time to learn the offense and get accustomed to college.”
Will his famous uncle, Brett Favre, some day best be known as Dylan Favre’s uncle?
“That day will never come,” Dylan quickly replied. “I just want to be known as Dylan Favre.”
Apple Valley wins Cheesehead
Apple Valley (Minn.), the No. 2 team in the nation according to Amateur Wrestling News, scored 710 points to win the Cheesehead Invitational in Kaukauna, Wis. No. 4-ranked Brandon, Fla., was second with 671 points.
The Most Outstanding Wrestler was unheralded Hartland (Wis.) Arrowhead junior Jake Sueflohn, who upset two of the nation’s top seven wrestlers to win the 135-pound division. Sueflohn has lost just once this season.
* Central Dauphin (Harrisburg, Pa.) had three individual champions and totaled 174 points to win the 43rd annual Powerade Christmas Tournament in Canonsburg, Pa., for the third straight year. Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.) was second with 147 points.
Central Dauphin senior Marshall Peppelman (160 pounds) became only the second entry ever to win four consecutive years.
The Most Outstanding Wrestler was Charleroi (Pa.) freshman Cody Wiercioch, who captured the 152-pound championship.
Klinge sets Iowa record
Waukon’s girls basketball team defeated MFL MarMac, 48-36, to give coach Gene Klinge an Iowa state-record 939th career victory. The previous Iowa record was 938 by Bob Mullen.
Klinge, who will be 73 later this month, has lost 219 games. During his outstanding 48-year career, he has survived heart bypass surgery, prostate cancer and lymphoma.
* Joel Claassen posted his 500th career victory as coach of the Pius (Milwaukee, Wis.) basketball team, but 419 of those wins came while coaching the highly-successful Pius girls team. He also coaches softball.
* Two other coaches recorded milestone victories in girls basketball: Rand Rasmussen won No. 400 at Bingham (South Jordan, Utah), while Nancy O’Neill notched her 300th triumph at Collingswood (N.J.).
Josh Selby explodes
Josh Selby exploded for 46 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds as Lake Clifton (Baltimore, Md.) routed Connexions, 110-44. The 6-2 senior guard is one of the most coveted recruits who has not yet committed to a college.
* Josiah Turner, a 6-3 junior guard, poured in a career-high 48 points – including the winning 3-pointer at the buzzer – as Sacramento (Calif.) nipped Pasadena, 71-70.
* In Minnesota, the No. 1-ranked Class 3A team, St. Paul Johnson, defeated the No. 1 Class 4A team, Minnetonka Hopkins, 86-78, to end a 38-game winning streak.
Zunt will be missed
Longtime Cleveland Plain Dealer sports writer Dick Zunt died of cancer at age 78. Prep sports fans in Cleveland have suffered a great loss and I have lost a good friend, one who never failed to take my phone call and assist with any request.
