High school football: Three-time Super Bowl Champion James White hired as head coach at Illinois school

By Aaron Williams Nov 20, 2025, 5:00pm

Seven-year NFL veteran played prep ball at St. Thomas Aquinas and college at Wisconsin.

Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.) announced Thursday that it has hired three-time Super Bowl champion James White to be its next football head coach.

White, who played for the New England Patriots from 2014 to 2021, was the assistant running backs coach at the University of Illinois.

"I want to give a huge thank you to (Illini) Coach Bielema for giving me the opportunity to join his staff to learn and grow as a coach," White said in a statement. "I'm excited for the future and can't wait to build relationships within the Benet Community."
White was part of New England's improbable Super Bowl LI comeback over the Atlanta Falcons. He scored 20 second-half points for the Patriots as they erased the infamous 28-3 deficit.

Benet Academy, a powerhouse in multiple sports, was 3-6 on the gridiron this season. The program is 66-42 over the past 10 seasons.



White played high school football at St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), where he was part of the 2008 national championship team. At the University of Wisconsin, he was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a two-time All-Big Ten selection.