FLORHAM PARK, NJ: Mike White was once a high school pitcher with big league dreams. He is now preparing for his first NFL debut as a quarterback for the New York Jets.
From mound to herd, White has come a long way.
Filling in for injured Zach Wilson against the rising Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday may seem like a lot of pressure for a man who didn’t take a snap in a regular season game before last week. White just brushes it off.
Personally, I am trying not to think of anything of that nature,” he said on Thursday. “Just go out there, play my game, have fun with my friends.
I mean, I’m starting an NFL game, so that’s great.
There’s no doubt about it, especially when you consider White’s visit.
The 26-year-old native of Pembroke Pines, Florida, grew into an outstanding athlete, especially in baseball. He was a big, lean right-hander with a strong fastball and impressive turnaround, leading 9-2 with a 0.43 ERA as a junior at NSU University School in Fort Lauderdale. He could also swing the bat while showing some good opposite-field pop as a first baseman, and some Major League teams were interested in drafting him.
White also played football, but not until high school. And he didn’t fully focus on the game until his senior year when he became the starting quarterback.
Oh, that’s crazy, said White. I talk to all my friends who are in the major leagues like Luis Guillorm, second baseman for the Mets. We played together for a long time and we were talking the other day, and it was funny how I grew up, I was all baseball. And then somewhere in high school, on my way back, I just went to football and everyone else kept baseball.
He threw for more than 2,200 yards with 22 touchdowns and just two interceptions, while leading the team to the 3A state championship. This took him to South Florida, where he started five games as a freshman and as a sophomore before becoming a full-time starter.
But the USF then changed its offense to a zone-read, running quarterback type plan.
And it didn’t fit my skills, White said.
Therefore, he transferred to Western Kentucky, sat out for a year due to NCAA transfer rules and then played under Jeff Brom and ran on a spill offense. White threw for 8,540 yards and 63 touchdowns with 15 interceptions in his two seasons with the Hilltoppers and became a legitimate NFL Draft prospect.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound quarterback played well in the 2018 Senior Bowl, throwing two TD passes to his Bill O’Brien-coached squad. Despite a subpar show at the NFL Alliance in Indianapolis, he was drafted in the fifth round by Dallas.
After White was pardoned by the Cowboys during his final cut in 2019, the Jets signed him to their practice squad. He served as Sam Darnold’s backup the last two seasons, bouncing back and forth between the practice squad and the active roster, never coming into play.
He won the backup job last summer, this time behind the No. 2 overall pick at Wilson. And White is suddenly in the spotlight, having sprained Wilson’s knee for at least a few games.
I was talking to Josh Johnson the other day and I was telling him that he could be in the NFL more than I just played football, starting with high school and things of that nature, White joked about the Jets for 35 years. Blown. Uday – A veteran backup QB who is in his 14th season of pro football. So that’s good. And when you look back and think about it in that aspect, it’s still pretty ridiculous.
And it looks like he made the right call by trading in his mitts for a helmet.
I would like to think so, yes, said White with a big smile.
White struck a touchdown with 32 runs for 202 yards and two interceptions in New York’s 54-13 loss in New England last Sunday, but impressed his teammates.
He is ready,” said wide receiver Corey Davis. “That presence was needed at the time. He came and did a great job.
The coach also liked what he saw from the backup and liked it enough to give him a start against Bengal.
We’re excited for him, said senior offensive assistant Matt Cavanaugh, who spent his 14-year NFL playing career as backup. I’ve been encouraged to watch him run the show team for weeks on defense and stand in the pocket, making decisions, making accurate throws with lots of body around him.
The Jets traded for 36-year veteran Joe Flacco earlier this week, acquiring him from Philadelphia after spending last season in New York. It is uncertain whether Flacco, whom White texted to welcome back after hearing the news, will take over as starter until Wilson is ready.
Or if it will remain White’s job for now.
It’s exciting, White said. I mean, this is what you grew up dreaming of as a little kid. So that aspect of it, there’s a lot of enthusiasm in it. But (by the way) I’ve been in and attacked this week, try not to make it any more than that.
“Going there on Sunday, I am going to try to help this football team win and do their job.
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