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An Interview with Antoine White

Our newest defensive tackle commit answered some questions.

By Nick Polak
Rob Carr

Guess what's baaaaaaackkkkkkkk. Antoine was very quick to get back to me, and was very willing to answer some questions for me. You all know the drill at this point, so here we go!

When your recruitment first started, was there anything specific you were looking for in a school? Did you have any ideas about where you thought you were going to end up?

I was looking for a school with solid academics, and a good program for what I might want to major in. I’m looking at criminal justice or early education right now. The area the school was in was important too.

Did you start out with PSU as one of your top options? Were you holding off on naming a top group, waiting for Penn State to offer?

I definitely knew I wanted that offer from Penn State. I knew about their situation with not having any defensive tackles, and I had been talking with Coach Johnson and Coach Vanderlinden for a while. So I knew I wanted that offer, and they were definitely my top option.

What happened that made you choose PSU?

I was always told when you find the right school, you will just know, and I did. It felt right. I knew I could keep a solid verbal to them, and knew that's where my heart was. It's not fair to string a school along if you don't have interest. I knew it was for me, so why wait?

Have you gotten a chance to meet any of the other guys in your class? Or any of the guys still being recruited?

I know of a lot of the guys in my class, we follow each other on twitter, stuff like that, but I haven’t gotten a chance to meet any of them personally yet. I know Thomas Holley well, we were at the Rivals camp together, and at the Penn State junior day together. We’ve talked about Penn State a few times, and gotten to have some real deep conversations.

Do you know any of the guys on the team right now?

Brandon Bell played at a high school nearby, and we used to play against each other. Austin Johnson played at a school right near mine as well, so I know him pretty well also.

Is there anyone on the team you're especially excited to meet? Anyone you're hoping to learn from the most? (Aside from Coaches)

DaQuan Jones. I know he’ll be a senior this year, so we won’t be playing at the same time, but I’ll be there for visits before then, and he’ll come back while I’m there. Austin Johnson as well, he’ll have been under Coach Johnson for a few years by that point, but DaQuan Jones especially.

What has the staff told you about where you’re going to play? I know you play a little bit of defensive end in High School.

They’re going to use me as a defensive tackle. I can get away with playing end a little bit in high school, but they’re going to have me come in and play tackle.

How do you feel about the possibility of playing Ireland?

It’s amazing. We’ll get to travel all over the country for games anyway, but to be able to go there is crazy. I didn’t even actually hear about it until like a month ago. It’s awesome.

What are you most looking forward to about PSU? In a football sense and a non-football sense?

Honestly, a non-football experience is easy to find there, because it goes way beyond the aspect of a football factory. I am really looking forward to meeting new people, the connections I will get to be a part of, developing that relationship with my graduating class, and the older guys I can learn from. Just the staff as a whole, the men that will play a big role, not just for the next four years, but for the rest of my life.

How did you feel about the whole recruiting process? Did you like getting all that attention from coaches/reporters/etc., or did it start to get a little old after a while?

It was very humbling. To be contacted by coaches every day, and picking up new offers, it’s a very humbling experience. Some guys choose to make it more hyped up and stressful for themselves, but I enjoyed it. The only stressful part was calling other coaches to let them know that I had committed somewhere else, because they devote so much time into recruiting you, it’s a tough call to make. I definitely enjoyed the experience, but I’m glad it’s over.

Try to answer this without any bias towards PSU. What uniforms do you like better? Flashy ones like Oregon, or traditional ones like PSU?

Well with my high school, we all wear the same socks, the same shoes and all that, so it’s very traditional. Uniforms like Oregon’s are definitely cool, and flashy uniforms are exciting, but sometimes they overdo it a little bit. When you start getting neon colors and all that, I think it’s a little too much. With the Penn State uniforms, it’s that same classic look. When you have 70 year old men coming back to watch their team play, and we’re wearing the same uniforms they wore, it’s a unifying experience.

Thanks, Antoine. Can't wait to watch you push around offensive linemen in a few years.

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