Meet Noreel White, a Coast freshman who appears destined for football stardom
For many prep star athletes, the recruiting process can be a long and drawn-out ordeal that may not come to a close until their final semester of high school.
As for St. Martin cornerback Noreel White, his college choice was made before he completed his freshman year of high school and three months after he picked up his first offer.
“It’s been a blur. It went by quick,” White told the Sun Herald. “But it feels good. I can’t let it all get to my head. I’ve got to keep doing me.”
White’s first offer came on Jan. 8 from Florida State defensive backs coach Marcus Woodson, a Moss Point native who played in the secondary at Ole Miss. Three weeks later, the Rebels jumped on board with their own offer.
On April 1, White shared on Twitter that he was “100% committed” to the Seminoles.
“Florida State has been my favorite since I was a kid,” White said. “I had to go ahead and get that out of the way real quick, let everybody know what was going on.”
While it’s fair to describe White’s recruiting process as breakneck, there has long been a buzz surrounding the 6-foot-1, 175-pound athlete who lived in Moss Point up until the third grade.
The coaches at St. Martin High School have been hearing chatter about White’s potential for years. He played with the ninth grade basketball team this past season and has also dabbled in baseball and track and field.
St. Martin basketball coach Charlie Pavlus saw firsthand how White ruled the court in seventh and eighth grade.
“It was easy for him to score in seventh and eighth grade,” Pavlus said. “He’d just jump over everybody.
“He was dunking in eighth grade, and there’s not many that can say that, and in a game. He’d get a steal and go dunk it. He’s got the athleticism. Now it’s about honing his skills and he’s working on it.”
St. Martin football coach Eddie Wayne Whitehead has had several FBS prospects come through his program in recent years, but none who are this advanced at this young of an age.
“I would say it’s his body at his age, and he’s a very good athlete,” Whitehead said of why colleges are already recruiting White. “He’s got good size for a young kid. He’s kind of been the best player at whatever he’s done. He’s always been the best player on the field.”
Noreel White shows potential at cornerback
It’s that combination of size, speed and athleticism that has made him a well-regarded prospect at such a young age.
“He’s physical, real physical,” Whitehead said of White’s best attributes at cornerback. “He can come up and hit you. He’s good at man to man. He’s got the athleticism and the speed.”
Taller corners are all the rage these days and White, who had one interception during his freshman campaign, should only add muscle and speed with time.
His 40-yard dash is estimated to be at about 4.55 seconds at this point, and Whitehead plans to put that speed to use on offense this season.
After lining up off and on at quarterback, receiver and running back as a freshman, White should see most of his time at receiver this season.
“He’s got really good hands, competes for the ball,” Whitehead said. “He use his athletic ability, uses his body. He gets up for the ball and contests for it. On the short stuff, he does a good job of getting up field and getting as many yards as he can get.”
As a freshman, he tied for the team lead in receptions with 19 for 157 yards. He also carried 17 times for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
The Seminoles told White that they’re open to considering him as a receiver, but his future currently appears to be at cornerback.
If White breaks out at receiver, that could make his recruitment a little more interesting over the next three seasons.
“If I want to go for receiver, I want that Alabama or Oregon type offer,” he said. “Florida State for corner, that’s perfect for me.”
Florida State commit will have the spotlight
White likes the idea of suiting up for multiple sports, and Pavlus hopes to have him in the mix for the 2021-22 basketball season as a two guard.
“Sometimes you get a football kid that doesn’t really want to work hard (in basketball),” Pavlus said. “But he works extremely hard when he comes to basketball.”
At the moment, it appears that football offers him the best opportunity to play on the next level.
Whitehead is challenging White to meet his goals away from the field to make sure he’s playing big-time college football once his high school career comes to a close.
“The thing I stress with him is the offers right now are because of potential and athletic ability,” Whitehead said. “If you don’t take care of business on the field and in the classroom, these offers go away. He’s got to maintain and do his part for four years. He’s a pretty young kid. I’d hate to know that when I was 14 years old I was making decisions for my future.”
If White lives up to the potential that so many see in him, he may have another decision to make. But he’s devoted to Florida State at the moment.
“This next football season, I think he’s going to have a bunch of offers,” Whitehead said. “He’s really strong on Florida State, but he’s still a young kid. You know how that goes.”
