Oregon State’s Kyle White Looking To Impress At The Tropical Bowl
Oregon State’s Kyle White Looking To Impress At The Tropical Bowl
Oregon State's Kyle White moved from running back to cornerback a year ago. At the Tropical Bowl he'll look to show scouts that the transition is complete.
Two years ago, Kyle White was just trying to find his way around the Oregon State campus. On Sunday, he will try to prove to NFL scouts that he’s learned his way around the cornerback position as plays in the Tropical Bowl in Daytona Beach, FL.
In January 2016, White — whose father, Mark, ran track for the Beavers — arrived in Corvallis, OR, by way of Orange Coast Community College, where he was ranked among the best JUCO running backs in the country.
White remained a running back throughout spring ball and even led the Beavers with 53 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in the team’s spring game. But, when fall camp commenced, White, a former three-star prospect, was moved to cornerback.
Watch the 2018 Tropical Bowl LIVE on FloFootball
"He wasn't overly excited about the change of positions at the beginning,” then-OSU head coach Gary Andersen told the Oregonian back in August. “But now he has completely wrapped his arms around it.”
The transition from running back to cornerback wasn’t an easy one. The Montgomery, Alabama, native spent the 2016 season learning the craft and contributing on special teams, waiting patiently for his opportunity.
When he finally got his chance, White wasted little time before making an impact — picking off his first career pass less than 10 minutes into the Beavers’ 2017 season opener at Colorado State:
White finished his senior year with 21 tackles and that interception, still a work in progress at the cornerback position but a willing contributor on special teams and an excellent athlete with undeniable upside.
“I have no regrets looking back,” White told FloFootball. “I know I gave it my all each and every day.”
The Tropical Bowl will provide him with a forum to demonstrate all of the above — and an opportunity to do so in front of some fresh eyeballs.
“My goal for this week is to grind as hard as possible, have fun against great competition, and to make a name for myself with the NFL scouts watching,” he said. “My biggest goal for the week, though, is to leave with no regrets and leave everything I have on the field.”
Watch White and the rest of the college all-stars competing in this year’s Tropical Bowl LIVE on FloFootball on Sunday at 9 AM (ET).