Beginnings
In June of 2011 a 13yr old Devin White from Springhill, Louisiana would experience the tragic loss of an older brother. J’Marco Jewel Greenard was traveling back from Texas in a church van when the rear driver side tire blew out, throwing J.J. from the van and killing him upon impact. Young Devin was J.J.’s shadow. White learned maturity from his older brother. Followed him everywhere. Six years older than Devin, J.J. was a Buccaneers fan and was fond of wearing his Ronde Barber jersey. Carmen Vitali tweeted yesterday.
White’s older brother, who passed when Devin was 12, was a huge Bucs fan. Devin remembers him wearing a Ronde Barber jersey around the house when he was little. It makes ending up in Tampa Bay mean that much more to him.
— Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV) April 26, 2019
White still writes J.J. on his cleats and asks his brother J.J. to watch over him each game.
Family
Years earlier in the summer of 2009 a little league football coach, Shaun Houston had seen a ten(10) year old Devin White put half of his forearm up over the basket at an open gym basketball game, he hoped to convince the young man to play for the football team. Both of White’s parents had earned basketball scholarships and Devin intended to follow in their footsteps. A classmate named Xavious, a man named George “Junior” Shaw, and a horse with no name would change all of that
A Change Of Plans
Shaw, grandfather to Xavious, enjoyed taking Cotton Valley residents on trail rides on the horses he raised on his families 160 acre ranch. The trail rides would include riding horses, eating barbeque, and socializing. Football coach Houston had asked Shaw if he would help him to get White to come and play for the little league team. When Devin asked Shaw about the next trail ride, Shaw would say “Well, me and X-man are going to the football game on Saturday. How would I be able to get you to the trail ride if you’re not at the football game?” The rest is as they say, history.
Can We See Some ID?
Devin White would score so many touchdowns on the northern Louisiana football fields over the next two years, they would have to carry his birth certificate just to prove that he was indeed 10 years old. As a freshman in high school White would play on the varsity squad. North Webster High head coach John Ware noticed that White had arms that were bigger than his legs. White ran the ball 70 times and recorded 110 tackles as the teams leading linebacker. Because Coach Ware had never coached a talent like that of Devin White, he reached out to Steve Ensminger, LSU Tight End coach, and recruiter for the area. Ensminger invited Devin White out for an LSU football camp.
The Offer
That little league football coach that first got Devin to play was also the person driving that church van that night the tire blew out. Coach Houston remembers taking Devin aside shortly after J.J.’s funeral and saying “I’ll make sure that you and all your younger sisters and brothers are always taken care of.” Coach Shaun Houston has become a mentor, guidance counselor, recruiting trip partner, and surrogate father. The two would travel together to the LSU football camp. They were originally scheduled to go onto an Alabama football camp afterwords but when Devin ran a 4.45 second 40yrd dash, coach Ensminger asked the two if they would stay awhile to meet LSU Head Coach, Les Miles. Coach Miles offered him on the spot. Pretty incredible. Later that day the calls started pouring in. Recruiting reporters, Rivals, 247Sports, Scout and Bleacher Report. All wanting information on the 14yr old high school sophomore who was just offered by LSU Devin still had three years of high school domination left, and dominate he did.
Boy Among Men
For the next three(3) years, television trucks, college scouts, and curious football fans packed into Baucum-Farrar stadium to see the Louisiana laser. White played both running back and linebacker at North Webster and stories on his exploits on the football field almost sounded like fiction. White would tackle most opposing players by just sticking arm arm out and ripping them down to the ground. When running the ball, Devin would just slam over the opposition instead of avoiding them. Once when a team tried to squib kick the ball past him, White grabbed it with one hand and ran down the sideline for a touch down.
In a 51-47 playoff win over Patterson in 2014, Ware said White rushed for 400 yards, had 100 more yards receiving and scored six touchdowns.
The Fate And The Furious
White would start every game his freshman year at LSU. He would lead the team in tackles his sophomore year, and win the Butkus award his junior year. Being recognized as the best linebacker in the nation. His style is in your face, furious, not so much a chip on his shoulder, but more like there is a chip inside your shoulder and he would like to remove it. This little northern Louisiana town boy made good. Was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft, and now plays for the team his guardian angel, J.J. loved so much. At his introductory press conference Devin said he felt like J.J. played through him, and now he’s on his favorite team, so he knows J.J. is going to really help him now. Was it fate that brought the top linebacker in the country to the Buccaneers? Could the universe be so beautifully aligned so as to allow Buccaneer fans the ability to control such things from the afterlife? That question remains unanswered. But know this, somewhere, J’Marco Jewel Greenard is smiling and its not just because Devin made it. It’s because Devin made it home.
Sources: Brooks Kubena(@theadvocate), Wikipedia, NFL.com
