Murray State University Athletics
Marcus White Puts In The Hours To Achieve Professional Goal
7/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Competition is a wonderful motivator. It gets the juices flowing, the focus sharper and brings out the best in individuals. These days, it gets Marcus White out of bed.
“Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I don't want to do it,” White said of getting out of bed early during what is supposed to be summer break. “But then, I think about some other guy who is getting up and doing it.”
“It,” for White, is working out. The “other guy” is some defensive end at some other school in some other city with the same goal: making an NFL team next summer. Even though they have never met, the competition is fierce.
After getting his degree in December, the Murray State senior's ultimate goal is to play in the NFL. At 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, he has the size to play defensive end on Sundays, but so do other players. For him to vault to the top of the list of potential draft picks or free agents, White needs to have a stellar senior season. Until the Racers' 2004 season kicks off in late August, White knows the only way to gain an advantage is in the weight room or on the track.
“I make sure I do extra stuff and make sure I do it right,” said White, who is preparing for his second season with the Racers after transferring from Auburn last year. “I don't want to look back in a few months and wonder if I did enough.”
White, a native of Theodore, Ala., proved last season that he was worthy of consideration from NFL teams. With nine sacks in 2003, White was second in the Ohio Valley Conference and one away from breaking Anthony Hutch's school record of 9.5. He was also the only Racer to earn first-team All-OVC honors.
“I came into camp out of shape because I hadn't played in a year,” said White, who began summer workouts as a defensive tackle but moved to defensive end midway through, “but once I got into shape and got used to the speed of the game, I felt good. I had a good spring this year, and I want to start this season like I finished last year.”
While at Auburn, White battled injuries and eventually got left behind. Still, he was talented enough coming out of Theodore High School to be one of just two freshmen to start in Auburn's 2000 season opener. That talent surfaced at MSU, particularly late in the season, when he was a dominant force in the OVC.
“He was very productive at the end of last season and he'll be a big factor for us this year,” said Racer head coach Joe Pannunzio. “I look for Marcus to have a great year because he's dedicated himself in the classroom and in the weight room.”
His performance in 2003 has earned him national attention heading into his final season. Not only is he a pre-season All-OVC first team pick, he's also been tabbed by several pre-season college football preview magazines as the top defensive player in the league, as well as an All-American candidate.
Rather than being satisfied with such acclaim, White prefers to look at the lists that rank the nation's top defensive ends.
“In most of the magazines, I'm at the bottom of the list,” he said. “It lets me know that I have to work that much harder to get to the top of the list.”
White knows how important this summer is to his future. Despite his size, he's not naturally strong enough to go in and throw around a lot of weight for the NFL scouts. And, he wants to get his 40-yard dash time down from 4.84 to 4.7 or 4.6. Improving those numbers won't just help him land a spot on an NFL roster, it will also help him become the sack king at Murray State.
“I would like to break the record in the first five games,” White said of the 9.5 sack mark. “I came close last year, just a half-sack away, so this year, I want to put it so high, no one will break it.”
