MADISON- Connor White was a late bloomer when it came to showcasing his talents as a high school football player. He did not see game-starting action until a portion of his junior year, but his senior season was filled with 10 consecutive starts at wide receiver for the Bob Jones Patriots.

White’s late start did not keep him from receiving college scholarship offers nor did the timing keep him from signing a college pact to play college football as he signed with the NCAA Div. III Aurora University Spartans of Illinois.

“I saw the school had a good program and I believe in the program’s progress as the coaching staff has seemed to have turned the program around,” said White. “I like the campus. I got good vibes when I visited the school and look forward to my four years there.”

The Spartans are led by head coach Don Beebe a former NFL wide receiver for nine years and who played in four Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills and two with the Green Bay Packers winning one title with the Pack. He was the first player in NFL history to play in six Super Bowls.

White, 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, will carry a 4.12 grade point average to college where he wants to earn his degree in business. The son of John and Shanna White said he enjoyed the recruiting process and received five offers overall. He also handles some community service work through the Downtown Rescue Mission and Good Shepard Church. He was an outfielder for the Bob Jones baseball team, but gave up that sport after his junior year to concentrate on football. As a sidebar activity, he currently plays lacrosse as his friends encouraged him to try the new sport in the community.

After playing two years at Discovery Middle School and through his freshman season at Bob Jones, White suffered from chronic right knee injuries, which caused him to miss a lot of physical workouts and weight lifting regimens, thus putting him behind many of his teammates on the Patriots’ football team. He said it wasn’t until his junior season did things begin to look like a bright future was coming his way.

“I had not had a lot of playing time and I was standing on the sidelines thinking I needed to try and play another sport,” said White. “The coaching staff and teammates supported me through the struggling times and I began to get some playing time in games and I worked through it.”

White credits the recruiting coaches at Bob Jones for helping get his name out to possible college programs. He received his first offer in November and he signed this spring. His trek through prep football has been rough, but he proved the point that it’s never too late.