April 12, 2015
By Jon Cooper
The Good Word
When Georgia Tech takes the field for its annual spring game this Friday night (kickoff is at 7 p.m. but festivities begin at 5:00), keep an eye on No. 28, D.J. White.
The senior corner, should be easy to find — just look for the guy drawing the celebration by the defense following a big play in the secondary.
White, who was Honorable Mention All-ACC in 2015, ranks second among the Tech defensive returnees in starts and consecutive starts (21, only DT Adam Gotsis has more — DT Jabari Hunt-Days also has 21 starts), and is second in career interceptions (five, Jamal Golden has two more). D.J. made the most memorable takeaway from last year’s defense, which specialized in such things, on second down at the nine in overtime at Georgia, when he stepped in front of a Hutson Mason pass intended for Malcolm Mitchell at the five, to seal the Jackets’ 30-24 win, as well as his place in Georgia Tech lore.
The soft-spoken but hard-hitting McDonough, Ga., native talked to The Good Word following a spring practice about the triumphant off-season and at least one thing he can’t wait that lies ahead in 2015.
FIRST DOWN: Was it fun walking around during the off-season after having beaten Georgia?
D.J. White: Oh yeah, absolutely. I’m still waiting for the championship ring that we got with `State Champ’ on it. It’s a great title to hold. Hopefully we can repeat that this year.
SECOND DOWN: Who had the most input in designing the ring?
D.J. White: They allow us to make it ourselves, to be a part of making it. It’s got the state outline on it with the state championship logo on it. So it’s going to be pretty cool. We gave everyone input, believe it or not. There was myself, Chris Milton, Jamal Golden, Adam Gotsis, a few of the guys. We all made sure we had equal input.
THIRD DOWN: How many times did you watch the overtime interception at Georgia during the off-season?
D.J. White: Me, personally? Maybe two or three, just going off the film study we had. I haven’t watched it too much. I’ve had a lot people come to me about it, but myself, personally, I haven’t watched it a whole lot.
FOURTH DOWN: What was the coolest tweet/post you received on the interception?
D.J. White: I had some people telling me their experiences and how they reacted to it on social media. It was crazy. People were telling me their whole life story. I can’t single out one in particular but it was crazy.
EXTRA POINT: How did it feel to change people’s lives?
D.J. White: (laughs) That’s how people tried to paint it. I don’t take that much credit.
Get The Good Word in your email box — it’s free! Just register here to get the latest features on Georgia Tech Athletics.
Also, make sure to follow Georgia Tech Athletics on Facebook and Twitter.
