Charles Henderson standout commits to Auburn

TROY — Jawara White wasted no time Monday when he stood in front of his family, teammates and various news outlets.

The Charles Henderson High School upcoming senior wide receiver / linebacker, following an introduction by his coach Hugh Fountain, quickly stated his intentions.

“I would like to announce my commitment to Auburn University,” he said, as he grabbed an orange Auburn cap from behind a Charles Henderson helmet.

It may have been that he was in a hurry. The announcement came shortly after 5:30 p.m., and the Trojans had a workout scheduled for 6 p.m.

“He told me that whatever happened, he was going to cut it off in time to go to the workout,” Fountain said. “He didn’t want any special treatment. That’s just the kind of guy he is. He has a tremendous work ethic.”

White took a philosophical approach to Fountain’s praises.

“Coach always says we are going to outwork the other team,” White said. “How are we going to do that if we don’t work hard now?”

Make no mistake. Even though White took care of his future, he still has goals for his final season.

“We want to win a 5A state championship,” White said, moments after his declaration.

White said he committed right now because he wanted to get the commitment out of the way. He said he expects to play outside linebacker for the Tigers, though he does have experience on offense.

“He’s the leading receiver in school history,” Fountain said. “That shows you what kind of athlete he is.”

On defense last year, White recorded 88 tackles, four sacks and one interception.

He forced six fumbles, recovered two and scored one defensive touchdown, according to scout.com stats.

“He’s got size and speed,” Fountain said. “He’s not just big (6-2, 207), but he’s also fast.”

Several schools were pursuing White, but he said Auburn “just felt like home.”

White participated in a special recruiting weekend at Auburn, the famed “Big Cat” Weekend a few weeks ago.

But he said the event did not affect his decision.

“It really didn’t change anything,” he said.

White said he made up his mind the middle of last week, but the big weekend did not have any bearing on his decision.

But he did enjoy his time there.

“It was fun,” he said. “It was fun seeing my boy get a pie in his face.”

Someone asked White if he got a pie in his face.

“No, I ran,” he said.

Raise the Roof: White said his principle contact on the Auburn staff was defensive coordinator Ted Roof.

White described Roof as “down to earth” and “quiet” during his recruitment.

When asked if he thought Roof was like that during practice, White smiled and said, “I doubt it.”

Man of faith: White began his announcement by thanking God, and he made several references to his faith on Monday.

He said he was impressed with Auburn, because many of the coaches were “God-fearing men.”

“You could just tell,” White said.

White, who appeared to be a soft-spoken person on Monday, did not elaborate when asked, but he said he prays about all major decisions in life life.