Pat White was a star college quarterback that has yet to find his real fit in the NFL. After starting and winning four bowl games for West Virginia, White's NFL future looked like it held all the promise in the world. However, his name is now associated with the world 'bust' more than anything else. White is doing everything he can now to restart the NFL career that never began and the San Francisco 49ers are interested in giving him that chance.
White was originally drafted 44th overall in the 2009 draft. The Wildcat offense was just starting to take off and the Miami Dolphins thought they had the next best thing on their hands. However, the team dumped him after just one year of trying to run a multi-quarterback offense. His career stats in the NFL ended with zero complete passes in 13 games played. He rushed for 81 yards on 21 attempts. Once let go by the Dolphins, he tried his hand as baseball.
Now that the run-option offense is taking the NFL by storm, White is back for a second chance at professional football. He worked out during West Virginia's Pro Day. Almost every team turned out to see Geno Smith, so everyone got a good look at where White stood. He caught the eye of 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, who now wants to bring White in for a private workout.
"Coach and I had a conversation about me coming in to work out. We haven't set up a formal date. I'm just going to make sure I keep working hard for when that day comes," White said.
He recently spent time working out with quarterback guru George Whifield Jr. out in California. Harbaugh is in search of a backup quarterback to Colin Kaepernick after the departure of Alex Smith. If the team decides to take on White, they could have two mobile quarterbacks on the roster, setting up a solid offense. White likes the idea of heading out west and playing for the 49ers.
"I pay attention to how his players react to Coach Harbaugh. They all want to win for him. And he seems to treat them how they want to be treated. I'm excited to get to know him on that level- if I do get that opportunity. I'm very optimistic about making it back to the NFL," White said.
