Texas A&M 2022 signee Enai White denies pulling out of all-star game due to NIL deal threat
Before heading to College Station to play for Texas A&M, defensive end Enai White was scheduled to participate in the Big 33 Football Classic all-star game between Pennsylvania and Maryland over Memorial Day weekend. However, the On3 Consensus four-star had to drop out and will no longer participate in the event.
Reports began to emerge the reason White dropped out due to NIL reasons. According to PennLine, White was “told” by Texas A&M that if he were to participate in the event, his name, image, and likeness money was going to be withheld.
Kyle Andrews of Centre Daily Times had a similar report via Twitter but did not specifically name White as the player not playing in the Big 33 Football Classic.
“According to a source, a Texas A&M signee couldn’t play in an All-Star football game in his home state due the threat of his NIL money being taken away,” Andrews said.
Since then, White has taken to Twitter multiple times to say the story is false. The defensive end even said people are “clout chasing” just because he is a Texas A&M signee.
Even before these reports started to come out, White was defending head coach Jimbo Fisher on Twitter over the past week. It came during the peak of the situation involving Alabama head coach Nick Saban. White said Fisher is “my coach for a reason” before enrolling at Texas A&M.
The On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting services, ranked White as a four-star prospect. He was the No. 7 edge rusher in the country and the No. 2 player in the state of Pennsylvania. Before ultimately deciding on signing with Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State were the other two finalists.
White has a $25,000 NIL valuation thanks to his following on Instagram, Tik Tok, and Twitter. Since the month of May began, the edge rusher has seen his valuation fall by $9,000.
Members of Texas A&M’s 2022 class who were not early enrollees are set to be in College Station within the next week to begin their college football career. White has planned on suiting up one more time in his home state but ultimately decided to withdraw.
White will now focus on suiting up for the Aggies and attempt to break into the defensive line rotation for the 2022 season.