How Tennessee receiver Squirrel White got his nickname
It seems that the college football landscape has no shortage of interesting names, from Oklahoma‘s General Booty to Arkansas‘ Bumper Poole. Enter Squirrel White, a freshman receiver for the Tennessee Volunteers who gave the back story to his interesting nickname during his first training camp.
“My great grandma named me that when I was a baby when she was holding me. There was a squirrel in her garden and it picked her tomato and when the squirrel moved, I moved at the same time so she just started calling me that,” White said.
White is a 5-foot-9, 153-pound freshman out of Pinson, Alabama who was ranked as the No. 13 overall player in state in the 2022 class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
White, a multi- sport athlete in high school, brings electrifying speed to the table that Tennessee is hoping to use in Josh Heupel’s new offensive system that was the fastest in the country last season, running 2.99 plays per minute. Depending on how camp goes for the freshman, you may see a flying Squirrel running down the sideline for the Vols this upcoming season in Neyland Stadium.
WATCH: Tennessee freshman Squirrel White shows off incredible speed
Tennessee may have found a big-time playmaker in true freshman receiver Marquarius “Squirrel” White. The 5-foot-9, 153-pound Alabama native has incredible speed, and that was on display at Tuesday’s spring practice.
A video was posted to Twitter showing White sprinting down the field toward the end zone, where he calmly caught a deep ball thrown his way. Although it is still very early in his college career, that highlight provided a glimpse into what he can provide for the Volunteers in 2022 and beyond.
A four-star recruit, White ranked as the No. 61 overall receiver in the 2022 class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. In addition to Tennessee, he had offers from schools such as Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss and others.
White is set to join a Volunteers receiving corps that brings back its top pass catcher in Cedric Tillman, who finished this past season with 64 catches for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns. However, they also lose the next two leading producers in Velus Jones Jr. and JaVonta Payton. With that in mind, quarterback Hendon Hookercould be looking for some new targets this upcoming season.
If coach Josh Heupel and Tennessee can implement some of their freshmen to the rotation and bring a spark, competing within the SEC East could be a real possibility.
“I thought Squirrel did a really good job out there today,” Heupel said. “Made multiple plays. Operated really efficient. Didn’t feel like the tempo or the game was too fast for him at any point. Really positive day for him.”