July 6, 2017
Throughout the summer, VUCommodores.com is featuring Vanderbilt football returnees who are relentless, tough and intelligent.
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – When Ryan White lines up at safety in Vanderbilt’s defense, he always feels a sense of accountability. Sure, the Commodores’ redshirt senior leader is just one piece of an 11-man puzzle on defense. But each time an opposing offense makes a big play, White and Vanderbilt’s senior-laden secondary tend to take it personally.
“We put a lot on our shoulders and take accountability for everything the defense does,” White said. “Our motto is, the defense goes as we go. If we’re back there taking the ball out of the air and being physical with receivers, that gives the entire defense juice.”
Indeed, White’s veteran defensive backs stand to kick off 2017 as one of Vanderbilt’s most experienced position groups. Cornerbacks Taurean Ferguson and Tre Herndon accompany White and fellow safeties Arnold Tarpley and LaDarius Wiley as returnees on the depth chart. It’s a group of five seniors not unfamiliar with starting plenty of games in the SEC.
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But it’s White, a fifth-year senior and two-time team captain, who routinely steadies the ship on defense, head coach Derek Mason said.
“Ryan White is the piston that makes this defensive engine run,” Mason said. “His ability to intentionally communicate, key and diagnose formations while remaining a physical and productive presence in this defense is unmatched. As we prep for the 2017 season, Ryan is our preseason MVP.”
After biding his time as a key contributor in 2014 and ’15, White enjoyed a breakout campaign as a redshirt junior in 2016. The Louisville, Ky. native set career-highs with 49 solo stops, 75 total tackles, two forced fumbles and six pass breakups. During Vanderbilt’s 17-16 win over Georgia on Oct. 15, White notched a single-game career-high with 12 total tackles alongside 1.5 tackles for loss.
White’s maturation within Vanderbilt’s defense has coincided with his maturation as a student-athlete. A fifth-year senior, White graduated in May with a degree in Communication Studies and has already begun graduate-level courses at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College. He will soon earn his Masters in Education: Learning, Diversity and Urban Studies. Down the road, White hopes to forge a career in business and consulting.
But White has always made time to better himself on the field. This summer, the senior has spent extra time in film room, where he has worked to hone his man coverage technique as well as other skills. White views himself as the old man in Vanderbilt’s locker room. Thus, he strives to lead by example.
“I’ve seen four different freshman classes come in during my time on campus,” White said. “That makes me want to make sure I’m bettering myself as a leader and pushing my teammates to become better.”
The Commodores’ defense has pushed itself during the offseason. Though the secondary returns intact, Vanderbilt loses All-American linebacker Zach Cunningham in the middle. Meanwhile, senior defensive lineman Adam Butler – the team’s leader in sacks in ’16 – graduated. Linebacker Oren Burks and nose tackle Nifae Lealao are two names expected to step up in place of departed teammates.
But while the Dores have worked to make up for lost bodies, White and the secondary have picked up where last season left off. The senior said daily pad-popping between defensive backs and wide receivers – a group that returns seniors C.J. Duncan, Caleb Scott and Trent Sherfield – was often the must-see matchup of spring ball. “It was quite a competition,” White said with a laugh. “A lot of talking back and forth.”
White hopes that talking will result in plenty of success in 2017. After all, Vanderbilt’s defense goes as its secondary goes.
“We put a lot on our backs,” White said, “because we know what this team is capable of.”
Zac Ellis is the Writer and Digital Media Editor for Vanderbilt Athletics. Check out his story archive and follow him on Twitter here.