He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers and was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft.

White attended the St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

[1] At Aquinas, he primarily split time with Giovani Bernard, who was a running back for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

[5] White rushed for 1,052 yards and 14 touchdowns, leading the Badgers to the 2011 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

[16] White emerged onto the national scene during Week 11 with a two-touchdown performance (one rushing, one receiving) in a 20–13 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football after starting running back Dion Lewis was out for the season with a torn ACL.

In Week 13, White caught a career-high 10 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots' 35–28 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

In Week 5, which was Brady's return from suspension from Deflategate, White caught four passes for 63 yards in a 33–13 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

[22] In Week 11, against the San Francisco 49ers, White caught six passes for 63 yards and recorded his fourth touchdown of the season.

[23] During Week 14 game against the Baltimore Ravens, White caught three passes for 81 yards, including a 61-yard catch and run from Tom Brady.

[26] During Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons, White had 139 yards from scrimmage (29 rushing, 110 receiving).

[27] All of White's 20 points in Super Bowl LI came after the Patriots trailed 28–3 midway through the third quarter.

Danny Amendola's two-point conversion following White's second touchdown tied the game at 28, sending the Super Bowl to overtime for the first time ever.

[30][31] Several commentators, as well as Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell, also believed White should have won the award.

[34][35][36][37] On April 18, 2017, White, who was entering the final year of his rookie contract, signed a three-year, $12 million extension through the 2020 season.

[48] In the AFC Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Chargers, White tied the all-time single-game playoff receptions record with 15.

[57] A few hours prior to the Patriots' Week 2 game against the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football, White's father died in a car crash and his mother was left in critical condition.

During the game, teammate Devin McCourty ran up to the camera and yelled "28, we love you bro!"

[65] Following his retirement, White was hired by Sports USA Radio Network as an NFL analyst beginning in the 2022 season.

[69] James also co-hosts The Money Down Podcast with his former Wisconsin Badger colleagues Sojourn Shelton and Warren Herring.