His coach at Chatfield was Dave Logan, the former Colorado All-American wide receiver who played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos.
White shared his playing time at tailback with Reggie Bush at the University of Southern California.
Despite being the less hyped member of the Trojan backfield, White was a standout rusher who led the team in rushing in his first two seasons and was a 2005 All-America selection.
On January 4, 2005, White rushed for three touchdowns in a 55–19 victory over Oklahoma in the 2005 Orange Bowl game played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
ESPN's Fantasy Focus podcast referred to him as "Big Fat LenDale White."
"[4] During USC's pro day, he cited hamstring worries as a reason for not running or performing any workouts aside from the bench press, where he managed only 15 repetitions at 225 pounds.
On October 21, with Brown sidelined with an injury, White recorded his first 100-yard rushing game against the Houston Texans.
The knee had bothered White during the latter half of the 2007 season, but he was expected to be at full strength for off-season mini-camps in May.
On March 15, 2008, White received citations for destruction of property, disobedience to a lawful order/interference and resistance while in Denver, Colorado, though all charges were later dropped.
White was joined in the Titans backfield by rookie Chris Johnson, who was selected with the 24th pick in the 2008 draft.
He also created controversy after the Titans defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers by stomping on a Terrible Towel.
Shortly after signing, word leaked that White had failed an NFL drug test and would be suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season.
[7] However, on September 2, in the Broncos' last preseason game at the Minnesota Vikings, White suffered a torn Achilles tendon, and missed the entire 2010 season.