White played college football for Michigan State Spartans from 1984 to 1987, and was a consensus All-American in 1985 and 1987.
[1] As a senior, he led the Dillard Panthers to a district title and was named the Broward County Offensive Player of the Year after gaining 1,255 yards and scoring 19 touchdowns.
[9] In the 1985 Hall of Fame Classic, White rushed for 158 yards, but fumbled late in the fourth quarter to set up Georgia Tech's game-winning touchdown.
[16] As a junior in 1986, White sprained his left knee on October 4, missed two games, and was also impaired by recurring right ankle problems.
[5] As a senior in 1987, White totaled 1,572 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns,[5] helping the Spartans to a Big Ten Conference championship and victories over #12 Michigan and #15 Ohio State.
[19] In the 1988 Rose Bowl, White's final game for Michigan State, he rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Spartans to a 20–17 victory over #16 USC.
[20] At the end of the regular season, White won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference and finished fourth in the voting for the 1987 Heisman Trophy.
[12][22][23] At the time his college football career ended, White's 4,887 rushing yards ranked second in Big Ten Conference history, trailing only Archie Griffin.
[25] During the 1988 and 1989 seasons, White had limited playing time as a backup to Mike Rozier and Alonzo Highsmith.
[1] After the 1990 season, Warren Moon praised White:For the last two years, there has been so much talk about him being traded, yet he handled those situations in a mature manner.
[1] Sports writer Randy Riggs later wrote that White "muddled through a forgettable year in which he rushed for only 465 yards.
White held out during training camp in 1993, seeking a contract paying him $2 million for the 1993 season.
In late August, he signed a one-year contract for the price they had originally offered -- $1.53 million.
[1][30] White pursued free agency prior to the 1994 season, but he re-signed with the Oilers in late August, agreeing to a one-year contract for $475,000.
He received a three-year contract worth $2.75 million, including a $650,000 signing bonus.
[1] White was signed to a one-year contract by the New Orleans Saints prior to the 1996 season,[32] but he was released in late August.
"[35] In January 2019, in his ninth year on the ballot,[36] White was named to the College Football Hall of Fame.