He played college football for the UAB Blazers, and was selected by the Falcons in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft.

White attended James Island High School in Charleston, South Carolina, and was a four-sport letterman and standout in football, baseball, soccer, and wrestling.

In wrestling, he was a two-time state champion often pinning his opponent in a move that was coined the "Shanaz".

[2] White attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he was a standout wide receiver for the UAB Blazers football team.

[29] Although a high ankle sprain caused him to remain on the sidelines for much of the preseason, he recovered by Week 2 and was put on the team's roster.

[44] On September 21, 2008, in Week 3, he put together his first solid performance of the season with five receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs.

[52] White and the Falcons made the playoffs in the 2008 season and met the Arizona Cardinals in the Wild Card Round.

[53] White's 2008 season was an improvement over the previous year, finishing fourth in the NFL in receiving yards.

[43] On December 16, 2008, White was named to the 2009 Pro Bowl, the first of his career, along with fellow Falcons running back Michael Turner.

[55][56] On July 31, 2009, White began a holdout, boycotting the 2009 training camp in an attempt at an early contract extension.

The extension made him the fifth highest paid wide receiver in the league, behind Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald, Carolina's Steve Smith, Chicago's Brandon Marshall, and Houston's Andre Johnson.

[58] On October 11, White set the Falcons franchise record for single-game receiving yards in a game against the San Francisco 49ers.

[63] He closed out the regular season on January 3, 2010, with six receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

[66] In the 2010 regular season opener, White had a career-high 13 receptions for 111 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

[69] For the third straight week, he put up a solid performance with five receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns.

[73] White earned First team All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl nomination for the 2010 season.

In the Divisional Round, they fell to the Green Bay Packers 48–21 with White having six receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown.

[86] He closed out the 2011 regular season with 69 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on New Year's Day.

[88] White had five receptions for 52 yards in the 24–2 loss to the New York Giants in the Wild Card Round.

[89] On January 11, 2012, White was added to the NFC Pro Bowl Roster replacing Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson due to a sore Achilles tendon.

[90] In 2011, White broke the franchise record for receptions, passing Terence Mathis's mark of 573.

In the Divisional Round against the Seattle Seahawks, he had five receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown as the Falcons won 30–28.

[111] On December 29, he closed out the regular season with eight receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers as the Falcons finished with a 4–12 record.

[116] In Week 11 against the Carolina Panthers, he became the 42nd player in NFL history to reach the 10,000-receiving-yard milestone in the game.

[117] On December 28, he closed out the regular season with eight receptions for 104 yards against the Carolina Panthers as the Falcons finished with a 6–10 record.

[128] White was inducted into the Falcons Ring of Honor during the game against the Carolina Panthers on December 8, 2019.

[133] His half-brother, Tyrone Moore Jr., was shot dead outside the Lake House Club nightclub in James Island, South Carolina on May 18, 2014.

[135] In 2007, White was fined $10,000 by the NFL for displaying a shirt in support of Michael Vick who was at the time serving a prison sentence for a criminal conviction related to dog fighting.

[138] In 2014, White was criticized for reneging on a public bet he tweeted regarding a Duke win in the 2014 NCAA basketball championship.

[137][139][140][141][142] White later upheld his end of the deal and more, including two Super Bowl tickets stating, "We have talked about it for days while people were just speculating.