NFF National Scholar-Athletes
Brady White, QB – University of Memphis
3.58 GPA – Business
Head Coach: Ryan Silverfield | Athletics Director: Laird Veatch
Faculty Athletics Representative: Lynda Black
The epitome of success on and off the field, Brady White became Memphis’ all-time leading passer in 2020 while pursuing a doctorate. The Santa Clarita, California, native's record makes him the ideal selection as the Tigers' first NFF National Scholar-Athlete.
A grad transfer, White graduated cum laude with a degree in business from Arizona State in 3.5 years. After completing his master's in sports administration at Memphis in just over a year, he is currently pursuing a doctorate in humanities.
A 2019 First Team Academic All-District selection, White is a two-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honoree and a member of Memphis' Tiger 3.0 Club and the Dean's List. While at Arizona State, he was a First Team Academic All-Pac-12 selection.
This season, White led Memphis to an 8-3 record. He capped his stellar collegiate career earning 2020 Montgomery Bowl MVP honors after completing 22 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers’ win over Florida Atlantic.
His 3,380 passing yards this season rank second in the American Athletic Conference and fifth nationally. The game captain is also second in the conference and fifth nationally with 31 passing touchdowns while his 202 points responsible for are second in the American and tied for fifth nationally.
Following the largest comeback victory in Memphis history (a 50-49 win against UCF on Oct. 17), White was named the Walter Camp and Maxwell Award National Player of the Week and the conference offensive player of the week. In the game, he set a Memphis record with 486 passing yards and tied a school and conference mark with seven total touchdowns.
White was also named conference offensive player of the week two other times this year. He was a top-15 candidate for the 2020 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and he was selected as a member of the Davey O'Brien Award's Quarterback Class of 2020.
Although the game has been canceled this season, White received an invitation to the 2021 East-West Shrine Bowl and will be able to participate in various virtual training/informational drills with current NFL coaches and members of the NFL Operations staff.
Just the second Memphis quarterback to reach the 10,000-yard passing mark, White is the Tigers’ all-time leading passer with 10,690 career yards, a total that also ranks second all-time in American Athletic Conference history.
He also holds the Memphis and conference record for career passing touchdowns (90). White’s 28 wins as a starting quarterback are the most in Tigers history while his 769 completions are second in school annals.
A 2019 Second Team All-AAC performer, White was a finalist for the Manning Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He guided Memphis to a 12-2 season and a No. 17 final ranking in 2019, which saw the program's first outright American Athletic Conference title and its first New Year's Six Bowl berth in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
White led the American with 4,014 passing yards (fourth nationally) and 33 passing TDs (t-sixth nationally) in 2019. His passing yards were the second-most in school single-season history, making him just the second Memphis quarterback to ever record a 4,000-yard passing season.
Active off the field, White completed 35 hours of community service in 2019 alone. He has visited LeBonheur Children's and St. Jude Children's hospitals, volunteered with the Jessie Reed Foundation by distributing Joy Jars to hospitalized kids and participated in the Tiger Blue Holiday event at Gardenview Elementary. He continued to give back during the pandemic, reading a book to a local school system via Facebook Live.
