California, Here He Comes! : Crespi’s White Decides to Carry Football for Golden Bears

Russell White has established himself as the state’s all-time leading rusher, but he still wrestled with his identity when he announced his decision to attend Cal at a press conference Tuesday at Crespi High.

The Celts’ senior running back said that he chose Cal over USC largely to escape his heritage. He said that he does not want to spend his college career trying to separate himself from his famous uncle, Charles White, who won a Heisman Trophy at USC in 1979.

“I just did get out of the rut of being Charles White’s nephew,” White said. “At Cal, I just want to go to a place where I can be myself. I feel like there will be a lot of love for me up there and I’ll be more appreciated. I want to be the man up there.”

White (6-0, 185), who set state records for rushing (5,998 yards), touchdowns (94) and scoring (568 points), said that he will sign a national letter of intent today, the first day of the signing period for high school seniors.

During a press conference that included representatives from four publications and three Los Angeles television stations, White denied that he chose Cal because the school would accept him regardless of his score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. White, who has maintained at least a 2.0 grade-point average in core curriculum classes at Crespi, has yet to score 700 or better on the SAT. He took the test for the second time Jan. 28 but has not yet received results. He can take it at least three more times.

White said that USC offered him a scholarship on the condition that he score at least 700 on the SAT, a requirement under National Collegiate Athletic Assn. regulations. Had White failed to meet that requirement, USC would have encouraged him to attend a junior college next fall, he said.

Cal reportedly will offer White a scholarship even if he fails to establish his freshman eligibility under Proposition 48 guidelines.

“Prop. 48 wasn’t a factor in my decision,” he said. “I’m not concerned about the SAT. I feel like I passed it on the last test.”

White, who also visited Washington, had narrowed his choices to Cal and USC over the weekend and made up his mind early Monday after discussing the decision Sunday night with Carson quarterback Perry Klein, who also has committed to Cal.

“It was about 7 o’clock in the morning and I was still sleeping when my mom came in and asked me if I made my choice,” White said. “I told her Cal and she asked me if I was going to stick by this one.”

He assured her that the decision was final and later informed Cal Coach Bruce Snyder, who declined comment Tuesday. He also called USC Coach Larry Smith on Monday, an act that represented a downside of recruiting.

“It’s difficult to tell coaches no when you feel like you’ve developed a friend,” he said.

Cal seemed like a longshot for White when he narrowed his list to five schools after the football season. USC and Notre Dame ranked at the top of the list, which also included Penn State. But White canceled trips to Notre Dame and Penn State and elevated Cal on his list after visiting the Berkeley campus last month. He also said that he was impressed with Snyder during a home visit Friday.

His guide on the campus visit was running back Chris Richards, who grew up in San Fernando, White’s childhood neighborhood.

“There is just something different about Cal that I liked. I don’t know if I can describe it,” he said.

White has set his goals high at Cal, saying he intends to start as a freshman and bring national prominence to Cal’s sagging program. The Golden Bears were 5-5-1 last season and finished last in the Pacific-10 Conference with a 1-5-1 record.

“My hope and dream has been to play in a Rose Bowl game,” he said. “I’d also like to win a Heisman Trophy before my senior year. Maybe we can win a national championship. I don’t expect us to do it right away.”

White, one of 18 Valley-area football players who have made verbal commitments, said he was relieved that he ended the recruiting process with Tuesday’s decision, saying he was eager to concentrate on the track season. White, who placed second in the state in the triple jump as a sophomore and ran eighth in the state at 200 meters last year, will concentrate on the 100, 200, long jump and triple jump as a senior.

“I feel like I got a weight lifted off my back,” he said. “It has been a labor. When you get a call from a Miami coach at 6 o’clock in the morning . . . that’s not the greatest thing.”

THE CLASS OF ’89

PLAYER SCHOOL POS. SIZE COLLEGE Brian Allen Hart TE 6-4, 212 UCLA Sean Burwell Cleveland RB 6-0, 185 Iowa State Wayne Cook Newbury Park QB 6-3, 180 UCLA John Cotti Burbank LB 6-5, 235 Cal State Fullerton Quinn Fauria Crespi FB 6-0, 200 Northern Arizona George Glaze San Fernando LB 6-5, 215 San Diego State Keary Johns San Fernando LB 6-1, 195 Cal State Fullerton Rick McCathron Thousand Oaks OL 6-4, 245 Oregon State Howard McCrary San Fernando DB 6-3, 195 Cal State Fullerton Carrick O’Quinn Agoura LB 6-2, 220 UCLA Ron Redell Crespi QB 6-3, 185 Stanford Erin Reeder Taft OL 6-4, 240 Northern Arizona Steve Rosen Chaminade OL 6-3, 245 Northwestern Todd Steussie Agoura DL 6-6, 230 Oregon State Brian Swanson Alemany DL 6-4, 225 UCLA Uda Walker Taft DB 6-3, 165 Oregon State Russell White Crespi RB 6-0, 185 Cal Sean Williams San Fernando WR 5-10, 155 Utah