Jett White: USC’s cornerback of the future
ORANGE, Calif. (BVM) – During the summer of 2021, before playing a down of high school football, Aaron “Jett” White received offers from Arizona State, Michigan, Nevada, Colorado and San Jose State. Then, in September, USC offered the Orange High School freshman a scholarship and he committed to the Trojans on the same day.
“I was always USC only because I always wanted to play for them since I was younger,” White said. “It’s my dream school…I couldn’t believe it. I was really happy so I committed. I always wanted to be there.”
Growing up watching USC, seeing what the atmosphere was like at the LA Memorial Coliseum during USC games, White wanted to be a part of that. It was a no-brainer to say yes once the Trojans offered him a scholarship. Creating a strong relationship with then-interim head coach and current cornerbacks coach Donte Williams was a bonus, as well as the hiring of Lincoln Riley as the head coach this year.
The hype around USC is growing, and White is excited to be a part of that and add to the excitement around the future of the Trojans. The four-star cornerback became the first USC commit for the Class of 2025. According to 247sports, he is the No. 91 overall prospect in the country for the Class of 2025 and No. 12 in the state of California.
Last year playing as a freshman for the Orange Panthers, White had three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, 26 solo tackles and 35 total tackles. He helped Orange go 7-4 last season and showed everyone why colleges were so quick to offer the young talent as soon as they were able to.
“It wasn’t really hard for me because when I was younger, I used to play against older dudes,” White said about playing on varsity as a freshman.
White is already 6-foot-2 and 160-pounds with speed that earned him the nickname “Jett.” Already, he shows the measurables of his favorite player and the guy he studies the most, Jalen Ramsey. White watches Ramsey’s tape to see the All-Pro cornerback’s footwork, how he covers wide receivers in the red zone and what he does in certain situations.
The young four-star talent also tries to be physical at the line of scrimmage with wideouts to make sure the opposing quarterback has to wait a little longer for his wide receiver to finish his route.
However, being physical has always been something that has drawn White to the defensive side of the ball. He also plays wide receiver, racking up six receptions for 182 yards and three touchdowns last season, but his first love is defense.
“I like the defensive side better,” White said. “I like to make plays.”
Making hits and getting picks is what White wants to do every time he steps out on the field. He has gotten pretty good at it, which makes it easy to shut up opposing sidelines who are more than willing to question the talent of a guy who committed to USC as a freshman.
“I just stay cool and I don’t worry about it and I just play my game,” White said. “Then it shows on the field.”
The confidence comes from years of training. White has been playing football since his dad asked him if he wanted to play the sport when he was 5. White said “yes,” and has been training ever since. However, he got even more serious about the sport when people began to tell him about his potential.
“At first, I didn’t even know I was that good, then when people really started to say I was that good, I started to focus more on football,” White said.
White is still receiving offers from other Power 5 football programs, but he is not wavering in his commitment to USC. With college figured out, White is focusing on staying healthy and improving his talents. The future Trojan has a goal of playing as a freshman for his dream school. That is still three years away, but in the meantime, he will be a must-watch player every time he steps out on the field for Orange High School.