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Missouri WR White growing on and off the field

By WTOP Staff

JAKE KREINBERG
Associated Press

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Moms really do know what’s best.

Just ask Missouri receiver Darius White, who in his fifth season playing college football received his first career start in the team’s opener last Saturday.

“One thing my mom (Demetric) always tells me — if you dream about it, it’s going to come,” the senior said. “You’ve just got to be patient. Patience is the whole key about everything.”

Listed at 6-foot-3, 205-pounds, White caught two passes for 83 yards against South Dakota State, both for touchdowns. After watching the 24th-ranked Tigers’ top three receivers depart during the offseason, White is atop the depth chart.

But there was a time when White wasn’t as patient.

Before joining Missouri in 2012, he played two seasons at Texas and caught a total of six passes for 71 yards and a touchdown. As a freshman, White thought he would play every down. After all, that’s what he did at Dunbar High School in Fort Worth as one of the nation’s premier recruits.

“A lot of people think I left because of Mack Brown,” White said. “No, Mack Brown’s a great dude. I still talk to him to this day. I left Texas just being young, not having patience.”

Missouri defensive coordinator Dave Steckel tracked White through high school and his time at Texas, even relaying support for White’s decision to stay close to home with the Longhorns. When the receiver decided to transfer, Steckel was one of the first people to call him.

A week later, White became a Tiger.

Steckel then mentored him as he played on the scout team for a year, taking a mandatory redshirt per NCAA transfer rules. White lined up against Missouri’s first-string defense, learning to use his experience on the practice field as a means to improving his performance against real opponents.

“He gets to Missouri, and he’s on the bottom of the list,” receivers coach Pat Washington said. “He’s got to start all over again. A person who has confidence in himself, and a little ego to go along with it, probably doesn’t respond very well to listening to that.”

White bought into it.

“Everybody wants things to happen right now,” Steckel said. “And it was a work in progress. I think it was more frustration, and now it’s more maturity. He understands, ‘OK, I get this, I can correct this,’ instead of just getting frustrated with himself.”

Last season, White caught seven passes for 76 yards and a touchdown as a junior backup to Dorial Green-Beckham, Marcus Lucas and L’Damian Washington. Aside from a trip back to Texas in June after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in general studies, White stayed at Missouri (1-0) through the summer, practicing routes and timing with quarterback Maty Mauk.

Sometimes that extra practice time away from coaches can be the difference between starting a game on the field or on the sideline, Washington said. Being the best player in high school doesn’t account for much on a team of players with the same credentials.

Receiver Bud Sasser hopes White can replicate his first-week performance this Saturday at Toledo (1-0), which limited White to a single reception for no gain a year ago.

“Man, he had a huge smile on his face” last week, Sasser said. “There’s nothing like seeing your teammates happy.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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