ATHENS -- There will be a lot of unsurprising announcements from Georgia players declaring for the NFL draft in the coming days and weeks. The one from Zamir White on Friday fits into that category.
Nicknamed “Zeus” since he arrived at UGA as the No. 1 running back in America, White announced via his Instagram account that 2021 season was his last as a Georgia Bulldog. And why not, as he’ll go out with a national championship ring and two healthy knees.
White, who starred at Scotland High School in Laurinburg, N.C., before coming to Georgia, actually flirted with turning pro last season. But he and fellow back James Cook opted to return for one more season with the hopes of nailing down that elusive national championship.
Mission accomplished.
White called this past season an “absolute thrill from start to finish” and thanked his coaches and teammates for trusting him and giving the support and encouragement he needed to flourish on the field and lead on and off of it.
“It’s what prepared for this next step as I proudly announcement my intention to declare for the 2022 NFL draft,” White wrote.
The 6-foot, 215-pound fourth-year junior is bringing plenty to the table. After three seasons on the field for the Bulldogs, White will leave with 1,989 yards rushing and 25 touchdowns. That includes 802 yards and 11 TDs this past season as he finished as Georgia’s leading rusher. White led Georgia with 84 yards on 13 carries and a score in Monday’s 33-18 win over Alabama in the College Football Playoff Championship game in Indianapolis.
White’s departure opens the door to several other backs to take over the primary ball-carrier roles at Running Back U, as Georgia often has been called. Senior James Cook, who could return under the NCAA’s COVID-19 eligibility exception, also is expected to move on.
That leaves junior Kenny McIntosh and sophomores Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards to carrying on the Bulldogs’ backfield legacy next season. Also, Georgia signed 4-star recruit Branson Robinson from Germantown, Miss., in December and is holding a commitment from 4-star prospect Jordan James of Murfreesboro, N.C.
In addition to being a solid SEC back, White will be remembered for all he overcame both at UGA and before he came to college. He had reconstructive surgeries on both knees, one before enrolling at Georgia and the other in his first preseason camp. Even before that, he was not expected to survive his young mother’s complicated pregnancy, but he did so after being born with a severe cleft-palate deformation.
White not only flourished after many difficult corrective surgeries, but went on to become one of the great athletes ever in Scotland County and southeastern North Carolina.
“What he’s done is incredible in terms of carrying the workload, the leadership, the work ethic,” Smart said late in the season. “There’s not a day he comes out to practice and doesn’t practice hard, and the best thing about him is that he takes care of his body. He does a tremendous job.”
