Football Safeties and Co-Special Teams Coordinator Clayton White said the opportunity to coach at N.C. State is “a dream come true.”
White was a three-year starter at the linebacker position for the Wolfpack from 1999-2001. He has made his return to Raleigh in December as a member of head coach Dave Doeren’s staff and is ready to bring guidance from his experiences in an N.C. State jersey to the current roster.
“For me to come back to N.C. State is almost like a dream come true as far as the chances of coming back to my alma mater, the school that I grew up loving,” White said.
“It’s a once in a lifetime type of deal, maybe twice.”
White’s experience with the Wolfpack began during his childhood. The first collegiate football game he attended was an N.C. State game at Carter-Finley Stadium.
He ended his career as a decorated athlete at N.C. State. He held the record for career tackles for a loss, single-season tackles for a loss and tackles in a single game.
After his time on the field at Carter-Finley Stadium, White spent three seasons in the NFL. His coaching career began in 2003 when he became the defensive backs coach at Sanderson High School in Raleigh. He held the same position during his next four stops in the collegiate ranks at Western Carolina, Western Michigan, Stanford and Western Kentucky.
He helped lead two of those teams to bowl appearances. Western Carolina’s defense led all Football Championship Schools in pass defense, and the Catamounts ranked fifth in passing efficiency defense.
His latest stop before arriving at N.C. State was with the Connecticut Huskies from 2011-12. While he was in Storrs, Conn. as the running backs and special teams coordinator, UConn tied for the national lead in punt returns for touchdowns with three in the 2012 season. The school also led the Big East in punt return yards with 12.5 per game, which ranked 18th in the nation.
“This business is about timing and the people you work with and how you deal with people you work with. It was a small window of opportunity,” White said. “I didn’t get this job because I played [here]. I got this job mainly because of the recommendations that I got. A lot of players played here and a lot of players want to coach. I just happened to work with the right guys at the right time.”
Doeren said White was persistent in his pursuit of a position on his staff.
“Clayton, similar to Jason [Veltkamp], was a guy that really wanted to come here. [He] sent a ton of emails,” Doeren said. “He was a guy that I was really interested in getting here.”
White said not only will his experience as a coach benefit him this season, but his passion for the program will also help impact the current players.
“[I’m] someone who’s from North Carolina, who knows this school, who really bleeds N.C. State red,” White said. “Just that in itself would give us an edge.”
