Spartans' White goes from 'Who's he?' to 'Who's he beating now?'

Blair White arrived at Michigan State in 2005 as a walk-on hoping to one day play a big role for the school he had loved since he was a boy.

But it only took a few practices for him to realize his coaches at the time weren't convinced he was even good enough for the scout team.

When it came time to mimic the opposing team's offense for an upcoming game, White didn't get much action because he often played a reserve who wasn't expected to make a major impact that week.

"When we'd assign the scout team the other team's players, I felt maybe that I should have been the other team's best receiver, and they would give me some guy that didn't have any catches or something," White said. "It discourages you a little bit. It's a constant fight and you gotta just keep working."

That tenacity changed everything.

He has gone from a Saginaw, Mich., prep who received zero calls from Division I schools to one of the Big Ten's top receivers. He has 730 yards on 48 catches and enters Saturday's matchup against the Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium with seven touchdown receptions, placing him in a tie for the Big Ten lead with Purdue's Aaron Valentin.

His touchdown catch with 97 seconds left gave Michigan State (4-4, 3-2 Big Ten) a late lead in a last-second loss against No. 4 Iowa on Saturday. His teammates made him a captain this year.

Now White, a three-time member of the All-Big Ten academic team and a human biology major, might have to postpone dental school a second time for a shot at a pro career.

White personifies every sports cliché about the value of hard work and dedication.

For his teammates, he's the example.

Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins said White, an honorable mention on last season's All-Big Ten team, will arrive 30 minutes early to stretch before a morning weightlifting session, while also making time to tend to his challenging course load after practice. That work ethic has helped him earn a lot of respect in the locker room, Cousins said.

"If you had told me two years ago when I first got here -- and Blair was a sophomore walk-on -- told me that he was going to have the success that he's had, I probably would be a little surprised," Cousins said. "But going into this season, if you had told me he was going to have this success, it wouldn't have surprised me. So as he's developed, it's become more and more of a reality the type of player that he is."

Spartans coach Mark Dantonio, who arrived in November 2006, said this about White: "He's a gamer. He's going to make the catch in the crowd. He's going to make the tough catch."

White nearly missed out on an opportunity to enjoy the results of his perseverance. The fifth-year senior applied to Michigan's dental school before the 2009 season began.

But a change of heart and an expanding role -- he led the team with 43 receptions in 2008 after appearing on special teams in 14 games in his first two years -- convinced him to call the Wolverines and tell them to forget about his application because he wanted to use his final year of eligibility this season.

Plus, he wouldn't have received a lot of support at home if he'd decided to attend his school's archrival.

White is neither the first nor the last member of his family to attend Michigan State. His mom, Vicki LeFevre White, was an All-America swimmer for the Spartans. His cousin, Jessica LeFevre, was a softball standout at Michigan State. In all, more than a dozen of White's relatives have attended or currently attend Michigan State.

"It's always been a tradition in my family," he said.

White's been accepted to Detroit Mercy's dental school -- Michigan State doesn't have one -- but there's no guarantee that he will follow through this time, even though he has the perfect last name for that career.

NFL draft analysts have mentioned White as a possible late-round selection in April.

White said when he was kid he wanted to be a dentist and play in the NFL. Now he might have a chance to do both.

"I'm just taking it one step at a time right now," he said. "I think after this season, I'm going to consider all of my options."