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2021 Penn State WR commit will sign with Pittsburgh Pirates
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Lonnie White Jr. was one of Penn State’s top recruits in the 2021 class and was expected to compete for immediate playing time this fall. But following his selection in the MLB Draft, he won’t be suiting up for the Nittany Lions.
Multiple reports indicate that White will sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates and start his baseball career. Jason Mackey of Post-Gazette Sports reported the news on Sunday night.
White was selected No. 64 overall by the Pirates.
On Monday morning, Mackey reported that White will receive $1.5 million from Pittsburgh. He will be an outfielder.
Source: Lonnie White Jr. gets $1.5 million. Slotted value for that pick was $1,050,300.
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) July 26, 2021
It was a difficult decision for White, but head coach James Franklin was supportive regardless of whatever choice he made.
“I just want Lonnie to be successful and I want Lonnie to be happy,” Franklin said. “If that means Penn State and playing football and baseball, and hopefully getting his degree from Penn State, playing in the NFL and possibly Major League Baseball, that’s awesome. If it means him going to play baseball right now and chasing that dream. I just want him to have all the information to be able to make an educated decision and then go from there.”
White was ranked as the No. 168 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. The Malvern, Pennsylvania native was the second-highest-ranked member of Penn State’s 2021 class.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB