Kobay White to Miss Season With ACL Tear, Expected to Return for 2021
Andy Backstrom
Staff Writer
Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley informed reporters on Wednesday that graduate wide receiver Kobay White will miss the remainder of the 2020 season with a torn ACL.
White had a successful surgery on Tuesday and is expected to return for the 2021 campaign.
“We’ll miss him,” Hafley said after Wednesday’s practice, per BC Athletics. “Not only a great player but a great leader. And he’ll be back.”
Hafley said that White has been handling the injury “really well.” The rookie head coach recounted how, around 10 p.m. on Friday night, he got a call from White. The wideout knew he wasn’t playing the next morning, but he asked if he could go early to Wallace Wade Stadium to help the equipment staff prepare the locker room for the game.
“You’re talking about a great act of leadership,” Hafley said. “Just an incredible kid, and he’ll battle through it. He was in great spirits when I talked to him yesterday. He’ll come back strong.”
The veteran wideout first injured his knee during training camp. At the time, Hafley and the team believed that the setback was nothing long term.
White was practicing again in early September, however, in the days approaching BC’s season opener at Duke, the staff determined that there was a chance White wouldn’t be able to suit up for the game, Hafley explained after Saturday’s win. In that same postgame presser, Hafley said that the team had White in for a second opinion and was waiting for more information.
Wednesday confirmed the worst: a season-ending ACL tear.
Luckily for White, he’ll preserve his final year of eligibility. As Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic reported on Aug. 21, the NCAA Board of Directors granted a blanket waiver for fall sports athletes because of the pandemic. Essentially, this fall season (whenever it’s played, fall or spring) won’t count toward players’ eligibility, regardless of their participation.
White was part of the Eagles’ 2016 recruiting class, along with three-year starting quarterback Anthony Brown. He redshirted his first year on the Heights before emerging as Brown’s favorite target on the outside the following season. Over the course of 2017-19 seasons, the 5-foot-11 Harrisburg, Pa. native developed a rapport with Brown, especially on deep shots and 3rd Down.
Last year, 13 of White’s team-leading 29 receptions came on 3rd/4th Down, and 11 occurred on 3rd-and-long. All but one of those catches moved the chains. What’s more, White had receptions of 56, 64, and 39 yards against Virginia Tech, Syracuse, and Notre Dame, respectively. It’s worth noting that, the previous year, BC—as a team—had just three 50+ yard pass plays.
In three seasons of work, White has piled up 96 catches, 10 touchdowns, and the 19th-most career receiving yards (1,409) in program history. He’s also the only Eagles wide receiver to eclipse the single-season, 500-yard receiving mark (2018) since Alex Amidon in 2013.
Andy Backstrom
Staff Writer
Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley informed reporters on Wednesday that graduate wide receiver Kobay White will miss the remainder of the 2020 season with a torn ACL.
White had a successful surgery on Tuesday and is expected to return for the 2021 campaign.
“We’ll miss him,” Hafley said after Wednesday’s practice, per BC Athletics. “Not only a great player but a great leader. And he’ll be back.”
Hafley said that White has been handling the injury “really well.” The rookie head coach recounted how, around 10 p.m. on Friday night, he got a call from White. The wideout knew he wasn’t playing the next morning, but he asked if he could go early to Wallace Wade Stadium to help the equipment staff prepare the locker room for the game.
“You’re talking about a great act of leadership,” Hafley said. “Just an incredible kid, and he’ll battle through it. He was in great spirits when I talked to him yesterday. He’ll come back strong.”
The veteran wideout first injured his knee during training camp. At the time, Hafley and the team believed that the setback was nothing long term.
White was practicing again in early September, however, in the days approaching BC’s season opener at Duke, the staff determined that there was a chance White wouldn’t be able to suit up for the game, Hafley explained after Saturday’s win. In that same postgame presser, Hafley said that the team had White in for a second opinion and was waiting for more information.
Wednesday confirmed the worst: a season-ending ACL tear.
Luckily for White, he’ll preserve his final year of eligibility. As Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic reported on Aug. 21, the NCAA Board of Directors granted a blanket waiver for fall sports athletes because of the pandemic. Essentially, this fall season (whenever it’s played, fall or spring) won’t count toward players’ eligibility, regardless of their participation.
White was part of the Eagles’ 2016 recruiting class, along with three-year starting quarterback Anthony Brown. He redshirted his first year on the Heights before emerging as Brown’s favorite target on the outside the following season. Over the course of 2017-19 seasons, the 5-foot-11 Harrisburg, Pa. native developed a rapport with Brown, especially on deep shots and 3rd Down.
Last year, 13 of White’s team-leading 29 receptions came on 3rd/4th Down, and 11 occurred on 3rd-and-long. All but one of those catches moved the chains. What’s more, White had receptions of 56, 64, and 39 yards against Virginia Tech, Syracuse, and Notre Dame, respectively. It’s worth noting that, the previous year, BC—as a team—had just three 50+ yard pass plays.
In three seasons of work, White has piled up 96 catches, 10 touchdowns, and the 19th-most career receiving yards (1,409) in program history. He’s also the only Eagles wide receiver to eclipse the single-season, 500-yard receiving mark (2018) since Alex Amidon in 2013.
