The Iliad of Zeus: Zamir White's Long Road to RB1 for Georgia

Zamir White has scored in six of seven games this season for the Georgia Bulldogs and he could be playing his final game in Athens after a long road back to football.

Zamir White is a redshirt sophomore from Laurinburg, N.C.  and the young running back's back story is one that makes most everyone root for him. 

During White's senior season in November, 2017, at Scotland County High School, he tore the ACL in his left knee. White fought through the difficult rehab process required after an injury of that severity and was preparing to play in August, 2018, as a freshman. However, a couple of weeks before the first game of the 2018 season, White tore the ACL in his right knee during a scrimmage.

White had to begin the rehab process again, and he took a medical redshirt.

The Return of Zeus 

White started his college career in August, 2019, against Vanderbilt. During his much-anticipated debut, he had five carries for 51 rushing yards. As expected, his workload was small because he was playing in his first game after repairing both knees. Vanderbilt Stadium was inundated with cries of "Zeuuuuuussss" as thousands of Georgia fans packed the opposing stands for the opening game of the 2019 season. 

In the regular season and SEC Championship Game, White carried the ball 60 times for 316 yards.

Shortly before the Sugar Bowl against Baylor, it was announced that Brian Herrien would not make the trip, and D'Andre Swift was unlikely to play because he was dealing with an injury. That set the stage for White to be the No. 1 running back for the first time in his career.

He did not let the opportunity go to waste, rushing for 92 yards on 18 attempts and scoring a touchdown. White finished his first season with 78 carries for 408 yards and three touchdowns.

2020

This season has been a completely different story. With Herrien graduating and Swift declaring for the NFL Draft, White took over as the starting running back.

He has scored a touchdown in every game except against Mississippi State, and he has a total of nine touchdowns. White has totaled 614 rushing yards on 121 carries with two regular-season games and one bowl game left in the shortened season.

There would be four more regular-season games and a bowl game in a normal season, which would have given White a great chance at breaking 1,000 rushing yards. While it is still possible for him to reach that mark, he would need an average of 127.7 yards per game.

What’s Next?

Theoretically, White Zamir could play three more seasons at Georgia, but the odds of that happening are slim to none. He is eligible to enter the NFL Draft after this season, and running backs of his caliber do not stay in college for more than three seasons that often.

As for what NFL evaluators think of White, Dawgs Daily recently spoke with an NFL Scout that said White is probably looking at a fourth-round grade: 

"Probably a Day 3 guy. The injury history will definitely hurt him, but he without a doubt looks better this year. He’s also not a great option in the passing game either."

If White chooses to play one more season, he will be accompanied by potentially James Cook, Kenny McIntosh, Kendall Milton, Dajion Edwards and incoming freshman Lovasea Carroll.