All Yellow Jackets

Former Yellow Jacket Keion White Dominates As New England Stuns The Bengals in Week One Win

White Helped Lead a Strong Defensive Efford Today For New England

Jackson Caudell

New England Patriots defensive end Keion White (99) and New England Patriots linebacker Joshua Uche (55) tackles Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) in the fourth quarter of the NFL game at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024.
New England Patriots defensive end Keion White (99) and New England Patriots linebacker Joshua Uche (55) tackles Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) in the fourth quarter of the NFL game at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

One of the most stunning results so far today in week one of the NFL season has been the Patriots upsetting the Bengals as a big underdog. New England had a strong defensive effort against Joe Burrow and Cincinnati and the team tham many projected to be the worst in the league is now off to a 1-0 start. Leading the way for the Patriots on defense today was former Georgia Tech defensive end Keion White.

WIth the Patriots trading away star pass rusher Matthew Judon to the Falcons before the season, White was going to have to step up if New England's defense was going to remain strong. He is off to a fantastic start to doing that. White finished the day with 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and three quarterback hits.

While it is just one game, this could be the start of a second season for him. He is now one of the leaders of the defense in New England and they will need more production like this from him.

White was the highest draft pick for the Yellow Jackets since 2016 (Adam Gotsis, 63rd overall)

White played in all 12 games for Georgia Tech during the 2022 season, led the team with 7.5 sacks, and was named third-team All-ACC. His best game was against North Carolina, which had one of the top offenses in the country.

In that game against the Tar Heels, White produced three sacks, four tackles for loss, and seven tackles. It was not only the best defensive lineman performance of the week but also one of the best of the entire season.

Published
Jackson Caudell

JACKSON CAUDELL

Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell

Home/Football