SPRINGHILL -- LSU sophomore linebacker Devin White's ascension this season as one of the top defenders in the SEC can be traced to where it all began, this rural town with a population of less than 6,000.
Between the end of the 2016 regular season and LSU's appearance in the Citrus Bowl on New Years' Eve, players had time off.
White took his opportunity to return to his hometown, tucked in the northwest corner of Louisiana and bordering Arkansas.
White spent time with family and his former peewee coach and longtime mentor Shaun Hamilton.
Hamilton recalled the two sitting in his living room as White gave a scouting report on LSU's bowl opponent -- Louisville and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson.