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By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

With media members there to document the moment, and with friends and family there for support, Troup High’s Royce White ended his recruitment during a commitment ceremony on Thursday night at Coach’s Bar and Grill in West Point.

White, an offensive lineman for Troup, had plenty of options when it came time to choose a college home, with some high-profile programs hoping to land him.

In the end, the University of Memphis was the choice for White.

“I talked to all the coaches, and every single person I talked to I clicked with right away,” White said. “I just knew. It felt like home.”

Thursday’s ceremony began with White and his family members, along with Troup head coach Tanner Glisson, sitting behind a table.

White, to add to the suspense of the moment, was wearing a pull-over, and there was no indication of what school he was going to choose.

After some introductory remarks by Glisson, White stood up, removed his pull-over, and revealed a Memphis T-shirt.

Rather than choose an SEC or an ACC school, White went with Memphis, which plays in the American Athletic Conference.

Memphis went 12-2 last season and won the conference title before losing to Penn State in the Cotton Bowl.

All Glisson cared about was that White choose a school that he felt comfortable with, regardless of conference affiliation.

“A lot of kids get caught up in the recruiting of it, but you’re picking a place to go for the next four years,” Glisson said. “And I’m excited for him. Every time I get to do that, and I’ve done it a lot lately, I get really excited.”

White moved into the starting lineup last season, and he helped the Tigers amass big numbers on the ground, with running back Trey Williams and quarterback Kobe Hudson combining for nearly 2,500 rushing yards.

White will be the anchor of an offensive line that should be a strength of the team next season, with four starters returning.

“I think our offensive line is going to be really good,” White said. “We lost our right tackle, Michael Irvin, but everybody else is coming back next year.”

As accomplished as White already is as a football player, he’ll remain hungry while looking to get the most out of a sport that means so much to him.

“I dedicate my life to football,” White said. “It’s what I love. It’s my passion, it’s my dream.”

Glisson calls White a “a football junkie.”

“You can’t run him out of there,” Glisson added. “He wants to get better every day. He works extremely hard.”

As for Thursday’s event, Glisson was happy to be able to do in a community that is so closely related to Troup football.

“(Coach’s has) always been really good to us, and I thought it was a neat environment,” Glisson said. “And we’re down here in the heart of Tiger country in West Point.”