Mike White’s college football career will end after this week. The next step of his football career will start soon after.

White accepted an invitation this week to participate in the Senior Bowl. The Western Kentucky quarterback will be the sixth Hilltopper in recent years to make the trip to Mobile, Ala., joining Antonio Andrews, Jack Doyle, Tyler Higbee, Forrest Lamp and Taywan Taylor.

White found out about the invitation when Nate Dennison, WKU’s director of recruiting, told him a package was waiting in the football office.

“I came up here and got to see and open that and physically touch it,” the redshirt senior White said Friday. “It was pretty special.”

The Senior Bowl will be an important step on White’s journey to the NFL. Starting Jan. 21, he’ll spend the week practicing in front of professional scouts and meeting with front-office personnel who could draft him in late April.

The week culminates with the 2018 Senior Bowl, which will be played Jan. 27 in Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium. NFL greats to have participated in the game include Brett Favre, Dan Marino and Walter Payton.

White said a Senior Bowl invitation is “kind of in the back of your mind all year because you hear about how important it is and how cool it is down there and how much of an honor it is.”

White has completed 65.6 percent of his passes this year, averaging 318.8 passing yards per game and 7.3 yards per attempt. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native has thrown for 24 touchdown passes against seven interceptions.

White, 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, has also run for a team-best six TDs in 2017.

White will play his last college game Saturday at the Cure Bowl against Georgia State. Kickoff from Orlando, Fla., is set for 1:30 p.m. from Orlando, Fla., with the game broadcast by CBS Sports Network.

White said he’ll take a few days to “decompress” after that contest before jumping into NFL Draft preparations.

“I kind of need football to keep me going,” White said. “I’ll take a couple of days, go to Disney with my girlfriend or go on vacation and then get back into it.”

WKU defensive tackle Chris Johnson (Tropical Bowl) and tight end Deon Yelder (NFLPA Bowl) also received invites to postseason showcases.

The senior Johnson has made 42 tackles this season, 5 1/2 for loss, with a sack. He’s registered one pass breakup and seven quarterback hurries.

The redshirt senior Yelder has caught 47 passes this season, averaging 52.4 receiving yards per game and 12.3 yards per catch. He’s also run for one touchdown and scored on a pair of 2-point conversions.

The Louisville native Yelder is a former walk-on who had never caught a pass in a college game until this season.

“It’s a blessing, man,” Yelder said. “I thank my team, I thank my family, I thank God, I thank the coaches and I thank Western Kentucky for giving me this opportunity to show my talents. …

“I had a dream about this always happening.”{&end}