Matt White isn't your average college baseball recruiter.

It wasn't that long ago when White appeared destined for a major league career, transitioning from multi-million dollar bonus baby to one of professional baseball's brightest stars.

He never anticipated that by age 27, it would all be over, having never reached the big leagues after struggling with a devastating shoulder injury that ultimately would never heal. But when White visits with recruits as the Michigan baseball team's new pitching coach, the message he'll convey won't just be words, but real-life experience.

Now, nearly four years after he finished his pro career, White can't think of a better way to live out his own baseball dreams.

"There's nothing like telling kids a story or giving them advice and then see them put it into their game and start having success," White said Wednesday after being hired as the Wolverines' new pitching coach. "Seeing someone gain confidence is the second-best thing behind playing.

"Playing is the ultimate, but to help someone get the most of their talent is a great thing for me."

White will begin his full-time coaching career at Michigan after spending two seasons as a volunteer assistant at Georgia Tech. College baseball had initially been in his plans coming out of high school, but when pro baseball provided an opportunity too good to pass up, White's path changed.

After signing to play at Georgia Tech, White was selected as the seventh overall pick in the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft by the San Francisco Giants. When negotiations between White's agent, Scott Boras, and the Giants broke down, White prepared to follow through with his college plans.

But the young right-hander quickly found himself in a unique situation when he became the first amateur to gain free-agent status. He received a $10.2 million signing bonus from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who planned to use White as one of their cornerstone players as they emerged as a major league franchise.

The experience was surreal for White, who came from a small town in Pennsylvania where residents weren't used to notoriety. Over the next three years in the minor leagues, White remained the Devil Rays' top prospect, earning a spot on the 2000 Olympic team.

But during the Olympic team's preliminary games, White - who was trying to earn a spot in the starting rotation along with Ben Sheets and Roy Oswalt - suffered an arm injury while facing the third batter of his first start. Despite months of rehabilitation and several surgeries, his shoulder never healed.

White retired in 2006 with a career mark of 35-47 and a 4.64 earned run average in 122 career games.

"You want to be out on the field - I'm a competitor and I want to contribute and to be away from the game that long when you're stuck doing workouts and arm exercises for eight, 10 months at a time, it does take a mental toll on you," White said. "It was a tough thing to try and get through.

"I was 27, I was out of baseball, and I knew there was better things to be done out there."

White returned to college and began working on a degree in forest services at Georgia while serving as a volunteer assistant at Georgia Tech. He also worked with area high school pitchers and for USA Baseball's U-16 and U-18 teams.

His experience with scouts and college recruiters provided White with insight into dealing with young players - something he'll now do on Michigan's staff. His knowledge of pitching combined with his own experience will give him credibility with Michigan's staff.

"I think Matt will do a phenomenal job being able to relate to the kids," Michigan baseball coach Rich Maloney said Wednesday. "He's had an experience that most of them dream to have and he's experienced a lot of the heartache one goes through during a pitching career and so he's going to be able to relate on a lot of different levels and I think that's going to be an invaluable asset for our program."

In addition to his own experiences, White said he'll be himself during recruiting visits.

"I was a first-round pick and yet, never made it to the major leagues, and it's good to show these kids that college is a great option and you have to set yourself up for life," White said. "You have to have a plan for how you want to be a good person throughout your life, and I think college is the best way of doing that."

Jeff Arnold covers sports for AnnArbor.com and can be reached at (734) 623-2554 or by email at jeffarnold@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeffreyparnold.