Research into racism and college sports largely explores how universities profit off the undercompensated labor of predominately Black men in Division I football and basketball. This research frames college sports as an institution that dehumanizes, marginalizes, and exploits athletes of color (Beamon, 2014; Eitzen, 2016; Hawkins, 2010; Sack & Staurowsky, 1998). Yet to truly understand the bounds of systemic racism in college sports, studies must also interrogate how white people are elevated, centered, and rewarded at the expense of people of color. Drawing upon critical whiteness studies (Cabrera, 2012; DiAngelo, 2011; Leonardo, 2009), I analyzed 47 college athlete narratives and identified 3 interrelated themes--racial segregation, racial innocence, and racial protection--within higher education that protect whiteness. Findings outline how colleges recruit white athletes from predominately white communities who, as a result of their segregated environments, adopted underdeveloped notions of race and racism. Rather than reeducating athletes upon arrival, institutions further racial segregation, innocence, and protection. Ultimately, these processes have allowed white athletes to dodge their role in racism and avoid racial justice responsibilities.