By Mark Pszonak
During Rich Rodriguez’ first stint at West Virginia, the Mountaineers were known for their dynamic offense that was often propelled by an explosive running back. Now that Coach Rodriguez is back in Morgantown, will a current running back be the next star? That answer is yes, and his name is Jahiem White.
There have been scattered rumblings about White being a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate in 2025. If you look at Coach Rodriguez’ work with running backs during his head coaching career, those rumblings need to become louder and more sustained. Here is a listing of some of the top rushing performances during his time as a head coach at the FBS level:
· RB Avon Cobourne, West Virginia (3,008 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2 seasons)
· RB Quincy Wilson, West Virginia (2,281 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2 seasons)
· QB Pat White, West Virginia (3,356 yards and 35 touchdowns in 3 seasons)
· RB Steve Slaton, West Virginia (3,923 yards and 50 touchdowns in 3 seasons)
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· QB Denard Robinson, Michigan (2,053 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2 seasons)
· RB Ka’Deem Carey, Arizona (3,814 yards and 42 touchdowns in 2 seasons)
· RB Nick Wilson, Arizona (3,038 yards and 33 touchdowns in 4 seasons)
· QB Khalil Tate, Arizona (1,591 yards and 14 touchdowns in 1 season)
· QB Zion Webb, Jacksonville State (1,436 and 20 touchdowns in 2 seasons)
· RB Tre Stewart, Jacksonville State (1,638 yards and 25 touchdowns in 1 season)
· QB Tyler Huff, Jacksonville State (1,344 yards and 15 touchdowns in 1 season)
As you can see, dual-threat quarterbacks also thrive in Coach Rodriguez’ offense, so likely starter Nicco Marchiol should be excited, but with the skillset that White possesses, he should be ecstatic with what is likely to come in 2025.
Through his first two seasons with the Mountaineers, White has been explosive and flashed his potential, but has yet to produce consistently. Totaling 1,686 yards and 11 touchdowns, he was often the lightening in West Virginia’s offense, to go along with the thunder, CJ Donaldson, who recently transferred to Ohio State. In 2025 White will be the focus of the rushing attack.
This is a perfect situation for both White and Coach Rodriguez. For White, he didn’t have to transfer to find an offense created for him to excel at, while for Coach Rodriguez he didn’t have to hit the portal to find a running back that he knows will flourish.
Plenty of names are currently being mentioned for the 2025 Heisman Trophy, but there are no clearcut favorites. West Virginia opens its schedule against Robert Morris and Ohio, when White will quickly pad his statistics and grab attention. Then he will look to make a statement on Saturday, September 13th against West Virginia’s rival, Pittsburgh. It couldn’t be a better script.
The Big 12 was wild and exciting in 2024 and there is no reason to believe that it won’t be the same way in 2025. West Virginia will have marquee games against Colorado, Arizona State, BYU and Utah, which will give White more than enough opportunity to make a statement nationally.
He may not be a hot topic of conversation in February, but he will be in October and November.
