WVU OC is High on RB Jahiem White: 'We Got to Get the Ball in His Hands'

Chad Scott loves the potential of his dynamic freshman running back.

West Virginia has quite the mix of body types in the running back room. 

They have two heavy hitters in CJ Donaldson and DJ Oliver, each of which is pushing 240 pounds, two backs who are "normal sized" in Justin Johnson Jr. and Jaylen Anderson, and then you have true freshman Jahiem White who stands in at 5'7", 192 pounds.

But don't be fooled by White's size. The kid can play ball at a high level and will likely force his way onto the field in large part to his playmaking ability in space. He's been receiving reps at both running back and flexed out as a receiver as offensive coordinator Chad Scott just tries to find ways to get him involved. 

“I mean we got to get the ball in his hands," Scott said. "We’re being smart about it. We’re seeing how much he can carry in terms of how much he can pick up on right now. And that’s the beauty of having a two-spot, it gives a lot of reps to show us what he can handle. One thing he can handle is when the ball is in his hands, he’s special. He’s got great ball skills. We knew he was fast, we knew he was special with the ball in his hands, so we want him to continue to be fast so we can’t put a lot on his plate.”

To this day, I still struggle to understand how White went overlooked by Power Five schools aside from the two he holds offers from. Very explosive back that gets north in a hurry and has little to no wasted movement. Despite being undersized, White does a good job of finishing through contact while maintaining balance. He can also be a weapon out of the backfield in the passing game and could even line up in the slot. Has a little Jock Sanders to his game.

As a senior at York High School in Pennsylvania, White amassed 1,918 yards and 37 touchdowns en route to being named York-Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I Offensive Player of the Year and 2022 All-State First Team (RB) by PennLive.com.

Yes, CJ Donaldson will receive the bulk of the workload out of the backfield. And yes, Jaylen Anderson and Justin Johnson Jr. will be heavily involved as well. But Chad Scott seems determined to get White in the mix.

“Just hearing them guys talking, they can’t find him. He’s hard to find. And obviously, we talk about pad level, well he got it naturally. He sees it really well, he’s got phenomenal vision, so I’m excited about what he can do with the ball in his hands.”

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