2023 RB Jahiem White Discusses Why He Chose WVU

Some insight on the Mountaineers' first commit of the 2023 class.

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On Wednesday, the early signing period begins and West Virginia will begin to officially welcome several recruits into the program as they send in their National Letter of Intent. With all of the attention on the class of 2022, the Mountaineers got a head start on the 2023 class over the weekend by securing a commitment from running back Jahiem White (5'9", 180 lbs) of William Penn HS in York, Pennsylvania - the first pledge in the 2023 class.

"I hope they were excited! I have a great deal of respect for the entire staff. They could not have been more welcoming! I didn’t know that I was the first commit of the ‘23 class. That means a lot."

White continued by saying one of the biggest reasons White made his decision early is the bond he has with the coaching staff.

"Coach [Chad] Scott treated me like a player from day one. He took the time to explain the offense and what he thinks my role will be. I like the idea of being versatile. I love to compete and I love to win. I think I can do both at WVU. It all goes back to family and the coaching staff seems built on that principle. When the coaches speak about family, they mean it."

White says his connection with the coaching staff really took off this past summer when he came to Morgantown for a camp. White put on a show and at that very moment, the staff made him a priority. 

"They told me that I had a great camp in June and things really went from there. I’m just so excited. To play college football is an honor and to play at a university like WVU is a dream. WVU has a long history as a competitive program. The B12 is a force. I’m at my best when I’m challenged. I look forward to games like Texas and Pitt."

As far as his on-the-field production goes, White was amazing this past fall. He finished the 2021 season with 2,128 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns.

One would think that a back of his size would try to stretch it to the outside consistently but the majority of his runs are between the tackles. He's so shifty which allows him to change direction in very tight spaces. I wouldn't consider him a patient back but that's not necessarily a bad thing. He knows exactly where the holes are going to be the moment he touches the ball and makes a beeline for it. Also, White has terrific hands as evidenced in his highlight reel where he makes a couple of one-handed grabs. He will likely be used in multiple roles in Morgantown whether it be in the backfield, the slot, the Y, or the H. Neal Brown will be creative with the many different ways he can get White involved in the offense.

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