While it's been easy to forget about due to the success of Michael Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook in the run game this season, there was a point within the past year where West Virginia fans were mourning the loss of former starting running back Jahiem White to the transfer portal. And he's been showing why he was beloved by the Mountaineers at his new home this season.
Neal Brown, the former West Virgnia head coach who recruited White to Morgantown and coached him for two seasons, landed the head coaching opportunity with North Texas during the offseason, and when White entered the transfer portal, it didn't take long for him to end up in Denton. And he's been exceptional for the Mean Green, recording 861 yards and 11 touchdowns so far this year.
White is eighth nationally in rushing yards and tied for sixth for rushing touchdowns, and is coming off one of his best games of the season – he rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns in a 49-39 in over Navy, and posted a season-high 58 receiving yards as well. North Texas is now off to a 5-2 start in Brown's first year wth the program.
I may be late to the party, but North Texas RB Jahiem White (5’7” 190) is ELECTRIC!
— Jay (@DraftwithJay) October 25, 2026
Against a Navy defense that came into the game allowing 99 rushing yards per game:
20 carries/174 rushing yards (8.7 ypc)
2 rushing TDs
4 catches/58 receiving yards pic.twitter.com/DUi4KELMES
Imagine if West Virginia football still had Jahiem White?
Listen, no one is weeping over the loss of White in Morgantown. That's likely because his replacement, Cam Cook, is third nationally with 923 rushing yards, and also has seven touchdowns of his own. And quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. leads the nation with 16 rushing touchdowns, and is 11th nationally with 836 rushing yards.
But also – imagine a world in which West Virginia was able to come up with the money to retain White in addition to adding Cook and Hawkins Jr. to the roster. Maybe we wouldn't have seen the emergence of Amari Latimer, which would certainly be a negative. But still, think about adding a healthy Jahiem White to this current offense.
There would be another elite weapon to stop in the run game, and it would give the Mountaineers even more options to attack opponents with. Certainly, the two-back sets that Rodriguez loves to experiment with would probably be getting a lot more use, and be even more effective. It would open up some very intriguing triple option possibilities.
Hopefully, White is able to use his skill set to continure to land opportunities, and emerges as an NFL-caliber prospect by the time his collegiate career comes to an end. It's certanly gratifying to see him having some much-deserved success after his injury struggles over the past two seasons.
Add us as a preferred source on Google