The manner in which Jahiem White left the West Virginia Mountaineers and entered the transfer portal this offseason, it left plenty of fans a bit perplexed. Now's he explained just how things went down surrounding his departure from Morgantown.
White, who rushed for over 1,700 yards and 14 touchdowns across his three-season stint in Morgantown, was a crucial piece of the running back rotation during his first two years with the program under Neal Brown. He then transitioned into the starting role after sticking around under head coach Rich Rodriguez, but suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 against Ohio.
White was very visible around the program all season, and hinted on social media after the season ended that he would be back in Morgantown for another year. But just days later, he hit the portal, leaving many fans stunned in a move they were not expecting. And recently while streaming on TikTok live, White laid out just what happened with that siuation.
White indicated that when it came time to have the talks to iron out the details of his return, he learned that he would not be getting the amount of money he expected or wanted, with the Mountaineers presumably reducing his allotted money due to suffering two two knee injuries which required surgery in a 12-month period. A starting spot was also not guaranteed for him despite holding the role entering the previous season. And in the end, that's what he reports pushed him into the transfer portal.
So if it seemed confusing at the time that White was departing after seemingly reaffirming his commitment, that's because it wasn't fully his choice. Well, it sort of was still his choice. But he perceived the pay cut and lack of guarantees regarding playing time as a financial and career risk he wasn't willing to take, and without such circumstances he may have returned.
But it also appears White may have had deeper issues with head coach Rich Rodriguez as well, as he recently made headlines for blasting Rodriguez's practices and program culture while streaming on Instagram Live.