Pat White had one of the most legendary careers of any quarterback in college football history, and any individual player in West Virginia program history.
Now, this weekend, White is set to be honored for his incredible career as the Mountaineers will officially retire his No. 5 jersey ahead of their Week 1 showdown with Coastal Carolina. After Jaden Bray, who currently wears the number, finishes his career this season, it will never be worn again by a WVU player.
Pat White opens up about feelings on number retirement
On Monday evening, Pat White made an appearance on the 2026 season's first edition of The Rich Rodriguez Show, where he discussed how it feels to see his number retired. When asked his first thoughts when he heard the news, he jokingly commented that he wondered if someone had paid the school to do so.
"The first [thought] was how much money did Pat [McAfee] pay to this staff,” White said.
Pat White on having his number retired at WVU: “How much money did Pat McAfee pay?”
— Spencer Ripchik (@RipchikSpencer) August 31, 2026
White also admitted that he never truly thought that he would see the day that his number was retired. But now that the day is rapidly approaching, he's excited to get to share it with all those who helped him and supported him along the way.
“I thought it was impossible for this to happen, but it did,” he said. “And I'm glad that my family can experience Mountaineer greatness again.”
He also admitted that he thought of current West Virginia wide out Jaden Bray when the news was announced, and that he wanted to make sure Bray was able to finish out his career with the number.
"What happened in that moment was me thinking about Bray and him wearing number five, and him getting to have an excellent senior season,” White said.
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