The West Virginia Mountaineers have been plagued with injury issues this season, and two of the biggest players on the team to get bitten by the injury bug have been starting running back Jahiem White and starting quarterback Nicco Marchiol. We know that White is done for the season and recently underwent surgery on his knee, and that Marchiol is now reported to also be out for the season and seeking a medical redshirt after seeing specialists in Colorado and Arizona for "mid-foot pain" and is likely to enter the transfer portal at the end of the year. This week, further updates on both players situations were reported.
Starting with White, it was reported by West Virginia On SI on Thursday that Jahiem White is "100% expected" to be full-go by the time that fall camp in 2026 rolls around, and that a return for spring practices has not been fully ruled out – but that the team also feels no rush to get him back given his known status for the rest of the year.
Working on the comeback! @WVUfootball https://t.co/TrCWY7RNeb
— Jahiem White (@JahiemWhite_305) October 9, 2025
It was also said that White's surgeon and the WVU medical team has been "impressed" with White's recovery so far, and there are expectations that he injured knee "will be stronger than before." White has also kept up with the support from WVU fans through his injury, and it has helped him stay in "good spirits" througout the process.
Marchiol, meanwhile, may be dealing with an injury that is more severe than fans have been let on to believe. That "mid-foot pain" and been diagnosed as a torn ligament, according a report from WV Sports Now, and Marchiol may need surgery to repair the foot. But Marchiol and his family are hoping to avoid surgery, because such a procedure would make it highly unlikely for the quarterback to play in 2026, regardless of which roster he ends up on.
The source for WVSN said that Marchiol first noticed his injury early during the Pitt game, but did not disclose it to the coaching staff until after the loss to Kansas. This source also confirmed Marchiol is set to transfer following the season, but only decided to do so because it was in "the best interest of the WVU program and his own personal career."