WVU Sports Hall of Fame

Inducted: 2018

Written by Bryan Messerly

Collegiate: The nation’s most versatile threat at quarterback ... the all-time rushing quarterback in NCAA history with 4,480 yards ... first to win four bowl games as the starting quarterback ... MVP of Meineke Car Care Bowl, third straight bowl MVP award ... set 19 WVU, BIG EAST and national records during his illustrious career ... set BIG EAST touchdowns responsible for
career record with 103 ... set BIG EAST total offense record with 10,529 yards, the first player in the BIG EAST history to pass 10,000 yards ... West Virginia was 34-8 with White as the starting quarterback ... finished sixth in the 2008 Heisman Trophy balloting ... one of the team’s permanent captains ... selected as the team’s most valuable player by the coaching staff for the third year in a row ... awarded the team’s offensive player of the year ... quarterback on the 2008 Playboy All-American team ... BIG EAST first team all-conference selection for the third year ... Phil Steele’s All-BIG EAST first team ... All-BIG EAST Conference, top quarterback and third player overall by collegefootballnews.com ... finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm senior award ... played in the Under Armour Senior Bowl ... explosive runner who is capable or scoring on every run ... has become bigger and stronger in the weight room, making him a more explosive runner ... experience has given him increased confidence and a more vocal demeanor off the field ... tremendous team leader ... 2007-08-09 Amateur Athlete of the Year in the state of West Virginia, selected by the WV Sportswriters’ Association ... 2009 Amateur Athlete of the Year by the West Virginia Chapter of the National Football Foundation ... two-time Amateur Athlete of the Year in the state of Alabama ... bowl trips: 2005 Gator, 2006 Sugar, 2007 Gator, 2008 Fiesta, 2008 Car Care.

2008: Eclipsed the 4,000-yard rushing, 6,000-yard passing, 10,000-yard total offense and 4,000-yard all-purpose yardage marks ... fourth on the school's all-time all-purpose yardage list (4,480) ... ran for 974 yards and eight touchdowns and threw for 1,842 yards and 21 touchdowns ... 34 plays of 20 yards or more, 10 running and 24 passing ... threw for a career best and bowl best 332 yards on 26-of-32 passing and three touchdowns against North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl ... also ran for 55 yards with a long of 16 yards ... career best for completions ... ran for a season high 200 yards on 21 carries, an average of 9.5 yards per rush and scored three touchdowns at Louisville ... completed 6-of-11 for 122 yards and threw two touchdowns ... completed 20 passes for a season high 219 yards and two touchdowns against Cincinnati ... also ran for 41 yards with a long run of 15 yards ... collected 93 yards on 12 carries, an average of 7.8 yards per rush, and had a touchdown run of 54 yards at Pitt ... completed 15-of-28 for 143 yards ... ran for 109 yards, scored two touchdowns and passed for 121 yards and another touchdown at Connecticut ... completed 25-of-33 passes for 208 yards and five touchdowns against Villanova ... career best four touchdowns ... broke the WVU record for most touchdown passes at Milan Puskar Stadium ... five touchdowns were the second most in school history and tied for fourth most in BIG EAST history ... averaged 7.0 yards per run on nine carries for 63 yards with a long run of 15 yards ... led all rushers with 97 yards on 20 carries, 4.8 yard per carry average, at East Carolina with a long run of 23 yards ... also completed 11-of-18 passing for 72 yards ... ran for a season high 148 yards and two touchdowns with a long of 44 yards at Colorado ... averaged 7.8 yards per carry ... threw two touchdown passes against Marshall ... completed 17-of-21 for 130 yards with a long completion of 21 yards ... threw two touchdown passes against Rutgers ... completed 12-of-17 for 137 yards with a long of 25 yards ... also led Mountaineers with 11 carries for 59 yards with a long run of 18 yards ... sat out the Syracuse game after taking a hit to the head in the second half of the Rutgers game ... threw three touchdowns in victory ... ran for 40 yards and threw for 141 yards against USF.

2007: Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Offensive MVP ... named to ESPN.com’s All-Bowl team
... finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy balloting ... West Virginia Team MVP for second-
straight year ... named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year for the second-straight year
... selected first-team BIG EAST all-conference for second-consecutive year ... BIG EAST Conference Offensive Player of the Year by rivals.com ... first team all-BIG EAST by rivals.com ...
BIG EAST Sportswriters Offensive Player of the Year ... BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week
three times ... WVU Offensive Player of the Week four times ... named as a semifinalist for
the O’Brien Award and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award lists … West Virginia team MVP
... started all 13 games ... team’s top runner with 1,335 yards on 197 attempts, for a 6.8 average per carry ... scored 14 touchdowns rushing with a long run of 64 yards ... threw for 1,724 yards on 144-of-216 attempts with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions ... long pass completion of 79 yards ... accumulated 3,059 yards of total offense for the season on 413 plays for an average of 235.3 yards per game ... responsible for 28 touchdown rushing or passing ... ranked No. 3 in the BIG EAST
and No. 26 nationally in rushing ... No. 2 in BIG EAST and No. 10 nationally in passing efficiency ... No. 5 in the BIG EAST and No. 44 nationally in total offense ... tied for No. 5 in BIG EAST in scoring touchdowns and No. 69 nationally ... ran for 100 or more yards in four-straight games (Rutgers, Louisville, Cincinnati, Connecticut) and six overall (Marshall, Oklahoma) for the season ... scored a rushing touchdown in all but two games and had two or more in four games ... completed 60 percent
or more of his passes in all but one game ... threw for 150 or more yards in four games and threw two or more touchdowns in six games ... scored the winning touchdown on a 50-yard run against Louisville in the last minute of the game ... finished with 100 or more yards of all-purpose yardage in four-straight games and six overall... missed part of the USF game with a right quad bruise and part of the Pitt game with a dislocated right thumb.

2006: ... BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year ... first team all-BIG EAST, all-ECAC ... Gator
Bowl MVP ... one of 18 semifinalists for Davey O’Brien Award ... voted Alabama and West
Virginia state athlete of the year ... 10-14 passing for 168 yards and two scores in Friends
of Coal Bowl win ... 4-4 passing with 22 yards rushing in a little more than a quarter of action against Eastern Washington ... only had to throw nine times vs. Maryland, completing six
for 43 yards, including a five-yard TD to Darius Reynaud ... rushed for 85 yards vs. the Terps,
with a long gain of 47 and a one-yard score ... 216 yards passing at East Carolina (17-24,
two TDs, three INTs) and rushed for another score ... two rushing scores at Mississippi State
... 6-9 passing vs. the Bulldogs and 76 yards rushing ... rushed for BIG EAST QB record 247
yards vs. Syracuse, with TD runs of 69, 40, 32 and 12 yards ... was fourth best single game
rushing effort in WVU history ... 346 yards total offense vs. the Orange with 12-19 passing for
99 yards ... 102 yards rushing, 156 yards passing in win at Connecticut, with a 45-yard TD run
and a 52-yard TD pass to Rayshawn Bolden ... 206 total yards in first half vs. Huskies ... 222
yards passing at Louisville, while rushing for 125 yards and four scores ... 7-13 passing for
98 yards and a 34-yard TD to Brandon Myles; also rushed for 93 yards on 10 carries with two
scores against Cincinnati ... one of only eight players in NCAA history to rush and pass for
200 yards in same game, with 220 rushing and 204 passing at Pitt ... scored on TD runs of 64
and 19 and threw TD passes of 67 and 11 to Steve Slaton against the Panthers ... his 424
yards total offense in the “Backyard Brawl” tied Marc Bulger’s school record ... suffered a
high ankle sprain against USF, but passed for 178 yards (14-22) and two scores to Myles ...
did not play against Rutgers ... fought through injuries to gain 145 yards rushing with a 15-
yard score and 131 yards passing with two TD in a remarkable Gator Bowl effort ... BIG EAST
player of week: Syracuse, Pitt ... BIG EAST honor roll: Connecticut, Louisville ... offensive
champion: Marshall, Mississippi State, Syracuse, Connecticut, Pitt.

2005: ESPN.com all-conference ... first team freshman All-America (The Sporting News, Scout, College Football News), second team (Rivals) ... was the signalcaller for 98 series in 2005 ... ranks second in WVU all-time freshman rushing with 952 yards, seven scores ... 65-114 passing with eight TD, five interceptions in 2005 ... 3-6 passing for 63 yards and 20 yards rushing at Syracuse ... rushed for 107 yards (with a 48-yard TD run) and was 6-10 passing for 82 yards in Wofford win ... 62 yards rushing, 29 passing engineering four fourth-quarter scoring drives at Maryland ... 5-8 passing for 64 yards but two interceptions vs. East Carolina ... played from second quarter on against Virginia Tech after injury to Adam Bednarik, passing 9-11 for 85 yards and two scores and rushing for 44 yards ... engineered the comeback against Louisville, where WVU scored 17 fourth-quarter points and went on to win in three overtimes ... 69 yards rushing and 5-11 passing for 49 yards vs. Louisville ... made first career start vs. Connecticut, rushing for 63 yards with a pair of 14-yard TD runs, and 7-16 passing for 106 yards and a TD toss to Myles ... rushed for 111 yards and passed for 100 and a score in win at Cincinnati ... set a BIG EAST and WVU quarterback rushing record with 220 yards on the ground against Pitt ... had a long gain of 47 and two rushing scores versus Pitt
... previous BIG EAST QB rushing mark: 210 by Virginia Tech’s Michael Vick vs. Boston
College (2000) ... previous WVU QB rushing record: 205 by Ted Anderson vs. VMI (1953) ...
rushed for 177 yards in win at USF, including TD runs of 65 and 76 yards ... 11-14 passing for
120 yards and a TD in the Sugar Bowl ... also rushed for 77 yards against Georgia ... Offensive Champion: Wofford, Connecticut, Cincinnati ... Hammer Award: Connecticut ... BIG EAST Player of Week: Pitt, USF ... BIG EAST honor roll: Wofford, Connecticut, Cincinnati ...
Coaches Contribution Award.

2004: Did not see varsity action in 2004 but traveled to help relay signals to the WVU offense.

Professional: Drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins … played one season for the Dolphins (2009) … played on the practice squad for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League in 2011 and then played one season for the Edmonton Eskimos (2014) of the Canadian Football League … he announced his retirement from professional football in 2015 … signed a minor league baseball contract with the Kansas City Royals in 2010 and participated in the Fall instructional league … signed by the Miami Marlins to a minor league contract in 2013

Prior to WVU: Finished third in Mr. Football voting by Alabama Sports Writers Association ... rushed for 1,905 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior at Daphne High; also passed for 1,488
yards (59-118) and 15 scores ... Daphne won 14-straight games before losing the state finals,
22-17 ... Class 6-A all-state first team for Coach Steve Savarese ... Super Southeast team and
Mobile Register Elite 18 ... 2003 Sideline and 1st-and-10 player of the year ... pitcher/outfielder on two state championship baseball teams ... fourth round draft pick of Anaheim Angels in
2004.

Personal: Birthday is Feb. 25 ... son of Bo and Vonametris White ... one of three children ...
graduated with his bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and sciences in Dec. 2008.