USF Athletics

Former WVU Star White Now Has the Bulls' Backs as USF Coach

April 23, 2020

COACHES PROFILE SERIES: While we wait for USF football to hit the field once again, Senior Writer Tom Zebold and Voice of the Bulls Jim Louk give Bulls fans a window to know more about the people and personalities on head coach Jeff Scott's first USF staff.

The series continues with a feature on West Virginia Hall of Fame quarterback Pat White, who joined former Big East rival USF as the Bulls' new running backs coach.

LISTEN: White's interview with Voice of the Bulls Jim Louk HERE.
 
PAST PROFILES:
Charlie Weis Jr. - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
Glenn Spencer – Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach
Xavier Dye – Wide Receivers Coach
Jules Montinar – Cornerbacks Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Allen Mogridge - Offensive Line Coach/Assistant Head Coach
Da'Quan Bowers – Defensive Line Coach
 
 

By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, APRIL 23, 2020 – Pat White is a name that always rings a loud bell with die-hard Bulls fans.

Back in the Big East days, White was a superstar quarterback for conference rival West Virginia from 2005-08 and played a key role in some of the most epic battles in USF football history.

One those instant classics was a Friday night thriller in 2007. No. 18 USF upset the No. 5 Mountaineers, 21-13, in front of 67,018 fans at Raymond James Stadium. The marquee win boosted the Bulls' climb to a historic No. 2 national ranking later that fall.

"It was dynamic from the jump," said White, who went 2-2 in the series and beat the Bulls on his snowy Senior Night in Morgantown.

Twelve years after his final season in "the Old Gold and Blue," White has donned the Green and Gold to help USF rise once again as the running backs coach on Jeff Scott's new staff.

"It's a grand opportunity for us to grasp what's there for us," White said.

Wonderful West Virginia Career
White is a coach who gets instant respect from players because of what he accomplished in their shoes as one of the most explosive athletes in college football.

From 2005-08, the versatile playmaker posted a 35-8 record as a starter (7-2 against Top 25 teams) and led West Virginia two Big East titles (2005, 2007). White became the first college QB to start and win four bowl games – Sugar, Gator, Fiesta, Meineke Car Care. He earned MVP honors in each of his final three postseason appearances.

White entered the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2018 and he'll never forget how his record-breaking career as a Mountaineer quarterback got started.

"Essentially, it was, 'You're gonna come here. You're gonna redshirt and the next year you will have an opportunity to compete for the position. Whether you win it is on you,'" White said. "For me, that felt as though as it was open and honest as it could be in the recruiting game. I went for it and things worked out."

Going for it on the gridiron also involved passing up a big baseball opportunity as a fourth-round draft pick by the Angels in 2004. Instead, the Daphne (Ala.) High School standout wanted to become a difference-making QB in college and did just that.

As a redshirt freshman, White led West Virginia to the 2005 Big East title and an upset win over No. 8 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. As a junior, he helped the Mountaineers capture another Big East crown in during the 2007 season they capped off with a stunning 20-point rout of No. 3 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

On top of team success, the two-time Big East Offensive Player of the Year (2006-07) and Heisman Trophy contender (2007-08) set 19 West Virginia, Big East and national records. Milestones included the most rushing yards by a quarterback (4,480) in NCAA history at the time.

White is the only Big East player to account for more than 100 touchdowns (56 passing, 47 rushing) and he ranks second in conference history with 10,529 total yards. USF legend Matt Grothe holds that Big East record with 10,875 yards.

Pat's Path to Coaching
Once his incredible West Virginia career came to a close, White put on the pads as a pro - and even grabbed a glove - before holding a coaching whistle.

Following graduation, White was selected in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft by Miami. He played his rookie season and the 2010 preseason with the Dolphins.

After a brief baseball stint with the Kansas City Royals organization, White returned to the gridiron in the United Football League (2011) and later played in the Canadian Football League (2014). In between that, he played a very beneficial NFL preseason with Washington in 2013.

"It totally changed my life, my perspective on my life, and what this game afforded me," he said. "That opportunity with the Redskins really has allowed for me to be in this seat today."

White also credits relentless West Virginia teammate Ryan Stanchek for getting him to finally join the Alcorn State coaching staff in 2018. Alcorn State's former offensive coordinator and Southern Miss' current O-line coach saw lots of potential in White and tried convincing him for years.

"Eventually, he was like, 'Listen, I'm gonna ask you until you say yes. So, just say yes,'" White recalled. "For me, that was the sign from the almighty that this is where I needed to be and I accepted it. Things have worked out for the good thus far."

Coaching Alcorn State's quarterbacks (2018-19), White guided two of his position players – Noah Johnson, Felix Harper - to SWAC Offensive Player of the Year honors in consecutive seasons. Meanwhile, the Braves won back-to-back conference championships on the way to two straight Celebration Bowl appearances.

White Ready to Lead Bulls' Backs
White started 2020 by taking an opportunity to show his versatility once again. This time, it's as a running backs coach on Jeff Scott's talented new USF staff that's the youngest in the AAC.

"It feels like I'm part of a unique family full of coaches who are hungry to learn, grow and be great," said 34-year-old White. "It's exciting to be in the room with all those personalities, just great coaches that are willing to share."

Unfortunately, USF's new-look staff got only one spring practice to coach together due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although field time was brief, White saw there's plenty to work with in the running back room that includes returning sophomores Johnny Ford (Miami) and Kelley Joiner Jr. (Clermont, Fla.) along with Oregon transfer Darrian Felix, a junior from Fort Myers, Fla.

"There's talent, guys with the right mentally for the position," White said. "We have very little reps at the collegiate level, but in one day you can see some flashes and some signs of some unique abilities."

Whenever the Bulls get to return to the field, White said four aspects of the game are super important for backs who want to make an impact while USF plays the second-toughest 2020 schedule in the nation.

White's list of requirements includes: protecting the QB, protecting the ball, being coachable and making the first man miss.

"If you can do those four things, then you have a chance to get on the field here at South Florida as a running back," he said.

In the meantime, White has been encouraged by his new group's ability to stay engaged during virtual meetings and absorb information he's been dishing out away from campus.

"Although trying and challenging, these times have shown that we have some guys who want to be great," White said. "That's South Florida football, from what I recall."
 
About USF Football
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 23^rd season (20^th at the FBS level) in 2019. The Bulls have posted 15 winning seasons, earned 14 All-America selections and 29 first-team all-conference selections and has seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft. USF has made 10 bowl games appearances (going 6-4 in those games) and posted a program record six straight appearances from 2005-2010. The Bulls most recently made four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18 and posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016 while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 seasons and reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings during the 2007 season.
                                                                                
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