Former West Virginia running back Jahiem White recently announced his decision to continue his college football career at North Texas. The rising redshirt junior claims he was effectively kicked off of the team in Morgantown when he chose to enter the transfer portal.
In reality, it sounds like the Mountaineers were not willing to make him the promises that he wanted.
This is the current reality of college football. It is a professional sport.
Who is Jahiem White?
A former three-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2023, White committed to West Virginia out of William Penn High School in York, Pennsylvania over Bowling Green and Old Dominion. The 5-foot-9 ball-carrier immediately burst onto the scene as the team’s leading rusher in 2023 and 2024.
He ran the ball 109 times for 842 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman, with 149 carries for 845 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore.
Rich Rodriguez replaced Neal Brown as head coach last offseason but White still entered the 2025 season as the clear No. 1 at running back. He went for 93 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries against Robert Morris.
Unfortunately, his true junior year was cut short against Ohio on Sept. 6. The knee injury required surgery.
Jahiem White nearly got taken off the injury cart in Athens. Just a brutal half for West Virginia pic.twitter.com/vPgii2SSxV
— Joe Wright (@Sctvman) September 6, 2025
It is currently expected that White will be a full participant for fall camp in 2026. His medical team and surgeon were both impressed by his progress. The rehabilitation process has gone extremely well.
West Virginia pushed him into the transfer portal.
Jahiem White is expected to get his 2025 season back as a medical redshirt. That will give him two years of eligibility remaining for 2026 and 2027… at a different school.
White announced his plan to enter the transfer portal at the beginning of December. He committed to North Texas last week.
A lot of people were surprised by White’s departure but it sounds like his decision was made for him.
The 20-year-old running back recently revealed the reason for his exit while live on TikTok. He was kicked off of the team. Kind of. There were not any behavioral issues or anything like that.
From what it sounds like, West Virginia was not willing to pay him the money he wanted coming off of a serious knee injury. It also would not guarantee him the starting job. That led him to transfer. The decision to part ways was mutual, but only after the Mountaineers forced White’s hand. So not really.
West Virginia signed Cam Cook just a few weeks later. Cook was the nation’s leading rusher in 2025.
Maybe White was “kicked off” to make room for Cook. This might’ve been the plan all along. I don’t know.
However, this seems to be a recurring theme in Morgantown. The Mountaineers, like every other FBS program in the modern era, are pushing players into the transfer portal if they do not have a defined role for next season and/or if they are replaceable. That allows them to require more talent on the other side.
So, yes, if you choose to look at it like Jahiem White was kicked off of the team, he was kicked off of the team. In reality, his fairly unexpected departure was the result of a business decision.