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Jahiem White Ends the Year as One of the Nation's Top Running Backs

Originally posted on West Virginia Mountaineers on SI
By Schuyler Callihan | Last updated Jan 11, 2024 7:33 AM ET

Jahiem White, a true freshman at West Virginia, ended the year as one of the highest graded running backs in the country, according to Pro Football Focus.

White finished 9th overall with a grade of 89.1, sitting behind only Audric Estime (Notre Dame), Jordan James (Oregon), Kyle Monangai (Rutgers), Jonathan Brooks (Texas), Jaylen Wright (Tennessee), Jonah Coleman (Arizona), Tahj Brooks (Texas Tech), and TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State).

White came just 152 yards shy of a 1,000-yard season which extremely impressive when you take into consideration that he really didn't get involved in the offensive gameplan until the final game of October when they played at UCF.

He ended his freshman campaign with 842 yards and four scores on 109 carries, averaging 7.7 yards per carry, while adding another 125 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions.

The stellar season led to White earning Pro Football Focus All-Freshman honors.

"While CJ Donaldson Jr. received the lion’s share of carries in West Virginia’s backfield, White was the Mountaineers' true star at running back. The former three-star recruit only had three fewer rushing yards than Donaldson even though White registered 72 fewer attempts," wrote Max Chadwick of PFF back in December before the bowl game. "In fact, the true freshman averaged 8.2 yards per attempt, the most by any back in the country with at least 95 carries. It was nearly a full yard more than the next-closest back, Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright (7.4 yards per attempt)."

This article first appeared on West Virginia Mountaineers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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