Where Does West Virginia’s Jahiem White Rank Among Top Returning RBs?

In the midst of a chaotic offseason with tons of change, one of the biggest moves the WVU football program made this was retaining Jahiem White. There’s now a national outlet that believes in the White so much they have him ranked as one of the top returning running backs in the country.

PFF has White listed at No. 10 on their list of the best running back who decided to stay with their school instead of hitting the transfer portal or exiting for the NFL Draft.

Top 10 Returning College Running Backs for the 2025 Season🔥

FULL Rankings Here: pic.twitter.com/SWocEdPRux

— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 13, 2025

Below is what PFF’s Max Chadwick had to say about White and why he deserves a spot on the list.

“White hasn’t handled as many carries as others on this list, but he’s made the most of every opportunity. His 35% forced missed tackle rate as a sophomore tied for third among Power Four running backs, and his 6.5 yards per carry career average ranks fourth among all running backs since 2023.

He’s an elite athlete at 5-foot-7 and 195 pounds and is set to be the bell-cow for the Mountaineers as a junior, with quarterback Garrett Greene off to the NFL and fellow tailback CJ Donaldson Jr. transferring to Ohio State.”

Lightly recruited out of York, Pa., Jahiem White made an immediate impact with the Mountaineers. His blend of speed and elusiveness made him the perfect compliment to fellow running back CJ Donaldson. Together, White, Donaldson and quarterback Garrett Greene gave WVU one of the most productive rushing attacks in the nation over the last two seasons.

White led the team in rushing each of the last two seasons, running for 842 yards and four touchdowns in 2023 and 845 yards and seven scores this season.

West Virginia Mountaineers running back Jahiem White (1) rushes the ball against UCF Knights during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Morgantown, W.Va. (WVSN photo by William Wotring)

White’s ability was evident early on during his freshman season. After impressing in the spring game, White ran for 110 yards and a touchdown in week two against Duquesne. However, the bulk of his production did not come until later in the year. Over his final six games, White rushed for 657 of his 842 yards on the year.

While White didn’t have as many big performances this season, partly because of Donaldson staying healthy, he received consistent carries and was productive throughout the year. He carried the ball over 10 times in all but three games and went over 40 yards in all but three.

White currently has over 1,900 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns so far in his WVU career, a career that’s not over yet.

After some speculated White would join Donaldson in leaving via the transfer portal, he ended up staying put, likely at least partly due to West Virginia retaining Chad Scott, who will now serve as running backs coach on Rich Rodriguez’s coaching staff.

Find more coverage of Jahiem White at WV Sports Now.