Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Player Profile: West Virginia Wide Receiver Kevin White

By: Daniel Ingham

MORGANTOWN, W. Va.,- Bent over with his hands on his knees, the sweat dripping down his face, Kevin White stood at the center of Milan Puskar Stadium, hungry for the football season to begin for the West Virginia Mountaineers.

White threw down his duffle bag and dragged his body into his room. He collapsed on his bed and laid their face down, exhausted. After five minutes, White sat up with his face in his hands, realizing his night was far from over.

As the 2013 season approached for the Mountaineers, White realized what it was like to be a college athlete at a big university.

Coming into the season, White expected to start and have an immediate impact for the Mountaineers. White stayed in Morgantown for the entire summer, working his tail off to be a starter at wide receiver for opening day. “I worked out at least six hours a day over the summer, preparing for the start of the season,” White said.

 “We put in our special teams work on Sundays, and by Tuesday we put in the game plan for our opponent that week,” White said.

Being a college athlete is grueling. Managing enough time for both school and football is a challenge every college athlete faces. “It’s tough you have to manage your time well. If you have a test you have to find time to study for your test and study for your opponent,” White said.

A rising issue in collegiate athletics is whether or not college athletes should be paid or not. Athletes are required to perform on the field and do all the necessary preparation prior to game day, but also have to consistently perform in the classroom. A college athlete’s schedule is exhausting, demanding and time consuming, making football seem as close to a job as it could possibly be.

With his hair still wet from the shower, White sat down at the table and began stuffing his face with food. White had just finished his morning workout and had 20 minutes until class started. White kicked out his seat and jumped up. He flung his backpack over his shoulder, grabbed what was left on his plate and began hustling to class.

“On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I lift at 6:30 a.m. and then go to three straight classes. After that I eat, go to practice and then watch film. There’s only about two hours for me to do my school work at night. I go to sleep around 10:30 p.m. and wake up and do it all again,” White said.

Two hours a day is not a lot of time for a college student to get the proper amount of studying they need to excel in the classroom. Athletes are asked to do extra-circular activities for the university as well.

“We have to talk to the media every Tuesday. We also have like a fan day. We have to sign like a thousand balls, t-shirts and other stuff for the fans,” White said. College athletes are signing autographs for fans, and not making a single dollar from it. All the revenue that they help produce for the athletic program is being pocketed by the university and spent on other necessities.

Despite the challenges that college athletes face, White has responded to each and every one. From almost quitting football in his freshmen year at Lackawanna Junior College, to now dealing with the day-to-day grueling lifestyle of a division one athlete, Kevin White has never lost sight of his dream.

“Getting to the point in life that I am at right now wasn’t easy, but all the obstacles I had to overcome taught me life lessons that I will cherish forever,” White said.

In White’s first career game as a Mountaineer, he had seven receptions for 80 yards against Oklahoma. Since then White has emerged as the go-to-guy for West Virginia. He is second in the team in receiving yards with 244 and leads the team in touchdown receptions with three.

“I want to help this team win football games. Winning is the only thing that matters and I’m willing to do whatever I need to do to help our team accomplish our goals,” White said.

The road to West Virginia University was not easy for White. White had to overcome many obstacles on his way to becoming a Mountaineer.

Kevin White grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey but his mother was dissatisfied with the bad neighborhood and decided to leave. White and his family moved to Lehigh Valley, in Pennsylvania where White attended Emmaus High School. White played cornerback on the junior varsity team all the way up to his senior year. Finally in his senior year White was moved up to varsity and played wide receiver.

“He worked hard to prepare for our senior season,” Brent Gearhart, White’s high school teammate said. “He had never played wide receiver before, but he did what coach asked of him and really improved our football team.”

White was elected to the All-Lehigh Valley Athletic Conference team as a receiver and defensive back. He had 46 catches for 747 yards, and 10 touchdowns.

“I remember playing Emmaus our senior year. White had a big game making plays all over the field. He scored a touchdown on us, but we ended up beating them in overtime,” said Dom Posocco, the Parkland quarterback that played against White in high school. “It’s no surprise to me that he’s had so much success and is now playing at West Virginia.”

As White emerged as a star for Emmaus, he began receiving offers from colleges to play football. “Pittsburgh, Youngstown State and a couple of Division 1 AA offered me scholarships, but my grades were too bad,” White said. Due to White’s grades in high school, he decided to attend Lackawanna Junior College.

Coach Charles Grande recruited Kevin White to come to Lackawanna. “One of our former players who runs a sports performance recommended him to us. When I saw his film I knew he had the ability. He has size, speed and athletic ability,” Grande said.

Before attending Lackawanna, White played in a high school all-star game where he injured his shoulder. At his first year at Lackawanna he battled through an irritating shoulder injury that led to him being redshirted.

“Kevin worked hard to come back. He did what we asked of him but the injury was a nagging one so we decided it was in his best interest to redshirt him,” said Mark Duda, head coach of Lackawanna.
White was very discouraged by the injury and left Lackawanna and took the spring semester off. He was deciding whether or not to quit football and give up his dream. After talking with his family members, White decided to rejoin the team in the fall.

“Kevin is a very polite and courteous individual. He has always been very respectful to me as his coach and all his teachers when at Lackawanna. As a football player he is hard working, serious and dedicated. It was a pleasure to have coached him,” Duda said.

In his second season at Lackawanna, White started at receiver, grabbing 36 balls for 535 yards and six touchdowns. He received offers from Texas Tech and West Virginia before finally deciding to attend West Virginia University last spring.

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