West Virginia freshmen RBs come in different sizes, skill sets

White stands just 5-foot-7 but is well put together at 190-pounds, while Oliver looks more like a linebacker than a running back with his 5-foot-10, 250-pound frame. And that 250-pound weight classification actually could be on the lower side of where he tips the scales.

After spending 15-practices with the team during spring and the duration of summer, White is further along in his overall development and that provides some interesting wrinkles as to what can be done with him in the framework of the offense. Despite his size, the freshman has already proven to be more than capable with the ball in his hands and can be utilized out of the backfield or as a receiver.

“Shown the ability in spring ball and the summer to flex out and be special with the ball in his hands,” offensive coordinator Chad Scott said.

White has taken advantage of the two-spotting that is occurring early in fall camp in order to showcase just what he can handle and how he can be deployed when the season does roll around.

Some of that will sort itself out in the coming weeks, but here is no question that he can make things happen as was evident in the spring game when he rushed for 91 yards including a 53-yard touchdown burst.

The trick is testing out what he can bring to the table without putting too much on his plate which could cause him to hesitate and think about what he’s doing on the field.

“He’s special. We’ve got a guy that is talented and the worst thing we can do is make him play slower than what he is. He’s fast so we’re not going to do that,” Scott said.

White has impressed with his ball skills at the position when being asked to play in the slot and adds to the overall talent that the Mountaineers are building in that room. How much he will end up there once the games roll around will depend entirely on how much he proves he is capable for it.

But when he gets the football out of the backfield, he causes issues for the defense as well given his size and vision.

“Just hearing those guys talk they can’t find him. He’s hard to find and they also talk about his pad level right away he’s got it naturally,” Scott said. “And he’s fast. He sees it really well, has phenomenal vision.”

As for Oliver, it’s an entirely different animal. Much like CJ Donaldson, the Florida native possesses excellent size and forces defenders in his path to make what Scott describes as “business decisions.” Given his frame and physical nature, Oliver is an efficient runner if he simply gets vertical.

“You’re an efficient runner naturally four yards just running north,” Scott said.

Scott, who recruited both of these backs and coaches the position, laughs that some of Oliver’s teammates weren’t sure what position he played when he first arrived on campus. Well, now they understand that he can run the football and get downhill in a hurry.

That is going to be interesting to track as the pads come on and tackling comes into play but even in the early stages of fall camp it’s apparent that his teammates aren’t as eager to fit up on him like they should when it comes to Oliver getting downhill.

But unlike White, Oliver is still in the process of learning and right now is in the midst of playing like a freshman that simply puts his head down and runs.

The Mountaineers have plenty of depth in the backfield with Donaldson to go along with Jaylen Anderson and Justin Johnson, but the two freshmen have a real chance to add to it. That will depend entirely on how the rest of camp unfolds but both players bring very exciting and different skill sets to the table for the future of the program.

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