White commits to the Mountaineers
West Virginia has had success with the White family in recent years so the Mountaineers went back to the well with the commitment of top safety prospect Kyzir White.
White, 6-foot-2, 210-pounds, is the youngest brother of former West Virginia wide receiver and first round NFL draft pick Kevin and current Mountaineer wide receiver Ka'Raun. And it was those strong connections that played a pivotal role in his decision.
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"I'm verbally committed. Saturday I was just talking to the coaches and I told them I was ready. They always knew I was interested but in the back of my head I knew they had my best interest at hand," he said. "The West Virginia coaches always stay in contact with me."
The Rivals.com four-star becomes the third member of the family to pledge to the football program following a visit to Morgantown over the weekend to meet with the coaching staff. During the course of his visit he spent time with his brother, Dayron Wilson and several other members of the team.
Unlike his brothers however, White is a standout on the defensive side of the football with the ability to line up at all of the various safety spots in the West Virginia 3-3-5 defense.
Bypassing scholarship offers from Arizona State, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Illinois, White becomes the 11th overall commitment for West Virginia in the 2016 cycle and the first true safety prospect in the current recruiting class.
West Virginia became an immediate frontrunner for White after the Mountaineers extended a scholarship offer in January. Wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway served as the lead recruiter for White and the pair developed a closed bond throughout the process.
On top of the strong connections to the program, White also saw the opportunity to step into immediate playing time given the upcoming departures of Karl Joseph and KJ Dillon. He is being slotted as a natural replacement for Dillon at the SPUR position.
"The opportunity is there for me to come in and play right away and I had a great relationship with the coaches and think it's the best for me," he said.
White will have three years to play two when he arrives at West Virginia next May. He plans to take official visits to programs such as Arizona State and Louisville in addition to West Virginia but maintains that his pledge is solid.
"I want to see some stuff but I gave them my word," he said.