West Virginia Football to Retire Pat White’s No. 5 in Saturday Ceremony

The West Virginia Mountaineers will honor one of the most dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks in college football history this weekend, retiring the No. 5 jersey worn by Pat White during a ceremony set for Saturday.

White becomes just the third player in program history to receive the honor, joining a select group that includes Major Harris, whose No. 9 was retired in 2021. The recognition caps a Mountaineers career in which White posted a 35-8 record over four seasons, one of the best winning totals by any quarterback in the country during that era.

A Career Defined by Bowl Victories

White’s resume is anchored by four bowl wins in four seasons. His highlights include a Sugar Bowl upset of Georgia and a Fiesta Bowl triumph over Oklahoma, along with a memorable Gator Bowl comeback against Georgia Tech and star receiver Calvin Johnson, in which West Virginia erased a 35-17 fourth-quarter deficit.

Statistically, White threw for 6,049 yards and rushed for 4,480 more, averaging 6.5 yards per carry while accounting for 103 total touchdowns through the air and on the ground.

Opponents who faced him remain emphatic about his impact. Devin McCourty, the former Rutgers star and current NBC analyst, squared off against White three times and described him simply as “unstoppable.” McCourty recalled that game plans appeared sound on paper, but White consistently escaped would-be tacklers or delivered precise throws against solid coverage.

From Morgantown to the Pros

White entered the NFL at a moment when the wildcat formation was reshaping offensive schemes. The Miami Dolphins selected him 44th overall in the 2009 draft, and he appeared in 13 games as a rookie. A January 2010 concussion, which left him unconscious on the field, proved to be his last regular-season snap. He later resurfaced in the UFL, had a brief stint with Washington, and closed his playing career in the CFL.

His college peak came before the name, image and likeness era, meaning he never captured the financial value his performances generated for the program — a point often raised when retrospective tributes like this one are made.

White’s legend now lives on across college football media coverage, a landscape shaped in part by broadcasters like NBC, a unit of Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA), where former opponents such as McCourty continue to recount his dominance.

What to watch

• Saturday’s ceremony details, including timing and halftime presentations from West Virginia’s game broadcast.
• Whether the program adds additional honorees to its list of retired numbers in coming seasons.
• Ongoing media coverage and tributes surrounding White’s career as college football’s NIL era continues to reframe discussions of past stars.

Source: original release