Published: April 15, 2008 11:46 pm         

WVU to promote White for Heisman

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia plans to start promoting quarterback Patrick White early for the Heisman Trophy.

First-year coach Bill Stewart and WVU’s sports communications staff will begin the push sometime after Saturday’s Gold-Blue spring scrimmage.

White finished sixth in last year’s Heisman race and 12th in 2006 without serious hype from the university. Ex-teammate Steve Slaton finished fourth two years ago.

Former coach Rich Rodriguez, who left for Michigan in December, believed in a team approach and set aside preseason Heisman hype, letting a players’ season performance do the talking.

Stewart is changing that philosophy as White heads into his senior season among the top contenders with 2007 winner Tim Tebow of Florida and Missouri’s Chase Daniel, who finished fourth a year ago.

“Patrick is the greatest player in college football today,” Stewart said. “If you’re the best ... then whatever our people can do for Patrick White, they should do. Patrick is such a down-to-earth, level guy, I’m not scared about him and what the attention might do.

“A lot of it is the type of individual he is. If he was some guy strutting around here, not doing some things, I’d say, ’Well, let’s just keep it within the framework of the team.”’

In the 2007 season, White rushed for 1,335 yards — the sixth-highest total for a quarterback in FBS history — and threw for 1,724 in leading the Mountaineers to an 11-2 record, including a win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl and a No. 6 final ranking. He ran for 14 TDs and threw for 14 more.

Although White needs 784 yards to become the all-time top rushing quarterback among major colleges, Stewart plans to let White throw the ball more. WVU averaged just 20.4 pass attempts last season.

First, the university needs to raise White’s profile.

“He needs to be on the cover of our media guide,” said Stewart, who was on the cover of WVU’s spring guide. “He needs to be our focal point. His teammates would be mad at me, would be livid with us, if we didn’t promote him.”