West Virginia Football 2016 Player Previews: Ka'Raun White

2015 Season Stats & Review

Ka'Raun White took the same route to West Virginia that his old brother Kevin did. Transferring to WVU from Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Ka'Raun struggled for much of his first year. He finished the year with only 15 receptions.

Ka'Raun made his first reception in the blowout loss against Baylor. He finished with 2 catches for 40 yards. His first true breakout game came against Texas Tech where he finished with 5 catches and 80 yards. The game showcased White's ability to fight through traffic and catch the ball away from his body and away from defenders.

White would breakout in a big way against the Sun Devils in the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl. On the third play of the game, Skyler Howard dropped back and launched a beautiful rainbow that dropped in Ka'Raun's hands as he raced for a 53-yard completion. He would finish the game with 4 catches and 116 yards. The game showcased the ability coaches saw in White. He was physical, he was fast, and he won contested catches.

2016 Outlook

It is never fair to compare brothers who play the same position. However, when you watch Ka'Raun run routes, catch the football and see those dreadlocks flowing in the air, WVU fans immediately remember Kevin White. It is a tough billing to live up to for Ka'Raun but the expectations should help drive him to be the best player he can be.

WVU has lots of speedy wide receivers. Shelton Gibson, Jovon Durante and Stephen Smothers all possess blinding speed. What the Mountaineers need is a physical receiver who makes tough catches in traffic, who boxes out defenders in the redzone and can win jump balls. Ka'Raun has all of those abilities.

Ka'Raun's brother caught 35 balls his first year before breaking out with 109 his senior year. He went from 507 yards to 1449 yards. He doubled his touchdowns from 5 to 10. The WVU coaches told Kevin to start using his body, his physicality to win jump balls and box defenders out. The coaches relayed the exact same message to Ka'Raun.

Reports from this spring indicate the coaching has taken. Ka'Raun is entering the year with more confidence. If he can make the same type of jump his brother did, look for Ka'Raun to become a fan favorite this year.

Projected 2016 Stats