ASU RB Rachaad White reminds Herm Edwards of HOF back Marcus Allen
Aug 4, 2021, 2:11 PM
Arizona State running back Rachaad White, left, is tackled by UCLA linebacker Bo Calvert, right, during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020, in Tempe, Ariz. UCLA won 25-18. (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
When Arizona State head coach Herm Edwards looks at running back Rachaad White, he sees glimpses of an old friend and Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen.
Allen and Edwards actually go way back. When Edwards was a senior at San Diego State, he recruited Allen to come play for the Aztecs. The two later reunited in Kansas City when Edwards was the Chiefs’ defensive backs coach.
And while he doesn’t like comparing his players to Hall of Famers, Edwards can’t help but notice the similarities between White and Allen.
White comes into his senior season at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds — the same measurables as Allen.
“Rachaad has a lot of Marcus’ mannerisms,” Edwards said after the team’s first fall practice on Wednesday. “His height, his length, how he runs … there’s a lot of little mannerisms there that I watch and I go, ‘Man, that’s just like [Marcus].'”
Edwards mentioned how they are both effective in the running and passing game.
Over four games in 2020, White finished first on the team in rushing yards (420) and receiving yards (151).
He also led the nation in yards per carry (10.0) and had the second longest rushing touchdown (Chris Tyree, 94) when he hit a 93-yard house call against Arizona.
RACHAAD WHITE.
93 YARDS.
WHAT IS GOING ON.
🎥 https://t.co/ai5cgW0WIH pic.twitter.com/8JBbQQh2Wo
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) December 12, 2020
Because of his impressive production in just a few games, White, along with halfback DeaMonte Trayanum, was named to the Doak Walker Award watch list for 2021. The award is given to the nation’s top running back.
“I’m not saying he’s Marcus Allen,” Edwards said. “I’m saying there’s some similarities and some traits [they both share].”
Allen was a Heisman Trophy winner (1981) at USC and broke the school’s single season rushing record (2,427). The Oakland Raiders drafted him 10th overall the following year. He was named Super Bowl XVIII MVP (1984) and the league’s MVP (1985) while in Oakland. Allen finished the final five years of his career with the Chiefs and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
