KWU Athletics
Tony White (JR/Cincinnati, Ohio) appears to be settling in as Kansas Wesleyan's starting quarterback. And there's no doubt he's having a ton of fun doing so.
After serving as Isaiah Randalle (JR/Sacramento, Calif.)'s back up last fall, White is the main man in the Coyotes' offense after Randalle opted to transfer after the season. White, who played at Langston (Okla.) before coming to KWU, made his debut Saturday during the team's "Spring 15" final practice at Graves Family Sports Complex.
And what a debut it was.
White guided the offense to touchdowns on the four series he played during the 12-series scrimmage. He threw two touchdown passes – a 3-yarder to Javin Fish on the first series of the day and later a 40-yard strike to Jacquante Pitts (JR/Miami, Fla.) on a perfectly thrown ball just over the defender that Pitts caught in stride on his way to the end zone.
White threw a 50-yard completion to Drevon Macon (JR/Los Angeles, Calif.) on the first play of the day.
"I love it, it's very exciting," said White who's working with new offensive coordinator James Bauer. "I get to take charge out there. We've got a new RPO (Run Pass Option) system going so it's exciting for sure."
White played in 10 games in 2021 completing 65.3 percent of his passes for 510 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also had 33 yards rushing on nine carries.
White said the offense hasn't changed much since Bauer's arrival from Southwestern.
"It's pretty much the same," he said. "We fixed a few things, tweaked a few things. The Run Pass Options are the biggest difference and I love it."
One thing that has changed is the receiving corps that's minus standouts Stevie Williams (SR/Los Angeles, Calif.) and Eren Jenkins (FR/Chicago, Ill.). They combined for 109 catches for 1,997 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2021.
White, though, likes the targets he has.
"These guys are amazing, they're very locked in," he said. "They know they have big shoes to fill but they're feeling it for sure. They're going to have a big season this year."
White said playing behind Randalle, the Kansas Conference's Player of the Year and an AFCA Honorable Mention All-American, paid dividends.
"I was able to see what's going on last fall with the entire team and it really helped me prepare for this," he said.
First-year KWU coach Matt Myers was pleased with White's first outing as the starter.
"Tony had a really good day," he said. "Bauer started him off with a shot and he completed it and he kept completing passes. We didn't let him get hit in the spring on purpose obviously. We want him to be as efficient as possible and the big plays will come. He's a talented player."
Three other quarterbacks also played Saturday – returners Isaac Stanton (FR/Salina, Kan.) and Ian Bock (JR/Alton, Ill.) along with Fish, a junior college transfer who also lineup up at tight end.
"We moved the ball and today I think we were more efficient than we've been in practice," Myers said. "Quarterbacks checked the ball down and the players took what the defense was giving them. The backs ran hard, we had some good push up front and the defense has played outstanding all spring.
"We were short a bunch of guys in the secondary. Up front we're going to be very, very talented and our linebackers are playing very well. We will be a talented defense."
Myers replaced Myers Hendrickson on December 17 after Hendrickson was named head coach at Division I Western Illinois. A former KWU linebacker and assistant coach for six seasons, Myers was pleased with how things progressed during the first true spring session the Coyotes have had since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The players have responded very well," he said. "They got a full spring in the weight room so they got bigger and faster and stronger and it showed in my opinion. The guys who played for us last fall and came out this spring looked faster to me. They put in the work and they got better."
The focus now shifts to preparations for fall camp which begins in August. The Coyotes open the season against Friends on September 3 in Wichita.
"When I break down how the fall should work it's going to be not just install-scheme and outcomes," Myers said. "I'm going to focus on processes and how we do stuff and why we do it.
"We need to be loyal, resilient and adaptable and that's going to be the overall focus for this staff and for the players. If we work that out and everyone can understand that we're going to be really good."