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| Whittier athletics photo |
Whittier announced last fall that it was resurrecting the football program, which had been dropped after the 2022 season. Cory White has now been named as the coach to lead that reboot of the Poet program.
"Following an extensive search that featured extremely strong candidates across the country, Cory emerged as the ideal choice to be our next head coach," Whittier athletic director Rock Carter said. "He is a man of high integrity and character that has worked in all levels of winning programs. Cory understands the impact that a successful football program can have on a community, and I am confident in his ability to build a program that will be a source of pride for our students, our alumni, and the Whittier community.
"I am thrilled to welcome Cory, his wife Cheryl and sons Nolan, Weston and Caden into the Whittier College family."
White most recently spent time at Northern Illinois as an assistant coach for tight ends and fullbacks, however, his roots are in Southern California. He earned his bachelor's degree in education from Humboldt State and has a master's degree from Whittier. He spent two seasons on the Whittier staff between 2004 and 2006 under coach Greg Carlson, and from there served two different stints as a member of the Chapman coaching staff, followed by two at New Mexico State, and three at the University of San Diego.
He also returned to Humboldt for almost two years between 2016 and 2018, eventually serving a short stint as the interim head football coach.
"Throughout the process, it became clear Cory has the passion and energy to take on this challenge," Carter said. "He has a strong work ethic, is supportive of the academic mission of the college, and has a plan that aligns with President (Kristine) Dillon's 'bring back better' directive. He is an ideal fit for our college, and I look forward to the leadership he will provide our program."
White's coaching background is in developing not only quality tight end talent, but quality offensive line talent. Between Chapman, USD, Humboldt State and New Mexico State, White has more than a decade of experience coaching that position group alone. During his stop at New Mexico State between 2020 and 2022, White coached one of his players, Sage Doxtater, to a second round selection in the Canadian Football League draft.
As the tight ends coach at USD in 2018, White played a key role in the development of tight end Dalton Kincaid, who earned freshman All-America recognition and later transferred to Utah before becoming a first round draft pick with the Buffalo Bills. He later had a stint at USD as the offensive coordinator and running backs coach in 2022 before making his way to Northern Illinois. The Huskies pulled off a historic upset of Notre Dame while White was on staff this past year, and in his first season, NIU tight ends accounted for seven of the Huskies' 15 receiving touchdowns.
While at Chapman, White held the role of recruiting coordinator, and later an assistant athletics director role where he directed the game management and work study programs at the school. He then moved to a Director of Player Development position at New Mexico State before returning as a coach in March 2020.
White's first day on campus will be Feb. 17, 2025.