Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Charles White’s son shines at UNLV camp

Like father, like son.

It was 23 years ago that a USC tailback named Charles White won the Heisman Trophy. His head coach at the time was John Robinson.

Saturday afternoon at Rebel Park, Robinson was once again watching a White run, only this time it was Charles' son, Ashton.

Ashton White, a two-way star for the Santa Margarita (Calif.) High School football team, spent the day taking part in UNLV's West Coast Passing Championship Tournament which was won by perennial Southern California prep power Newhall Hart.

The 6-foot, 205-pound White, who might be best remembered for his role as a power-hitting center fielder for a South Mission Viejo, Calif., team that lost a 5-4 heartbreaker to Guadalupe, Mexico in the 1997 Little League World Series championship game, made a number of dazzling plays in the passing tournament. Santa Margarita lost in the semifinals of the 14-team tourney to Palmdale, Calif.

During a break between games, Robinson joined Arizona and Kansas in offering White a scholarship.

"It was great to see him again," White said with a smile. "I hadn't seen him in such a long time."

White's father was a running backs coach for Robinson at USC from 1993-97 and also played for him with the Rams.

"(Robinson) had my dad for all those years," White said. "It was a great experience to see him again ... and being offered (a scholarship) and maybe playing for a guy my dad played for so many years."

White said he has fond memories hanging out at USC's Howard Jones Field with his dad and Robinson.

"It was really fun back then," he said. "You could learn things about the way guys played football at that level."

Now White, who rushed for 1,642 yards and scored 25 touchdowns en route to first team all-CIF Division I honors, is just a year away from taking his talents to that level. Surprisingly, some schools are recruiting him more as a safety.

"Hopefully I can play running back in college," he said. "It's what my dad played and it's my favorite position to play. My dad says I run just like him. But I wouldn't be upset if somebody decides to move me if they think that's best for the team."

And what about baseball, a sport which made White and his teammates national celebrities when they were just 12 years old?

"I didn't play last year," White said. "I think I will play this season. But football is definitely No. 1 on my list right now."

Johnson, who met with Lemming when he visited Las Vegas on Memorial Day weekend, is one of only 10 running backs from across the country chosen by Lemming for the list, and the only prospect from Nevada.

UCLA reportedly has the early lead for Johnson's services.

Meanwhile, another of the state's top prospects, Las Vegas High wide receiver Corey Williams (6-3, 195), has given Washington what ESPN.com and several other recruiting sites are listing as "a soft commitment."

Williams also is reportedly considering Washington State, UNLV, Arizona and Oregon State.

Basic went 3-0 in its bracket of UNLV's passing tournament on Saturday before being eliminated in a wild shootout by eventual runner-up Palmdale. The Wolves earlier this summer won a 16-team local tournament, defeating Bishop Gorman in the finals, and finished fourth in a 24-team tourney at Utah State.

Senior wide receiver Brandon Hawkins (6-2, 190) is one of the state's top prospects who has garnered the attention of UNLV and a number of Pac-10 schools. But the Wolves' top prospect may be 6-0 junior Chris Montano, who along with Santa Margarita sophomore Nick Sanchez were the top passing quarterbacks at the tourney.

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