A new leader has been chosen to usher the Lumberjacks football team into the 2018 season.
Jacks offensive line coach Cory White has officially been given the title of Humboldt State’s interim head football coach, as announced at a press conference on Jan. 29.
Coach White was a student athlete at HSU about 17 years ago and never did he think he would find his way back in the program on the other side of the table.
“I am an alum,” White said. “I am a Jack. I was once too sitting in those meeting rooms, listening to the head coach, competing on the field and really never thought I would be in these shoes today.”
Coach White has 14 years of experience coaching college football. He has coached at every level including Division II, Division III and junior college. Before coming to HSU in the fall of 2016, coach White was the director of football operations at Division I Football Bowl Subdivision in New Mexico State for a year.
Along with coach White, interim athletic director Duncan Robins is greatly contributing to the work being done in keeping the normalcy of the football program for current student athletes.
“Not only do we have a strong coaching staff,” Robins said, “but everyone is comfortable with Cory leading them, so this interim position was a natural one to offer to Cory and he has accepted.”
Robins is specifically hired by collegiate athletic programs to improve their organization. He was hired at HSU during June of last year and his first task was to figure out what the budgets looked like.
After several months of Robins and HSU President Lisa Rossbacher trying to figure out whether or not the football program could be saved, it was announced the program would be back for another year with the help of outstanding boosters.
“We have a recruiting effort going on,” Robins said. “We have spring season being planned, we have a 10-game fall season waiting for us and our student athletes have some normalcy to their daily routines.”
Both White and Robins expressed their thanks for previous head football coach Rob Smith for all of the hard work and recognition he has brought to the football program.
Smith announced his resignation in a press conference a few weeks ago. Jan. 30 would have marked Smith’s 10th year as Jacks head football coach.
“There is a reason why coach Smith was here for 10 years,” White said. “This is a place of longevity.”
Senior linebacker Connor Cox has played for the Jacks since his first year in 2015. He is an Arcata native and attended Arcata High School just before coming to HSU.
“Nothing has really changed for us,” Cox said. “We are up every morning, like all prior years, doing the same workouts and putting in the same effort.”
With a strong football program still in route for the fall 2018 season, coach White plans on working to make this whole endeavor worth it.
“Humboldt football is here to stay,” White said.
