Dad always said, if you work hard and have the talent, they will find you.
Jeremiah White took that advice to heart, which explains why one of the state’s most athletic and versatile football players bucked the trend. In 2023, the year of the transfer express in Hawaii prep football, White is a rarity. He stayed right where he wanted. At Kaimuki, he is rooted.
“I didn’t want to leave. If I start something, I want to finish it. My dad always said, ‘It doesn’t matter what school you go to. If you have talent, they’ll find you.’ “
His father is the late Josh “Zeus” White, the former Radford and Farrington standout, and Cal running back.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m at Kaimuki or another school. Kaimuki is home. I fit in a lot more than any other place I’ve been. It’s like a family,” Jeremiah White said.
The Bulldogs scraped by in the offseason with no more than 20 players in the conditioning program. Lean times are common for the proud ‘Dogs, but so is success at the Division II level. White spent a lot of mornings and afternoons grinding under the hot sun. Kapaolono Park. Ala Wai Park. Alone. With teammates. It is the way, going back to serene days at the park during COVID-19.
“If I’m alone, one day is one-step cuts and another day might be top of the route, getting out of breaks and stuff. Another day might be working on releases on the line,” White said. “Summer time, Sefa (Kaimuki quarterback Iosefa Letuli) would come. I usually walk to the park or my mom would drop me off.”
He has played Pylon football once. There are no bulletin-board splash photos. Just a young man living a life based purely on hope and faith. If it sounds naive, perhaps it is, but it works for White. Four D-I universities have made scholarship offers to White: Army, Hawaii, Navy and Nevada. His ability to produce as a wide receiver has led to All-State (third team) recognition by coaches and media. White had 31 receptions for 607 yards and five touchdowns while doubling as a starter on defense. He brings more power this season on the other side of the ball, playing defensive back.
“Jeremiah has been laying some hat this year,” Kaimuki coach Reid Yoshizawa said.
Even teams that did solid work containing White understand his capabilities.
“He’s going to be their playmaker with their quarterback,” ‘Iolani coach Wendell Look said. “Those two have to stay healthy. They’re capable of making big plays together. (White) torched us for a couple of big plays.”
“That quarterback is legit, too.”
Punahou coach Nate Kia guided many of the top players at the youth level when he was with the Metro Tigers.
“He played with so many other class-of-2024s, including Ty McCutcheon, Aizik Mahuka, Ala‘i Williams, (Va‘aimalae) Fonoti, Alika Cavaco-Amoy, Anieli Teleaai just to name a few. He played everything from quarterback to defensive back. Great athlete, tough competitor, but also such a respectful, good-natured kid,” Kia said. “Of the hundreds of terrific young men we had come through that program, he stood out. He was special then and he still is today.”
Kaiser coach Tim Seaman has seen elite talent for decades.
“His sophomore year, I remember seeing him and thinking that Koby Moananu, who gave us fits, had graduated and now we have to deal with this guy. You could tell he was special in terms of athleticism and how he carried himself,” Seaman said.
Moananu was a prolific pass catcher in a pass-heavy attack under then-head coach David Tautofi. Moananu is a nephew of Coach Yoshizawa.
“I always compare Jeremiah to Koby. I feel like skill wise, athleticism wise, all the same. The difference is that Miah is about 1,000 times a harder worker. Koby, Jayden Maiava, they tore it up. They were fortunate. They had video-game stats. Sefa and Miah are a good combo, too, but we don’t throw it up 60 times a game,” Yoshizawa said.
The Bulldogs are in triple-option offense mode, which will shorten games and give their thin depth chart better odds at staying healthy. So far White has nine receptions for 104 yards.
By game’s end, White leaves the field only during punt coverage. He returns kicks and is on kickoff coverage. Kaimuki (0-2) is weaning several new players into eligible status, which requires 10 practices. Many of them never played organized football before, and a good chunk of the team is on the varsity only because Kaimuki has no junior varsity this season.
It’s enough to put added pressure on senior quarterback Iosefa Letuli and his playmaking classmate, White. There was so much more in the offseason, when four linemen departed. Eric McFall, one of their senior leaders, went to American Samoa to help look after his grandparents. Two other linemen moved out of the district.
“Their families couldn’t afford the cost of housing,” Yoshizawa said.
Another key lineman moved back to Minnesota. Every departure sent a shock wave through the program, where one player has the equivalent of two, three, even four roles in a much larger, deeper program.
After losing freshman year to the pandemic, White showed promise as a sophomore, and had a strong junior year. Along the way, like many other standout players across the state, opportunities to transfer began to materialize.
Older brother Nui played at Saint Louis, but White never made the move. An OIA powerhouse program expressed interest, White said, in 2022 and this year.
He preferred to stay put. He likes lead his team by serving them, to serve them by leading them.
“It’s fun and it’s also teaching me to just, when things get rough, I can’t turn my back on my brothers. Just keep working, keep pushing,” he said. “It’s a big responsibility, but it’s something that will help me at the next level.”
Any potential landing at a private school would have involved some level of tuition, and that was not going to work for White, particularly in a single-parent household.
Zeus White played in the Arena Football League in Texas, then brought his family — four children in all — back to Hawaii. Jeremiah was born and raised in Dallas. When they landed in Honolulu, he enrolled at Kaimuki and that was that.
“He is the baby of the family. Zeus had big plans for him,” said Leonard Lau, a longtime coach who is also White’s uncle.
Zeus White had a history of hospital visits due to a heart condition. In 2020, he went to the hospital. There was only the expectation that he would return home later.
“I was 14 or 15. I remember it clearly. He was sickly, would go in and out of the hospital. A normal thing,” White recalled. “He’ll come out in a few days. He went in and he passed away. My mom rushed to the hospital and she called my brother. We were at home in the living room.”
Zeus White was 43. He left an imprint on his children. Expectations. Hopes. Without his father’s presence, Jeremiah White could’ve had a major dropoff with schoolwork and sports. Instead, he kept grinding non-stop. He has a 3.7 cumulative grade-point average.
Like many in the football community, Seaman was shocked to hear of Zeus White’s passing.
“Jeremiah’s dad would be very proud of how his son competes, and of his character,” he said. “He puts forth great effort, is very talented and represents Kaimuki High School well.”
In the weight room, White bench presses 275 pounds and squats 350 — superb numbers for a 6-foot-1, 170-pound skill athlete.
“I usually go after practice and weight train with my (trainer), Jack Cambra, five days a week,” he said. “My advice to young kids is keep working because I was once there and I didn’t see any progress, but I knew I was getting stronger. Keep going, keep working. You’ll get there.”
White’s siblings Imani, Tehani and Nui all looked after their youngest. Zeus was an excellent cook, and Jeremiah learned to make a dish or two. He’s in the process of learning how to drive thanks to his mother, Ginger.
The Lau side of his extended family has an extensive list of stellar athletes, from basketball players to football players to volleyball players and even a professional surfer. White is close with cousins Marley Roe (Utah Tech volleyball) and Dalen Lau (Sacramento State soccer). Through Dalen, he met his girlfriend, Jordyn Eldredge Sagapolutele, and became very close with her family.
Rarely, if ever, does he show his pain. There were countless hours at the park, pushing himself to the brink, all the drills his dad had taught him. When it didn’t make sense, he leaned on the only words that did:
“Good people pass away. The godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die.”
“That’s Isaiah 57:1-2,” White said. “There’s always going to be a connection with my dad. I believe that it was for the better. God took him for a reason.”
Uncle Leonard keeps a close eye on nephew, making sure he has what he needs. Yet, he worries sometimes.
“He had to step up and take control of his life, his path and his direction along with his older brother and sisters. Miah was Zeus’ baby, the one who was going to do well in high school, college, and possibly beyond. They were really close,” Lau said. “Even with us, Miah doesn’t show any type of emotion. It’s God’s plan and he’s going to continue to move on and make his father proud, make his legacy continue. He’s the youngest grandchild in the Lau family. We want him to be the best out of everybody.”
Lau, once an interim head coach at Punahou, is now an assistant at Kaiser. Kaimuki will play at Kaiser on Sept. 29.
On the practice field, White has learned to lead with his actions and his voice.
“It’s tough and it’s new. I was always a quiet kid. Now I have to lead and be a voice on the team, which is different. I’m learning to adapt, but it’s also fun. Our younger guys want to learn. They want to get better. I’m hard on them, but I’m understanding,” he said.
Letuli, the field general, has always been less shy. At 6 feet, 5 inches and 230 pounds, he expects precision and doesn’t compromise. It is Harmon Sio, Kaimuki’s 6-4, 300-pound lineman, who provides the occasional joke.
“Miah and Harmon are best friends. Harmon is the jokester. Miah has to laugh,” Yoshizawa said. “I always say, ‘Don’t laugh, that’s not funny.’ If Harmon misses an assignment, Sefa gets on him and yells at him.”
Yoshizawa believes Letuli’s willingness to keep his teammates accountable is a big help. Letuli doesn’t mind setting the tone.
“There’s a certain time and place to mess around. I’ll get on them once, but they know when we have a certain task to complete, it’s game week, everyone knows to lock in,” Letuli said. “Not to call people out, but keep everyone in line.”
Kaimuki has struggled through two games, losing to ‘Iolani, 59-26, and Roosevelt, 28-13.
“It’s still early. We’re just beating ourselves.,” White said. “We have a lot of little things we can fix. We’re on the same page, same mindset. We all have the same goal. We’re ready to prove everyone wrong. I believe we can win a state title and OIA title with this team.”
Kaimuki is a true underdog this fall.
“Just trust the process. I believe this is just the beginning of something great,” White said. “We are going to turn it around. We’re going to be a whole different team from practice getting ready for Waialua.”
Kaimuki and Waialua meet on Thursday at Farrington’s Skippa Diaz Stadium.
White has been superlative on the basketball court, as well. The point guard averaged 20 points per game as a junior, turning in tough defensive effort in every game. He has no plans to skip his senior season on the hardwood.
White will stay the course and enjoy senior year. If he seems alone at times, he doesn’t mind. Mourning keeps the memories alive.
“I miss my dad a lot,” White said. “Just the little things. After a game or during a game. Talking about sports, NFL trades and stuff.”
Jeremiah White Q&A and favorites
Kaimuki football, basketball
6-1, 170, Sr.
>> Top 3 movies/shows
1. “SpongeBob Squarepants”
2. “Umbrella Academy”
3. “The Little Rascals”
“I grew up watching it. I still watch it. My parents watched it when I was little.”
>> Top 3 foods/drinks
1. Mountain Dew
“It depends. Whenever I go to a party or family get-together, I’m drinking Mountain Dew.”
2. Chicken tenders and fries.
3. Spam musubi
>> Top 3 homemade food
1. Tacos
“My dad (Josh ‘Zeus’ White) would make them. I usually make burgers or something. It’s faster.”
2. Fajitas
“My dad would make those. Chicken fajitas.”
3. Spam musubi.
“Either my mom (Ginger) or dad makes it.”
>> Top 3 music artists/songs
1. Caleb Gordon – “Quick”
2. Alex Jean – “Wrote You a Letter”
3. Forward City and Travis Greene – “Tent Revival”
Favorite athlete/team: Ja’Marr Chase and Pittsburgh Steelers.
>> Weight room
Bench press: 275
Squat: 350
“Weight training. I usually go after practice to Hawaii Kai, 50 Barbell. My (trainer’s) house. Jack Cambra and Stacia Cambra.”
>> Funniest teammate: Harmon Sio
“The jokes he makes!”
>> Smartest teammate: Iosefa Letuli
“He’s just, if he doesn’t know something, he’ll work at it until he’s got it, on and off the field. He’s a hard worker.”
>> GPA: 3.7
“Some days I stay after school and finish work, or I come in during the mornings before school starts just to stay on top of things.”
>> Favorite teacher: Ms. (Mary Ann) Akamine
“This was English class last year. She always would help us. It was easy to communicate and talk to her about things. It was fun to be in her class.”
>> Favorite class: Psychology and English.
“I have favorite classes for every year, but this year, psychology. I like to know how the mind works.”
>> Hidden talent: Dancing
“I can do any kind of dance.”
>> New life skill: Driving
“I’m learning how to drive. My mom is teaching me. It was tough at first, but I’m getting the hang of it.”
>> Words of wisdom
“Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting from the evil to come. For those who follow godly paths will rest i peace when they die.” — Isaiah 57:1-2
>> Bucket list
“I want to go to the places in the Bible and see it in real life. Probably Jesus’ tomb.”
>> Time machine
“I would not want to time travel. I think I wouldn’t want to know what’s in the future for me. Just see what happens. I wouldn’t want to go back and change anything from the past because it might change the present now.”
>> Youth sports
“I played basketball when I was 5 (in Dallas). The season after, I played flag football, then I started playing tackle. I never tried any other sports.”
>> If you could go back in time, what would you tell your younger self?
“Stay faithful and pursue Jesus Christ.”
>> Shout outs
“My Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, my girlfriend Jordyn, my dad, my mom, my sisters Imani and Tehani, my brother Nui, My friends Harmon (Sio), Niu (Uluave), Ofa (Vehikite), Eric (McFall), Sefa (Letuli), Lukela (Hicks), Josiah (Hicks), Avin (Tanioka), Daysen (Lupica) and the whole Bulldog nation.”
