Hall-of-fame father and standout son bond over USU football
When junior wide receiver Kyrese Rowan joined Utah State football, not only did he grow as an athlete, he also grew his relationship with his stepdad Emmett White. After coming into Rowan’s life at age six, they built a close relationship based on football training.
Playing USU football is now a family legacy. White started his collegiate career in 1998 and quickly made a name for himself. Eleven years after graduating, he was inducted into the USU Hall of Fame.
A forceful running back, White earned Associated Press Third-Team All-American honors while setting numerous records. He set the still-standing NCAA single-game record for all-purpose yards with 578, a school record of 322 rushing yards, 134 receiving yards and two punt return yards. He led the country with 238.9 all-purpose yards per game, ranking No. 6 in NCAA history.
White also had a school-record-tying four 200-yard rushing games during his career. All-time, White ranks second in school history in all-purpose yards (5,872) and punt return average (10.5), fourth in touchdowns (32), sixth in rushing yards (2,791), rushing attempts (517), rushing average (5.4) and kickoff return average (23.9) and eighth in total points scored (194).
USU Athletics Photo of Emmett White in 2001 at Maverik Stadium.
Phil Weber Junior wide receiver Kyrese Rowan warms up on the field pre-game on Saturday, Nov. 18.
Out of high school, Rowan hoped to come to USU, but a change in the coaching staff hindered his recruitment. Instead, he played at the University of Utah for three years and then decided to transfer.
“Entering the transfer portal, it was just the best option,” Rowan said. “I was really attracted to their offense, how coach performed and how they had so many yards. It was just an attractive school for me as a receiver and that’s kind of really why I wanted to. Then, the cherry on top you know, my dad went here, and I could follow in his footsteps a little bit.”
White went to the Utah games to support his son, but where he really wanted to be on Saturday night was Cache Valley.
“When the game was over, I would just try to shoot up to Logan if I could to get up to that game,” White said. “When it didn’t align, I was in the Utah stadium, which took me a moment to get used to. With him going up there, I was like, ‘OK, now he wears the same colors,’ because I’m not much of a red guy. I could bring out all my Aggie stuff.”
White has many fond memories of his time at USU, even if it wasn’t what he expected. At the time when recruiters were scouting high school athletes, White had torn his meniscus in basketball. This is when the University of Utah came to look at him play.
“When a coach from Utah came to watch me one game, I just probably didn’t have a really good game,” White said. “And from that one observation, the guy kind of wrote me off. Coach McBride was like, ‘That was one of the silliest, the biggest recruiting mistakes.’”
On a recruiting visit at USU, White met with former head football coaches Dave Arslanian and John L. Smith, who White said convinced him to join their team. The university even told him he’d help them sell tickets. It was on the trip White realized Cache Valley wasn’t as bad as he had thought.
“The university was telling me ‘Hey, you’re going to help us make money.’ They’d never say that to you now. I was like, ‘Hey, this guy thinks I’m going to help them sell tickets, cool.’ I made that decision and just had a great four years,” White said.
When Rowan was just old enough to play football, White came into his life and was able to teach him what he had learned at USU and beyond.
“It changed me as an athlete. If you knew me before he came into my life, I was unathletic. I’d probably trip over my own feet if I tried to run,” Rowan said. “I trained with him. He never forced it upon me to go to training, and he was there every day.”
The everyday training paid off both on and off the field.
At Roy High School, Rowan was a two-time all-state honoree, earning first-team honors as a senior. He was named the 2018 Region 5 MVP, recording 38 receptions for 681 yards and five touchdowns and had 31 carries for 264 yards and five touchdowns. Defensively, he posted 39 tackles to go along with nine passes defended and five interceptions as a senior.
Off the field, the training bonded Rowan and White as they watched each other succeed.
“For the first part of our life, the majority of the bonding moments were on the field,” Rowan said. “As I moved away and went to college, we weren’t always able to go train, but every time I went home, we would always hit the fields and have those talks. It’s a lot easier on the field than on the couch.”
Since coming to USU, it has only gotten better. Rowan said he looks up to his dad in his successes post-football career. Now, White coaches and trains athletes of all ages and is an instructional coach at his local high school.
“Now we’re starting to become a lot closer off the field, and un-football-related as that is, coming closer to an end,” Rowan said. “I started really enjoying it and taking pride in working hard and that’s where I got it from. I see him going from gym to gym, school to school, working with these kids, helping them develop and all. He really inspired me just to work hard and stay at it and stay positive.”
Staying positive is something Rowan had to learn as his football career took a different path than expected. He didn’t anticipate how hard the transition would be to USU.
“Initially, it was pretty rough. Last year was rough for me, and the coaches know, my attitude wasn’t the best,” Rowan said. “This year, I just took over my role as a special teams player and a few snaps on offense and just watched Terrell do his thing and wait my turn patiently. Hopefully next year, we’ll be able to take off a little bit, but I’m starting to get closer with all the players, all the coaches, earn some respect, earn some equity, and I’m enjoying it now.”
One of the biggest manifestations of their close relationship happened at the start of the 2023 season. While some knew White had a son on the team, they’d often look for “White” on a jersey and never found it. This year, Rowan changed the name on his jersey for his dad.
“He’s my stepdad, but I call him my dad because he’s been there for the majority of my life. I wanted to pay tribute to him because he’s been there with me through every step,” Rowan said. “I thought it was the right thing to do for me to wear ‘White.’ Sooner or later, hopefully, it’s on the roster, because every time they call my name, they say Rowan. As long as he knows what it was for, then that’s all I really care about.”
White said he was proud of Rowan before, but it was different to see their name on his jersey.
“It was just good to see him run out that first time in with the U State on his helmet, but that was probably 10 times bigger than when he first got up there,” White said. “Now you actually see your son running around with your name on the back of the jersey. I mean, I was proud of him before, but now he’s starting to put his own imprint on his own career.”
With the many accomplishments White had on the field, his favorite memories were often times outside of games. He reminisced on the “rally environment” in practice and those who took him under their wing, Craig Miller, John Dale and Ken Watts. He remembered the community events and playing sports with kids who looked up to them.
But the best part, he said, was how it opened doors for him to meet people who he still considers good friends, former teammates who have meetups at USU football games across the country and who supported him when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“I just had opportunities in football open for me, and that’s why I always have a spot for Utah State, regardless if my son’s there or not. Just for the fact of what they did for me to kickstart my life, in general, was amazing. Now, I just tried to give back,” White said.
White looks forward to Rowan’s future success and the relationship they have because of their common love for football. He believes USU football will continue to set him up for success.
“I look up to him, he inspires me, he motivates me,” Rowan said. “He is my role model for sure in life, so I’m proud to call my dad.”