MORGANTOWN - A West Virginia football player could find himself in legal hot water soon.

Sources within the program said Monday that coach Bill Stewart is awaiting a police report that is expected to implicate safety Charles Pugh in the theft of a credit card from a car that was parked at the university and its subsequent use in fraudulent purchases.

Pugh and an unidentified woman allegedly found a set of car keys at the university's student union center last Tuesday and used the remote control "panic button'' on the keychain to locate the car in a parking lot. There, they allegedly took the credit card and perhaps other items, then used the card at several locations.

As of Monday afternoon there had been no arrests made, but Stewart had been made aware that an investigation was ongoing and was attempting to learn more. Stewart was unavailable for comment Monday night.

Quinton Andrews, another safety for the Mountaineers, was initially thought to be involved in the incident, but one source said he doesn't believe Andrews was a participant.

Pugh and Andrews are West Virginia's two most experienced safeties heading into the 2008 season.

Pugh, a 6-foot, 200-pound senior from Orlando, Fla., has played in 37 games during his career and has 60 tackles and three sacks. He started two games at the beginning of the 2006 season, but much of his playing time has come as a member of special teams. Last year, he played in 12 games and had 19 tackles, but has also showed a penchant for committing personal foul penalties.

Andrews, a 6-foot, 210-pound junior from Opa Locka, Fla., has played in 22 games in two years - 20 as a starter - and has 123 tackles and five interceptions.

At this rate, Pat White is going to need a separate trophy case just for his state athlete of the year awards.

MORGANTOWN - A West Virginia football player could find himself in legal hot water soon.

Sources within the program said Monday that coach Bill Stewart is awaiting a police report that is expected to implicate safety Charles Pugh in the theft of a credit card from a car that was parked at the university and its subsequent use in fraudulent purchases.

Pugh and an unidentified woman allegedly found a set of car keys at the university's student union center last Tuesday and used the remote control "panic button'' on the keychain to locate the car in a parking lot. There, they allegedly took the credit card and perhaps other items, then used the card at several locations.

As of Monday afternoon there had been no arrests made, but Stewart had been made aware that an investigation was ongoing and was attempting to learn more. Stewart was unavailable for comment Monday night.

Quinton Andrews, another safety for the Mountaineers, was initially thought to be involved in the incident, but one source said he doesn't believe Andrews was a participant.

Pugh and Andrews are West Virginia's two most experienced safeties heading into the 2008 season.

Pugh, a 6-foot, 200-pound senior from Orlando, Fla., has played in 37 games during his career and has 60 tackles and three sacks. He started two games at the beginning of the 2006 season, but much of his playing time has come as a member of special teams. Last year, he played in 12 games and had 19 tackles, but has also showed a penchant for committing personal foul penalties.

Andrews, a 6-foot, 210-pound junior from Opa Locka, Fla., has played in 22 games in two years - 20 as a starter - and has 123 tackles and five interceptions.

At this rate, Pat White is going to need a separate trophy case just for his state athlete of the year awards.

Already a two-time winner of the award in West Virginia, the WVU quarterback was just named the amateur athlete of the year in his home state of Alabama. That award, presented by Alabama sportswriters, follows an Alabama athlete of the year award he received last year from the United States Sports Academy in Mobile.

White is also a two-time winner of the Big East offensive player of the year award.

White, who received his West Virginia amateur athlete award last month at the Victory Awards Dinner in Morgantown, will receive the Alabama award Sunday night in Birmingham.

"It means a great deal to me to know that, even though I've been gone from Daphne [Ala.] four years, I still have the support of the state of Alabama and people are still following me down there,'' White told Alabama media. "It's really special considering I'm at West Virginia and they have such a great tradition of football right there in Alabama.''

White is the second straight player to win the Alabama amateur athlete of the year award while playing elsewhere. Last year former LSU quarterback and No. 1 NFL draft pick JaMarcus Russell was the winner.

West Virginia's list of verbal commitments for the recruiting class of 2009 has grown to eight.

The latest commitment is Jordan Weingart, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound offensive lineman from Gainesville, Fla. Weingart, a Florida all-state selection as a junior, is projected as a guard or center for the Mountaineers.

Weingart's only other solid offer to date was from East Carolina, but he had been on the radar of recruiting coordinator Doc Holliday while Holliday was an assistant at Florida.

To contact staff writer Dave Hickman, use e-mail or call 348-1734.