A pair of former Osceola County athletic standouts are now part of the coaching ranks at the college level in Pennsylvania.
One, football coach E.J. White, a quarterback for St. Cloud High from 2006-08, has been in the coaching ranks for a number of years and now is the offensive coordinator at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa. He will lead the Titans' Division III offensive attack.
Former Osceola High volleyball player Allison Palmi, who starred for Osecola High from 2016-19, has been named an assistant coach at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. near Williamsport.
White most recently spent a season as offensive coordinator at Edinboro University (2024) under former Westminster assistant Jake Nulph. He has also directed the offenses at Husson University (2021-24) and Webber International University (2017-18). White coached quarterbacks and wide receivers at Monmouth College (2018-21). The Titans called White "A national recruiter with deep ties to central and northeast Florida."
"I am thrilled to join the Titan family. Hearing how Coach [Scott] Benzel runs his program, through Coach [Jake] Nulph and Coach [Colyn] Haugh, I know that Westminster is a special place with unlocked potential. The staff is full of young energetic coaches and the players have the drive and desire to be great. I am excited to be working with an administration and a passionate alumni base that cares about athletics and supports the student-athletes. Westminster has an unparalleled history of winning championships, and I cannot wait to get to work with this group to continue the tradition," said White.
"EJ has consistently developed players over his career, always bringing out the best in everyone he's working with and playing to the strengths of his personnel. He's a young, innovative coach whose experience as both a player and coach will bring value to our offense and to our entire staff. EJ's going to look to have our quarterback play fast, get the ball to our playmakers frequently in space and put our team in the best position each time out," said Benzel.
White played at and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill. He currently ranks No. 5 in the NAIA in total offense with 12,980 total yards. White holds every single-season and career passing record at St. Francis, where he eclipsed 10,000 career passing yards and threw for 103 touchdowns and rushed for over 2,900 career yards. He started every game during his career with the Saints.
At St. Cloud, White was the Bulldogs' starter in 2006 and 2008, leading the team to a 9-2 record in 2008, a district title and a playoff berth.
Palmi makes coaching volleyball a second-generation thing; she played for her mother Carrie Palmi at OHS, where the Kowboys won four district titles in Allison's career. She went on to play four seasons at the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio collecting 785 kills and was named four-time All-Tournament selection at UIW. Following her career with the Cardinals, Palmi spent her fifth season with USC Upstate.
She said she reached out to schools she thought would be good fits once her playing career ended.
"I always knew I wanted to coach at the college level, and I hope to be a head coach at some point down the line," she said from South Carolina — after returning from a recruiting trip in Orlando — as she plans her move to Pennsylvania. "I'm going to be charge of our attack at the net. We've got everyone coming back but one senior, so I'm excited for what the future holds."
"I am excited to have Allison join our coaching staff," said head coach Tyler Hagstrom. "She has just finished a fantastic playing career which will provide an immediate impact to our training. She is a competitor who understands the game at a high level, which will allow her to connect and impact our student-athletes in a positive way."
