Russell White Not Surprised the Rams Released Him : NFL: Third-round pick from last year was done in by an abundance of running backs.

Russell White says getting cut by the Rams on Thursday was not surprising.

The former Encino Crespi High running back and California All-American would have entered his second season with the team.

Instead, he was released after reporting to the Rams’ training camp at UC Irvine.

“I kind of saw it coming in the last two weeks,” White said. “They never really gave me an opportunity. Just look at how many plays I got to play in last year.”

In 1993 White rushed two times for 10 yards and was on the team’s inactive list for the final 10 games of the season.

The Rams selected White in the third round of last year’s draft and gave him a three-year, $830,000 contract, including a $205,000 signing bonus. He would have received $205,000 this season.

According to a Ram official, most contracts are not guaranteed, in which case White will receive no more money from the team.

White wouldn’t comment on the matter and his agent, Angelo Wright, could not be reached.

White’s inability to control his weight, play special teams or catch the ball on short passing routes soured the Ram coaching staff’s opinion of him last season.

“Initially, his weight was a problem,” said Ram offensive coordinator Chick Harris, who coached the running backs last season. “But no one worked harder than Russell to take that weight off.

“It came down to a situation of numbers. We have a lot of good backs here--Jerome Bettis, Cleveland Gary, David Lang. And we just drafted James Bostic. And we picked up Johnny Bailey, who can help us not only as a return man but also in nickel (passing) situations.”

But White says he trained hard in the off-season and came back in top shape. He believes the team has an abundance of running backs and someone had to go.

“I’ve done everything they have asked me to do,” White said. “I worked out and did what they said. I went out at 216 (pounds) and I came in at 208. I just think the timing isn’t right.”

Does Harris think White has a future in the NFL?

“Certainly,” he said. “I think he can go to any tailback-oriented offense and make an impact. He just needs the right situation.”

In the meantime, White, 23, will “just sit and wait and see who picks me up.”

“That’s all I can do,” he said. “It’s just like being in the draft again. I’m not disappointed and I’m not upset or hurt. I just want to get a job and go wherever I can get one.”

White is still the Southern Section scoring leader with 568 points. In three seasons at Crespi he set a Southern Section rushing record (5,998 yards) that has since been broken. He also scored 94 touchdowns.

At Cal, he became the school’s first player to rush for 1,000 yards in three different seasons. He is the school’s career all-time rusher with 3,246 yards and 34 touchdowns.

Times staff writer Mike Reilley contributed to this story.