Based upon reports from CBS Sports, the Florida Gators are going to hire Brad White as their next defensive coordinator. White was the long-time DC at Kentucky up until Mark Stoops got fired and has previously worked with Jon Sumrall.
During White's time at Kentucky, the Wildcats were known for having a defense that punched above its weight and hasbeen a thorn in Florida's side over the past few seasons.
But a deeper dive into Kentucky's defense does raise some question marks as to whether White's style is going to translate once he is in Gainesville.
Brad White to be hired as Florida's DC
As we have highlighted, one of the real critiques of Billy Napier's staff was the lack of Power Four experience on the staff. Napier brought over a bunch of dudes from Louisiana who had no business in the SEC.
So White at least comes to town with seven years of experience as an SEC DC, as well as time spent in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts as a linebacker coach for them.
And on the surface, Kentucky's defenses were good. In 2019, they were 14th in points against. In 2021, they were 26th and in 2022 they were 11th. Even last year, they were still 32nd in points against.
But there is a bit of buyer beware when it comes to the run White had with Kentucky. When we collaborated with our Kentucky Fansided sister site prior to the Florida vs. Kentucky game, we asked their site expert Drew Holbrook about the knock on the Wildcats being their tendency to play soft zones.
He didn't exactly push back on that notion:
"Yes, the biggest issue with Kentucky's defense is that they're very vanilla. If their front 4 can get pressure, the zones work well because they take away some quick throws. But if the opposing offensive line can hold up against four, Brad White and Mark Stoops are reluctant to blitz.
Against Auburn, they sent the blitz more, but I think that had to do with how bad Auburn's offensive line was. Eastern Michigan had 330 passing yards against them, and they may be one of the worst teams in the NCAA this year, sitting at 2-7. DJ Waller will be back, and that will help, but the defensive scheme is still an issue."
Numbers don't lie
There is an argument to be made that Kentucky did what it had to do on defense, given the talent it had. One of the other knocks on Kentucky is that once the NIL Era took hold, the Wildcats just lost all ability to keep up.
But if White brings over the same scheme to Gainesville, there are real reasons to be concerned when Florida takes on upper-level competition.
As a whole, Kentucky only gave up 22.8 points per game during Brad White's time in Lexington.
But, Kentucky gave up 17.5 points per game against teams that finished with a non-winning record, while giving up 29 points per game in the 44 games Kentucky played against teams that finished with a winning record.
In the 27 games Kentucky played against ranked opponents, the Wildcats gave up 30.2 points on average.
The great unknown
Here is where the great unknown with White comes into play:
How much of Kentucky's system was his own, and how much of it was just doing what Mark Stoops told him to do?
And, how much of that system was based on the talent profile the Wildcats had, and is White willing to adjust once he has better talent?
White has been around the SEC long enough to know how this conference works. And everything Sumrall has indicated is that he is willing to be flexible to adapt to what it takes to win based on the place he is at.
If White is willing to adapt to the talent he will have in Gainesville, Florida's defense should be much stronger than it has been over the past few years.
If White is going to employ the same system he used in Lexington, it could be a very up-and-down ride in Gainesville.