GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida head football coach Jon Sumrall has made the first major addition to his inaugural Florida Gators coaching staff, tabbing longtime Indianapolis Colts and University of Kentucky assistant Brad White as defensive coordinator on Thursday.
White spent the past eight seasons on staff at Kentucky, highlighted by the last seven as defensive coordinator/outside linebackers coach. During his time in Lexington, the Wildcats made six bowl appearances while ranking among the top-20 FBS teams in both scoring defense (22.1) and total defense (344.1) under his tutelage from 2018-2025. Across seven NFL Drafts while at Kentucky (2019-24), White developed 14 NFL Draft picks and six selections in the top-two rounds on the defensive side of the ball.
“Brad is one of the best defensive minds in football and I’m thrilled he will be joining us in Gainesville,” Sumrall said. “Brad has led one of the best defenses in the SEC the last seven years and has extensive experience in the NFL as well. His defenses possess the exact characteristics we are going to have here at Florida and I can’t think of a better leader for that unit.”
Over the course of White’s Wildcats tenure, Kentucky evolved into one of the top defenses in the entire SEC. Led by White, Kentucky strung together seven-consecutive, top-45 FBS defenses from 2018-24, featuring four top-25 defenses in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. In 2024, the Wildcats finished sixth in the FBS in red zone defense (70.8%) and 21st in passing defense (183.7). That was followed by a pair of 2025 NFL Draft picks in April, headlined by first-rounder Maxwell Hairston, who became the highest-drafted defensive back in program history.
“Extremely thankful to Coach Sumrall for this exciting opportunity” White said. “I’m ready to hit the ground running on helping construct a defense that will make Gator Nation proud. Coach has already stated the vision – be the most feared defense in college football. Now comes the hard work necessary to make that vision a reality. And while scheme has its importance, the most critical focus we’ll have as a defensive staff will be to develop the highly-talented playmakers we recruit and demand that they play with a pace and violence second to none.”
Kentucky posted one of its top rush defense seasons ever in 2023, holding opponents to 113.1 rush yards per game to rank second in the SEC and 17th in the FBS. That same year, White’s defense ranked fifth in the SEC and 19th nationally in sacks (35) while sitting fourth and 28th tackles for loss (85), respectively. The Wildcats also produced the third-most takeaways in the conference (18).
That elite showing came on the heels of a truly historic 2022 defensive performance in which the Wildcats finished seventh in the FBS in passing defense (170.8), 11th in total defense (311.4) and 13th in scoring defense (19.2). Each of those statistics ranked among the top three in the SEC.
In 2021, White’s UK defense was third nationally in fourth-down defense (27.8%), 20th in run defense (121.5) and 26th in both scoring defense (21.7) and total defense (340.1). The year prior in 2020, UK ranked inside the top six of the SEC in nearly every defensive category featuring a league-best pass defense (224.6) and number of takeaways (22).
The 2019 campaign saw White take the reins as defensive coordinator and for the first time since 1979, Kentucky did not allow more than 30 points in a single regular-season game. The Wildcats ranked 13th nationally in scoring defense and 21st in total defense.
Capped off by a 10-3 record and Citrus Bowl victory in his first year on staff in 2018, White used his NFL experience to guide senior linebacker Josh Allen to one of the greatest individual seasons in team history. Racking up 88 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss and 17 sacks, Allen was named National Defensive Player of the Year, a Unanimous First Team All-American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year on top of sweeping every major, national defensive award: Bronko Nagurski Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, Ronnie Lott IMPACT Trophy and Jack Lambert Award. As a result, Allen was the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Prior to Kentucky, White coached with the Indianapolis Colts for six seasons (2012-17) as the outside linebackers coach (2015-17), assistant linebackers coach (2014) and defensive quality control coach (2012-13). While on staff, White and the Colts made three-straight playoff appearances (2012-14) and claimed back-to-back AFC South Titles in 2013 and 2014.
As a native of Portsmouth, R.I., White graduated from Wake Forest in 2004 where he was a three-year starter at linebacker. Across 35 career games, he totaled 227 tackles, 19.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and eight passes defended. White was a three-time Academic All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection and was named to the 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-District III team.
White and his wife, Kate, have four children, Julia, Lincoln, Hudson and Lydia.
Brad White Coaching History
Year
Position, School
2026-pres.
Defensive Coordinator, Florida
2019-25
Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers, Kentucky
2018
Outside Linebackers, Kentucky
2015-17
Outside Linebackers, Indianapolis Colts
2014
Assistant Linebackers, Indianapolis Colts
2012-13
Defensive Quality Control, Indianapolis Colts
2010-11
Inside Linebackers, Air Force
2009
Safeties, Murray State
2007-08
Defensive Graduate Assistant, Wake Forest
What they are saying:
Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen
“Brad’s one of the smarter guys, coaches I’ve been around at any level. True teacher of the game. I learned so much from Brad in terms of the way that he saw the game. He is one of the more detailed, organized coaches I’ve been around in terms of his process throughout the week, his checklists throughout the week and then his game plans to be able to go and cause issues for people.”
Jacksonville Jaguars DE Josh Hines-Allen
“First of all, they’re getting a great person, a great communicator, a guy that wants the best for his players. He was my positional coach when I had him, and the time we spent together helped me develop and be where I am today. I give him a lot of credit and a lot of respect and a love. He’s done a lot of good things for that program. Hopefully he continues to have that success at Florida.”
Brad White NFL Draft Picks
Year
Round
Player
Position
Team
School
2025
1
Maxwell Hairston
CB
Buffalo Bills
Kentucky
2025
4
Deone Walker
DT
Buffalo Bills
Kentucky
2024
3
Andru Phillips
DB
New York Giants
Kentucky
2024
3
Trevin Wallace
LB
Carolina Panthers
Kentucky
2023
7
Carrington Valentine
DB
Green Bay Packers
Kentucky
2022
2
Josh Paschal
DE
Detroit Lions
Kentucky
2021
1
Jamin Davis
LB
Washington Commanders
Kentucky
2021
2
Kelvin Joseph
DB
Dallas Cowboys
Kentucky
2021
6
Quinton Bohanna
DT
Dallas Cowboys
Kentucky
2021
6
Brandin Echols
CB
New York Jets
Kentucky
2021
7
Phil Hoskins
DT
Carolina Panthers
Kentucky
2019
1
Josh Hines-Allen
LB
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kentucky
2019
2
Lonnie Johnson Jr.
CB
Houston Texans
Kentucky
2019
3
Mike Edwards
S
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Kentucky
Brad White NFL Pro Bowl/All-Pro Selections
Year
Player
Position
Team
Honor
2015
Mike Adams
DB
Indianapolis Colts
Pro Bowl
2015
Vontae Davis
DB
Indianapolis Colts
Pro Bowl
2014
Mike Adams
DB
Indianapolis Colts
Pro Bowl
2014
Vontae Davis
DB
Indianapolis Colts
Pro Bowl
2014
D’Qwell Jackson
LB
Indianapolis Colts
Pro Bowl
2013
Robert Mathis
DE
Indianapolis Colts
First Team All-Pro, Pro Bowl
2012
Robert Mathis
DE
Indianapolis Colts
Pro Bowl
