Georgia has spent plenty of time worrying about Florida’s offense heading into this weekend’s rivalry game, but the Gators may have a different edge waiting in plain sight.
That edge is defensive coordinator Brad White, a coach with a track record against Georgia that stands out even though it never produced a win over the Bulldogs while he was at Kentucky.
White served as Kentucky’s defensive coordinator from 2019-2025 and faced Georgia seven times in that span. He never beat UGA, but his defenses repeatedly made life difficult for the Bulldogs, including three games in which Georgia was held under 17 points.
Those outings came in Kentucky’s 13-12 win in 2024, Georgia’s 16-6 win in 2022 and its 14-3 victory in 2020. And there’s one detail that jumps out: every one of those results came away from Athens.
For whatever reason, White had his defenses ready whenever Georgia showed up on Kentucky’s home field. Even without a win to show for it, holding the Bulldogs under 17 points three different times is the kind of résumé any defensive coordinator would take.
Now White is in his first season at Florida, and that changes the equation. The Gators have more talent than Kentucky usually has on the defensive side, which gives White a different kind of roster to work with this time around.
That’s where Georgia has reason to pay attention. If White was able to frustrate the Bulldogs with Kentucky talent, the thought of him doing it with Florida personnel is an obvious concern. And unlike his time in Lexington, he won’t have to worry about facing Georgia in Athens.
So while the conversation around this matchup has centered on Florida’s offense, White may be the one who shapes the game for the Gators. He enters the weekend with a level of confidence against Georgia that most defensive coordinators simply haven’t been able to build over the last decade.
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