Kentucky’s trip to Kroger Field comes with a familiar feel on both sidelines, because the ties between the Wildcats and Florida run deep. A number of the coaches now in Gainesville once worked in Lexington, and several Kentucky players spent time with the Gators before landing in blue and white.
That overlap is part of why Florida has been called “Kentucky South.” Jon Sumrall, now the Gators’ head coach, is a former UK linebacker, and he is one of several Florida assistants with Kentucky roots.
Defensive coordinator Brad White spent the last eight years in Lexington and coached alongside Chris Collins for five of those years. Tight ends coach Evan McKissack was the Kentucky grad assistant who took command of the offensive line room while John Schlarman battled cancer.
The crossovers don’t stop there. Two of Will Stein’s assistants also spent time on Florida’s sideline. Defensive coordinator Jay Bateman and cornerbacks coach Allen Brown were in Gainesville with Kentucky safety Jordan Castell and nickel Aaron Gates, and both coaches helped keep those defensive backs from staying with the Gators.
“I never had enough opportunity in front of either one of those guys to sit down in my office and help them with the decision,” Sumrall said earlier this week.
“I think Jordan’s decision was pretty much made, it felt like, when I got here. I thought Gates was staying.
We were at a place where I thought he was staying, and then he had a change of heart. Look, would have loved to have kept both guys.
Those were two guys I wanted to keep.”
Castell, in particular, is a major piece of this matchup. He’s one of the top 10 tacklers in the SEC with 68 tackles, and his four interceptions are tied for the most in the league. Florida’s secondary, meanwhile, sits No. 101 in EPA against the pass.
For Kentucky, the Florida connection is personal in other ways too. CJ Baxter, an Orlando native, has known Castell for years.
“Me and Jordan, we took all our visits together in high school,” Baxter recalled. “We did a bus tour.
I believe he was here when we came on the tour to Kentucky, like our junior year. Yeah, me and Jordan been on each other since freshman year of high school.
Super cool that we both ended up here together.”
Baxter said Castell’s nonstop approach has always been obvious.
“I joke with people that he actually lives in the facility. He doesn’t leave.
Last night I left here at like 8:30. He was still up here, and I’m like, what are you doing?
Then I pull in, and he’s the first car in the parking lot, so it’s like that’s actually him. I’m not just saying that; that’s actually him.”
With College Football Playoff stakes already in the picture, this game also gives plenty of Kentucky players a chance to face old faces and old programs. Some want to prove something against former coaches. Others just want to beat their former team.
“We gotta go out there and do it for the Florida boys,” said Bo Barnes.
In Other News...
Kentucky Just Got A New Opening In Florida's Latest QB Shuffle
Floridas quarterback situation has taken another turn heading into the matchup with Kentucky, with head coach Jon Sumrall announcing that Aaron Philo will be back under center for the upcoming game. Tramell Jones, who started the previous game against Oklahoma, is being moved out of the top spot after a rough outing in which he completed 10 of 22 passes for 133 yards with two interceptions.
Philo is expected to get the bulk of the first-team reps this week, though both quarterbacks remain active in practice. For Kentucky, the change adds another layer of uncertainty to a Florida offense still trying to settle on the right answer at the games most important position. [Read more 🡒]
Brad White's Return Puts Kentucky's Defensive Debate Back In Focus
Jay Bateman has kept Kentuckys defensive plans for 2026 deliberately hazy, and that uncertainty is easy to understand given how uneven the unit has been this season. The Wildcats sit 76th nationally in both scoring defense and total defense, a step back in some areas from the previous year under Brad White, even as several players have turned in better individual numbers and the pass rush has shown more bite.
The mixed results have left Kentucky in a familiar spot: there are signs of progress, but not enough consistency to settle the debate over what the defense should look like going forward. The sack rate has climbed, yet third-down stops have remained a problem, which is exactly the kind of split that makes the coordinator conversation linger as the offseason approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Pope Sees One Chance For Kentucky To Respond After Kansas
The Champions Classic left Kentucky with a blunt reminder of how far it still has to go, as Kansas handed the Wildcats a 20-point loss and exposed plenty for Mark Pope to sort through. Pope did not sugarcoat the showing afterward, but he also treated it as the kind of early-season test that can sharpen a team if it is willing to absorb the lesson and move forward.
For Kentucky, the next stretch now carries a different kind of weight, because the response matters as much as the result in New York. Pope sounded confident the Wildcats will grow from the setback as the season unfolds, even as the programs womens team offered a brighter note with a dominant win over Evansville and freshman Emily McDonald setting a school record with nine 3-pointers in a game. [Read more 🡒]