GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Jon Sumrall made his first official hire as Florida’s football coach Thursday, bringing aboard Kentucky’s Brad White as defensive coordinator.
The Gators are also expected to hire Georgia Tech’s Buster Faulkner as the school’s next offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Faulkner, who brings SEC experience from stints at Georgia, has guided Georgia Tech’s offense to top-30 finishes in total yards over the past three seasons, including this year’s 12th-ranked unit in scoring at 38.3 points per game.
“I may be a defensive guy, but I want to be more of a defensive guy like … Bob Stoops,” Sumrall said. “I want the scoreboard to light up.”
White, 43, spent the past eight years in Lexington, including seven of those in charge of the Wildcats’ defense. Sumrall and White overlapped on that side of the ball between 2019 and 2021, including working their final year together as co-DCs. Sumrall left Kentucky to become Troy’s coach in 2022 and spent the past two years at Tulane.
Under White’s direction, Kentucky fielded defenses that ranked in the top 25 nationally in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. His unit ranked sixth nationally in 2018 thanks in part to edge rusher Josh Hines-Allen.
Hines-Allen recorded 17 sacks and five forced fumbles as a redshirt junior. He went on to become the seventh pick by Jacksonville in the 2019 NFL draft and now owns the franchise’s sacks record with 59 and counting.
“First of all, they’re getting a great person, a great communicator, a guy that wants the best for his players,” Hines-Allen said. “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 love.
“He’s done a lot of good things for that program. Hopefully, he continues to have that success at Florida.”
Current Jaguars coach Liam Coen, who was Kentucky’s offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2023, faced White’s defense daily and called him “one of the smarter guys I’ve been around at any level.”
“True teacher of the game,” Coen added. “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.
“It gave me problems every day in practice. It’s multiple. He knows how to scheme people up.”
Sumrall is expected to install a 3-4 defensive scheme at Florida with an emphasis on linebacker play that would accentuate the talent and depth of a position group that includes standouts Myles Graham, Jaden Robinson and Aaron Chiles.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
