Basketball insiders reveal why Mike White left Florida

Florida basketball coach Mike White made the biggest, and most surprising, moves of the young offseason on Sunday afternoon when he accepted a position at Georgia. The move to a conference rival shocked many but comes with a mountain of backstory and reasons which became public.

According to Mark Long of the Associated Press, the decision shows how bad the relationship between coach and school had become over the past years. White feared it would impact his family.

“Mike White leaving Florida for Georgia shows just how badly he and his family wanted out,” Long posted on Twitter. “It had become really toxic with a vocal segment of the fanbase, and White didn’t want his young kids affected by it at school and via social media.”

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello added that despite some recent success, Mike White’s inability to reach the point his predecessor did knocked his tenure off track.

“Mike White had won at least one game in four consecutive NCAA tournaments before this season — but Florida wasn’t going to make it this year,” said Borzello. “And he wasn’t Billy Donovan, so there was some tension there. There was speculation he could leave this offseason, so Georgia it is.”

In the end, he moves within the conference to a fierce rival in need of stability while Florida frees itself to conduct another search without paying a buyout. The new coach will join first-year Florida football coach Billy Napier in a new-look athletics department.

Mike White leaves Florida for Georgia

Former Florida Gators head coach Mike White made a shocking move on Sunday evening by reportedly accepting the Georgia Bulldogs job. Moving across the two rivals, it’s a move both sides will be happy with.

Since then, the move has been made official and White will replace Tom Crean, looking to rebuild the program. School president Jere Moorehead said White was offered and then accepted the role.

Shortly after, the official Georgia Athletics Twitter account posted the news. It shows White in a red tie, switching over from the blue and orange.

“Exciting day in Athens! Join us in welcoming Mike White as the new head coach of Georgia Basketball.”

Georgia was only able to win six games this season, one of the lowest in school history. White has a history of making the NCAA Tournament, something the Bulldogs have not done since 2015. He won games in four different postseasons with the Gators but failed to make it any further than the Round of 32.