Football is Family: Father's Day Conversation with Brad White

Brad White is entering his sixth season at the University of Kentucky. The longevity is a testament to the Kentucky defense. The Wildcats have consistently been one of the five best defenses in the league since he arrived in 2018, but calling plays is only one of his jobs. He’s a teacher in practice, a student in the film room, a recruiter and most importantly, a father of four.

“I’ve got two boys at the house and 45 in the facility.”

Ahead of Father’s Day, Kentucky Sports Radio sat down with the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator for an extensive conversation about football and family. Not only how he juggles the two, but how they are interconnected with one another.

“I tell every parent if I’m recruiting them, if they’re on defense or that outside linebacker room, I’m going to treat them like my own son,” White said. “They don’t always like that, because just like my own sons, you can’t always be their friend. You gotta be able to give them a swift kick in the tail when they need it. But we’re there when we need them too.”

That sounds like a nice recruiting pitch, and it’s not just lip-service. Brad White recalled a phone call he got a week ago from one of his players. In the middle of a busy month that’s filled with camps and official visits, one of his guys had a flat tire and needed help.

“He knew how to change a tire, but he had his tire locks with no tire key. So we worked through that problem: drive out there, help get him to an auto parts store so we can get the key, go back, get the tire changed. It’s part of it,” said White.

“In a busy month of June, you didn’t expect that to be three hours of your day. But you know what, that’s what it’s about. It’s about those relationships. Everything’s not gonna just — your day is not gonna be perfect. It’s a blast. Then you get to experience the joy that a father gets when a son or daughter does well. You get those same moments on the football field. The wins aren’t as fulfilling as watching the players fulfill their potential.”

From Josh Allen to DeAndre Square, multiple players have taken their game to new heights with Brad White in command of the Kentucky defense. His success in Lexington has given him multiple opportunities elsewhere, most recently to call plays for Brian Kelly at LSU, but White has remained committed to Mark Stoops’ program. His family has put its roots in Lexington and he has no plans of changing that anytime soon.

“The fact that we were able to do six years in Indy, we’re going into six here, to be in only two places for essentially 12 years, that’s special in this profession. Hopefully we can stay a lot more. As long as I can keep Coach (Stoops) happy.”

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