When Brad White assumed the defensive coordinator position at Florida in December of 2025, he made his intentions clear from day one: his job was to make the Gator defense the most feared unit in college football.
After months of preparation, that mission begins on the evening of Sept. 5, when Florida will kick off its 2026 campaign under the lights of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. But the first test for the revamped UF defense will not be a walk in the park.
In 2025, its first year under head coach Zach Kittley, Florida Atlantic had the fastest offensive pace in the nation (21.4 seconds per play) while leading the nation in passing yards per game (338.7).
While FAU is sure to look for big gains out of the gate, White’s defensive plan revolves around a philosophy he has held throughout his career: allowing his players to make plays.
“The fun part as a coach is to try to find as many ways to create one-on-one opportunities,” White said. “But if you want that, then you're going to have to put in the effort because to get those things requires you know more words.”
While at Kentucky, White’s defenses were among the best at limiting those explosive plays and forcing turnovers, which could be a major advantage for the Gators against the turnover-prone Owls’ offense.
FAU turned the ball over a whopping 2.6 times per game in 2025, the most in the FBS. Further, their returning quarterback, graduate student Caden Veltkamp, led the country with 17 interceptions.
Creating chaos is at the forefront of White’s mind, as he said a major talking point for the Florida defense this offseason was to never “be surprised” how an offense reacts to UF’s unique defensive scheme.
“Don't be surprised if you don't get what you thought you were going to get,” White said. “Don't be surprised, and then don't miss the layup. I said, ‘Hey guys, bad things happen when you just try to lay it off the glass, slam it home, man. Just put the ball through all the way through.’”
One other area of focus for the Florida defensive unit is containing fifth-year wide receiver Easton Messer. While he stands at only 5-foot-9 inches tall, the Louisville, Kentucky, native was among the top wideouts in the country in 2025. He had 104 grabs (third in the country) for 1,052 yards and 6 touchdowns.
But Florida’s veteran-led secondary is no stranger to facing elite wide receivers. Last season, the Gators neutralized many of the stars they faced, including Miami’s Malachi Toney (4 catches, 40 yards) and Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion (2 catches, 9 yards).
White’s Kentucky defense saw similar success against top wideouts. Then-Auburn wideout Cam Coleman was held to 5 grabs for 34 yards, while UF standout Vernell Brown III could only muster one catch for 22 yards against the Wildcats.
Neutralizing Messer would eliminate FAU’s go-to weapon, which could force Veltkamp to look elsewhere in the receiver room and, potentially, make mistakes. Up front, Florida’s deep defensive line and pass-rushing unit will look to pressure the pass-happy Owls early and often, potentially adding even more chances for takeaways.
For White, a major point of emphasis is continuing to push on every play, no matter how quickly FAU’s offense is moving.
“Our guys, they can't take a break,” White said. “The thing that tempo teams do is make defensive guys try to conserve [energy] … We can't. You've got to have an empty-the-tank mentality on every play.
Fifth-year JACK rusher Kofi Asare and junior linebacker Myles Graham both displayed plenty of urgency ahead of the Saturday showdown.
Asare, who, alongside true freshman KJ Ford, is serving as a rotational rusher behind sophomore Jayden Woods, is looking to build on a 2025 campaign where he recorded 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. White said Asare has been “the most improved defensive player” based on where he started in Spring to where he is now.
Asare agrees, saying he’s made strides both physically and mentally. But he’s not satisfied yet. He knows there’s more room to grow.
“Being in my last year, I want to have a lot of big role on defense,” Asare said. “Play a lot more snaps, even special teams. I gotta be on special teams. So, I'm just taking it in. I need everything. Everything that's available.”
Graham, meanwhile, has emerged not only as one of the top players on the Florida defense, but as one of the better linebackers in the SEC. In 2025, the Gainesville native exploded for a team-best 76 tackles, as well as 2 sacks and 4 pass deflections.
The 6-foot-1 backer isn’t satisfied with those numbers, though. He knows he can take his play up to a whole other level while also serving as a leading voice in the Gator locker room.
“I think it's saying something that I was the leading tackler and I didn't play up to my standard from last year,” Graham said. “I think I can play much better every single game.”
While Graham acknowledged that the FAU offense is tough to deal with due to their tempo, he feels that the Gators have not only the talent on all three levels but the game plan to neutralize the Owls.
“We just got to be ready for that,” Graham said. “Just settle down and focus. You know the tempo.”
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
Max Bernstein is a fourth-year sports and media journalism major and sports management minor. This Fall, he is a Sports Editor and a Florida Gators and Jacksonville Jaguars reporter at The Alligator. Now in his ninth semester with The Alligator, Max previously served in roles including Digital Managing Editor, Sports Editor, Assistant Sports Editor and Football Reporter. He has also made appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. In the rare moments Max isn't working, he's usually with his girlfriend Reese, watching sports with his fraternity brothers or missing his family and his two cats.
