Brad White knows there is no monetary value on comfort level he has at Kentucky

Brad White wants to be part of the Kentucky football program for a long time. (UK Athletics Photo)

Signing its highest rating recruiting class, quarterback Will Levis announcing he is coming back for the 2022 season and preparing for the Citrus Bowl made it easy to not pay a lot of attention to one other big moment for Kentucky football recently. Brad White, UK’s defensive coordinator since 2019, got a lucrative offer to join new LSU coach Brian Kelly’s staff. Most would have seen that as an upward move for White along with a chance to make significantly more money.

Yet White chose to stay and Kentucky and continue working for coach Mark Stoops and the program he has helped build.

“I just want to say that I am so excited to be here and be Kentucky’s defensive coordinator. Kentucky is home. Kentucky is family. Myself, my wife, my kids, we feel one with Big Blue Nation,” White said during last week’s bowl practice.

“To me, that is more than anything. Really want to thank Big Blue Nation for their comments and their outpouring of support that we’ve received over the last week. Really excited just to continue to build with Coach Stoops and be a part of this program and hopefully can be a part for a long time.”

So not only has Stoops received a contract extension this month, but White wants to be part of the UK program “for a long time” and that’s important for recruiting and the program’s stability.

“We’re doing special things here,” White said. “I’m excited to be a part of that. The signing class that we just signed with what we’ve got coming in on defense, what we already have that we’ve done from the past classes, what we’ve been able to supplement in the portal with character young men. The future is really, really bright.

“Just really excited to continue to push that. It’s not without challenges. Everything has challenges, but when you know that a head coach has your back. When you know an administration has your back, when you know a fanbase has your back, you can push through any challenge.”

Remember White is not about just the money. He donated his bowl bonus to the tornado relief fund and didn’t want anyone to know only to have Stoops praise him publicly for what he did. White preferred the “comfort” he knew at UK to joining a program like LSU.

“I think that’s what life is about. It’s about having a support system and that’s what family is about. Since we moved here four years ago, that’s what we’ve recognized at this university and this state, the support system that they provide is unlike any place we’ve ever been,” White said.

“We’re blessed to be a part of this community, the way this community has embraced us. There’s no monetary value that you can put on that.”