Former Gators add weight to Kentucky-Florida matchup
Jordan Castell enters the game with 68 tackles and four interceptions after leaving Florida for Kentucky.
| Kickoff | 7:30 PM ET |
|---|---|
| Venue | Kroger Field |
| Spread | Florida -4.5 |
| Total | 44.5 |
| TV | Not announced yet |
|---|
The TV network for Florida at Kentucky is set by the conference's TV partners closer to game week. Each school's radio network carries the game.
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Follow the full play-by-play and box score →Kentucky’s meeting with Florida at Kroger Field carries an unusually personal edge, with coaches and players on both sides preparing to face former colleagues and teammates. Florida head coach Jon Sumrall played linebacker at Kentucky, while several Gators assistants previously worked under Mark Stoops in Lexington.
Florida defensive coordinator Brad White spent the last eight years at Kentucky and worked alongside Chris Collins for five of them. Gators tight ends coach Evan McKissack also served as a Kentucky graduate assistant and took charge of the offensive line room while John Schlarman battled cancer.
The connections run the other direction, too. Kentucky defensive coordinator Jay Bateman and cornerbacks coach Allen Brown previously worked at Florida with safety Jordan Castell and nickel Aaron Gates, both of whom later joined the Wildcats.
Sumrall said Castell’s decision appeared largely settled by the time he arrived at Florida. He believed Gates would stay before the defensive back changed his mind, and Sumrall said he wanted to retain both players.
Castell enters the matchup among the SEC’s top 10 tacklers with 68 stops. His four interceptions are tied for the league lead, while Florida’s secondary ranks No. 101 in EPA against the pass.
Kentucky running back CJ Baxter, an Orlando native, has known Castell since their freshman year of high school. Baxter said they took recruiting visits together, including a bus tour that brought them to Kentucky during their junior year.
Baxter credited Castell’s preparation, recalling that the safety remained at the facility after Baxter left at 8:30 one night. Castell had the first car in the parking lot the following morning. Both began their college careers elsewhere before producing their best seasons at Kentucky.
Those ties deepen a game that already carries College Football Playoff stakes for Kentucky. Bo Barnes said the Wildcats want to deliver for the players from Florida, while several teammates will have opportunities to compete against former coaches or their previous school.
Why it matters
Kentucky’s College Football Playoff push adds wider stakes to a matchup already filled with personal connections. Castell’s production gives the Wildcats a proven playmaker against a Florida pass defense ranked No. 101 in EPA.
What to watch next
Kentucky and Florida will settle the matchup at Kroger Field, where several Wildcats will face their former team or coaches.
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