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Georgia Is Reportedly Hiring Florida Head Coach Mike White And Gator Fans Couldn’t Be Happier

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In a surprising announcement, it appears that the Georgia Bulldogs are targeting a head coach from the SEC to replace the recently fired Tom Crean.

Georgia is reportedly set to hire Mike White away from archrival Florida, according to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein.

What wasn’t surprising was Crean being shown the door. The Bulldogs were one of the worst teams in the conference over his four years at the helm, ranking 13th or worse in the standings three of four seasons. This past season, Crean’s team went just 1-17 in SEC play and saw a first-round exit in the conference tournament.

Georgia’s football team has actually won more games than the basketball program over the last year and a half.

Crean was just 47-75 in Athens, never finishing above .500. It was rather surprising considering his ability to recruit (see No. 1 overall NBA pick Anthony Edwards) and his success at previous stops.

Crean led Marquette to a Final Four appearance in 2003 before taking Indiana to the NCAA Tournament in four seasons.

Mike White, on the other hand, has been relatively successful in Gainesville. White took over in 2016-17, leading the Gators to the Elite Eight in his first season. He’s been to the NCAA Tournament four times in seven years, leading the team to 19 or more wins in six of seven seasons.

What he hasn’t done, though, is lead Florida to a national championship as his predecessor Billy Donovan did in back-to-back seasons. With White’s inability to reach college basketball’s Promised Land, Gator fans are actually happy to see the head coach go.

Florida Fans Celebrate Mike White’s Hiring At Georgia

Florida fans have reacted positively to the news that they’ll be searching for a new head coach this offseason. White leaves the Gators for hated rival Georgia, and the Florida fanbase couldn’t be happier.

The Gators won 19 games in 2021, and they look poised to make an appearance in the NIT. Of course, when you’re being compared to the level of Billy Donovan, an NIT bid doesn’t hold much water.

Check out the Twitter reaction from the Florida faithful below.