AFA hires White as defensive assistant

Air Force has hired Brad White to be a defensive assistant coach who will work primarily with linebackers.

The 28-year-old White, who coached safeties at Murray State last season, was a standout linebacker at Wake Forest, where he started for three seasons (2002-04). During that time, White crossed paths with Air Force coach Troy Calhoun, who was the offensive coordinator at Wake Forest in 2001 and 2002.

White worked as a portfolio management analyst for Bank of America after graduation but returned to football in 2007 and served as a graduate assistant at Wake Forest for two seasons. During those seasons he coached cornerbacks and assisted the Demon Deacons’ recruiting coordinator with all correspondence with recruits.

The hiring of White fills one of two staff openings created by the departures of defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter (who took the same position at Texas A&M) and offensive assistant Patrick Covington (who accepted a position at Coastal Carolina).

Calhoun hopes to convert the remaining assistant coach slot back to a military position and then hire an Air Force graduate on active duty to increase the military presence on the staff.

White, who transferred to Wake Forest from Georgia, finished his career at Wake Forest with 227 tackles, 19 tackles for losses, four sacks and eight pass break-ups while starting 34 of the 35 games in which he played. He also was a three-time academic all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection and was on the dean’s list every semester. He graduated from Wake Forest in 2004 with a degree in analytical finance and received his master’s in accounting from Wake Forest in 2005.