Louisiana Tech coach Mike White will meet with Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley and has emerged as one of the leading candidates to replace Billy Donovan with the Gators, a source told ESPN.com on Thursday.
White, 38, is considered a rising star in the business despite failing to get to the NCAA tournament in his first four seasons at Louisiana Tech. He is the son of Duke athletic director Kevin White and has taken the Louisiana Tech program to the NIT in each of the past three seasons.
Mike White has a 101-40 record with the Bulldogs, including a 27-9 mark last year as he guided Louisiana Tech to the NIT quarterfinals.
When Foley hired Donovan back in 1996, Donovan was 35-20 in two seasons at Marshall -- and hadn't gone to the NIT tourney.
Sources told ESPN that White spurned jobs at both Missouri and Tennessee last year.
White knows the SEC well, having played at Ole Miss and also coached with the Rebels under Andy Kennedy. White loses two of his top three players at Louisiana Tech -- seniors Kenneth Smith and Raheem Appleby -- next season.
Yahoo! Sports earlier reported that White will meet with the Gators and is a leading candidate for the Florida job.