Kirby Smart’s ability to pull Scott Cochran away from Alabama this week has created a huge buzz in the SEC but Dan Mullen pulled off a move that is arguably just as big this offseason by hiring Tim Brewster away from North Carolina.

Brewster has a long history of developing outstanding tight ends on the field and an even better reputation as an elite recruiter for schools like UNC, Texas A&M and Florida State. Brewster also has experience coaching and developing NFL tight ends, including working with Antonio Gates early in the standout tight end’s professional career.

With Brewster now on staff in Gainesville, Florida fans are hoping the ace recruiter can elevate the Gators’ recruiting profile, especially considering how outstanding Georgia has been recruiting under Kirby Smart. If Mullen’s program is ever going to consistently beat the Bulldogs on the field, the Gators need to recruit at an elite level every single year.

In order to do so, that starts at home, according to Brewster. Florida’s new assistant coach was a recent guest on the “Stadium and Gale” podcast on The Big 3 Roll Up Network and offered these thoughts when it comes to recruiting against Georgia:

“You know, Georgia is Georgia. Kirby’s done a good job. But what we’ve got to do is we’ve got to put stakes in the ground, you know? That fence has got to go up. And Kirby’s got to understand that the state of Georgia is the state of Georgia, okay?

“And we recruit the state of Georgia, we’re going to get some really good players from Georgia, but we need to make sure that he understands we’re going to fight him tooth and nail for the greatest resource in the state of Florida, and that’s the high school kids here, you know?

“And just make sure that he understands and send that message on a daily basis, that we’re here and we’re going to protect our own.”

Brewster may have a point, as Kipp Adams of 247Sports pointed out soon after hearing these comments, Mullen has struggled to keep up with Smart on the recruiting trail since 2018.

During that time, Mullen has not signed a single top 10 prospect from Georgia while Smart has signed nine. Meanwhile, Mullen has signed three top 10 prospects from Florida while Smart has signed seven (that figure does not include prospects Georgia has signed from IMG Academy).

If Florida can’t protect its borders and keep Georgia out, there’s no chance the Gators will ever overtake the Bulldogs on the recruiting trail.