ATHENS — Warren Brinson walked into the team meeting room at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall on Tuesday night holding up his cellphone to capture the moment on video.
“I’ve been wanting to do this for three years,” Brinson muttered to himself as he strolled to the lectern at the front of the room. “I even wore my glasses.”
Told he somewhat resembled fellow Savannah native Nolan Smith in his specs, Brinson shot back with a grin, “don’t be saying that, now.”
News to some, Brinson’s outgoing personality and affable nature actually is quite well known in the UGA community at large and certainly within the Georgia football complex. And if things go as he and the Bulldogs hope, many more people in college football will know about Brinson after this season.
Now a senior, the 6-foot-4, 305-pound defensive tackle will see his role increased significantly this season. And, to be clear, he always has had a role.
Brinson played in every game for the Bulldogs last season. He finished with 12 tackles, a sack and 14 quarterback pressures while playing in all 15 games during Georgia’s undefeated run to a second consecutive national championship. He never has started for the Bulldogs, but plays a regular role in their heavy rotation on the defensive line. That’s something he’s done since showing up as an IMG Academy graduate in 2020. He enters this season with a worksheet of 34 games under his belt.
Brinson is one of four veteran defensive linemen who bring 154 games of combined experience to the field with them this season. That’s why he takes exception to some comments coach Kirby Smart made recently about the defensive line lacking depth.
“We don’t have the depth we probably have had,” Smart said. “Maybe that’s a luxury compared to other people, I don’t know, but I think we’ve got to get deeper at the position. And you can’t get anybody at this point; there isn’t anybody coming out of waivers. So, what you’re trying to do is, you’re trying to grow the younger players and get your older players to play at a higher level.”
While that may be true, Brinson said assistant coach Tray Scott’s defensive line is brimming with confidence and eager to show their wares this season.
“We’ve got a motto in our (meeting) room. Coach Scott always preaches, ‘We’re all we got; we’re all we need,’” Brinson said Tuesday night after the Bulldogs’ practice. “We know it’s going to be a journey this season, and we’re working hard to fill our roles and be able to push through and sustain for this season. So, it’s just us putting our best foot forward, working hard to take care of our bodies.
“It’s like the ‘league.’ In the NFL, there’s only eight D-linemen on the roster. So, this is as close to the league and you can get.”
In the age of name, image and likeness (NIL), Brinson certainly carries himself like an NFL player. Not only is he outgoing and deliberate about building his personal brand, but he also has made a point to give back to his community.
With the help of former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray and his “Players’ Lounge” cooperative, Brinson has built his “Beyond the Hedges” podcast into one of the more popular of that enterprise. It also has brought him a myriad of experiences that he otherwise might not have had. Like earlier this summer, when he got lessons at the Taylor Made Training Facility at Reynolds Plantation and playing golf with Murray on The Oconee Course at Ritz-Carlton Lodge.
As a result of his rising star, Brinson has made a point to give back. Last year, he bought clothes for four Savannah teenagers so they could attend prom. He holds a free football camp each summer back in his hometown as well, and he held a fundraiser earlier this year to provide book bags for hundreds of school kids.
“When I was coming up, there weren’t a lot of people who did that. There weren’t a lot of role models to look up,” Brinson said. “I love Savannah. I went to IMG, but I always want people to know that’s where I’m from. That’s where my heart is. I always want to give back to the kids.
“The Lord says you need to tithe your offerings and give back to the less fortunate, so I’m always trying to give back to people. I’m blessed and fortunate to make money through NIL, so why not give money back to them?”
