Warren Brinson strolled into the interview room at Butts-Mehre Building, filming the assembled media as he strolled to the podium before taking questions.
“Can I choose?” quipped the Savannah native, who was making his official debut in front of Bulldog beat writers since arriving on campus in 2020.
A senior, Brinson was forced to wait his turn for the media spotlight. Now in his final season, he’s set to play an integral role on the Bulldogs’ defensive line.
In this era of the transfer portal, it would have been easy for Brinson to seek his fortunes elsewhere.
However, doing so and looking position coach Tray Scott in the eye would not have been easy.
“My story for Georgia is different than a lot of people,” Brinson said. “Coach Scott’s offer was the first ever defensive line coach to believe in me so I can’t leave the guy who believed in me first. I can’t leave a guy that I love who gave me the opportunity so I’ve got to pay that forward to Georgia for giving me this opportunity to be here because without him, I wouldn’t be here.”
Paying it forward doesn’t just apply to his work on the field. It applies to his work off it--specifically in his hometown of Savannah.
In the past year, Brinson has held a football camp for kids and he sponsored a bookbag drive that drew hundreds of youngsters. Over Christmas, he helped out a family with four kids by providing gifts. He even paid for four Savannah teenagers to attend their high school prom.
“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. 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,” Brinson said. “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?”
While the smiles and thank-yous are certainly nice, Brinson said the reason he likes to give back is simple.
“It’s just something I want to do,” he said. “At my bookbag drive, it was probably 102, I was sweating the whole time. I was sweating the whole time; It was hot. But it was just amazing to see all those people come out. The line was wrapped around the parking lot we were at. It’s just a great feeling, honestly.”
Brinson, who hosts his own podcast Beyond The Hedges, is looking forward to playing an even bigger role for the Bulldogs this fall.
Head coach Kirby Smart has already lamented the depth on his defensive line, a fact Brinson said the group is actually using as motivation.
“We have a motto in the defensive line room; all we’ve got is all we need,” Brinson said. “We know it’s going to be a journey this season to work out and fill out the roles to push through and straining throughout the whole season. It’s just us putting our best foot forward to sustain and take care of our bodies.”
The rest, Brinson said, is going to be totally up to him.
“The biggest step I’ve taken is mental toughness,” Brinson said. “You get stingers, bumps, and bruises. But got to keep going, because I can’t let my guys down.”
