The Tim Brewster Effect Is Already Being Felt at Florida
Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen entered the 2020 offseason knowing two things.
1. The Gators needed a new tight ends coach to replace Larry Scott, who had just taken a head coaching position at Howard University.
2. The Gators needed to add another elite recruiter to their staff.
So what did Mullen do? He gave North Carolina tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Tim Brewster a call. When that call was finished, and Brewster agreed to join Florida's staff, Mullen had killed two birds with one stone.
Brewster was widely known as a recruiting ace prior to Gators fans familiarizing themselves with their new tight ends coach. Heck, some Gators fans knew that well. Brewster spent five years at Florida State, one of Florida's two biggest yearly rivals, pulling in talent that Gators fans desperately wanted in orange and blue.
Now, he's putting in that same work at Florida. Brewster had been on staff for a month and one day as of this past Saturday, Florida's second junior day in the 2021 recruiting cycle. Brewster was added to the staff just after the first junior day on February 1st, so this was the first event that he'd be able to meet with prospects on campus.
And what do you know, a tight end committed to Florida before the event had even wrapped up. Episcopal (Jacksonville, Fla.) 2021 tight end Nick Elksnis pulled out his phone, sent a tweet announcing his commitment to UF with his Gator-blooded grandmother by his side, and proceeded to catch the Florida vs. No. 6 Kentucky basketball game with his new position coach.
Elksnis is drawn to UF by the fact that it's just over an hour away from his home in Jacksonville, the academics, and his grandmother's ties to the school. As they walked through Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, Jo'Ann Wilson pointed her grandson to where she sat, knowing her row and the whole nine yards.
All of those factors were major factors in Elksnis' decision. Though, Brewster is what sealed the deal.
"Well I started off with coach Scott, he kind of got the ball rolling a little bit," Elksnis said of his recruitment on Saturday.
"But when I got to meet coach Brewster and talk on the phone with him, I just liked the enthusiasm that he had. I like that he's going to meet me where I am, he's not gonna try to change me."
Elksnis, 6-6, 220 lbs., believes in his all-around game as a tight end, but is a natural receiver with a big body that can win in contested situations.
A tight end of similar strengths in Kyle Pitts doing so well at Florida, posting 54 receptions for 649 yards and five touchdowns in 2019, catches Elksnis' eye. The rising high school senior trusts that Brewster will utilize his skill set, rather than try to change it, to achieve the most that he can at Florida.
"Get me to 260 pounds, he doesn't want that, he wants me to be the best who I am and how I play the position," Elksnis continued regarding Brewster. "I like his coaching philosophies, I like the kind of person that he is. And also, I mean if you look at his history, he knows what he's doing with tight ends."
That last statement rings true. At Florida State, Brewster turned legendary PGA Tour golfer Jack Nicklaus' grandson Nick O'Leary in a John Mackey Award winner and Consensus All-American in 2014.
With the San Diego Chargers in 2003, Brewster took a chance on Kent State basketball player Antonio Gates as an undrafted free agent. In five years, as he only just retired this offseason, it will be a crime if Gates is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
This résumé is a huge aspect as to why Elksnis is a Gator. It's also a reason that Jefferson (Tampa, Fla.) 2021 tight end Gage Wilcox committed to the program just a week prior to Elksnis.
Wilcox, like Elksnis, gushed about Brewster's pull.
"Coach Brew is a great guy," Wilcox said following junior day. "He's like a lost uncle, almost it feels like. It's crazy, when I talked to him at first it was like 'Holy crap, I know him'."
Wilcox, 6-4, 220 lbs., is of similar stature and strengths as Elksnis. With a wide catch radius and great athleticism, Wilcox turned 35% of his receptions (20) into touchdowns (seven) during his junior year of high school. Both Elksnis and Wilcox provide blocking upside, especially out in space, but receiving prowess is the bread and butter of both of their games.
Brewster knows this, and he doesn't want to change either of their styles. He wants to develop these skills to get both Elksnis and Wilcox to the top of their game, which makes both prospects comfortable committing to play for him.
"Me and him got a connection like no other coach in the country," Wilcox exclaimed. [I] just like him a lot and want to play for him."