Dan Mullen has already beaten Mississippi State on the field, now the Florida coach is trying to beat his former program in recruiting and steal one of the Bulldogs’ top prospects.

Nathan Pickering, who committed to Joe Moorhead’s program in June, has announced that he plans to visit Florida. Pickering is from Seminary, Mississippi, which is southeast of Jackson.

He’s a 4-star prospect, the No. 3 player in Mississippi, the No. 4 defensive end in the 2019 class and the No. 57 player nationally, according to 247 Sports. He was the fifth commitment for Moorhead’s staff and at the time of his commitment, was the eighth in-state commitment within the Bulldogs’ Class of 2019.

With Pickering among 18 commits, Mississippi State is ranked No. 10 in the SEC, and No. 20 nationally. Losing him from this class would be a blow because he’s the only commit to Mississippi State among the top 10 prospects in the state. He’s 6-foot-3 1/2 and 286 pounds and holds 21 offers.

When he committed, Pickering told 247 Sports that he felt home at MSU.

“With the coaches, it’s not even about football or recruiting any more,” he said. “They treat me like I am a player in their program and it’s the same with the players there. I feel close with all of them.”

“They’ve gotten some good momentum this summer and spring, too, and it’s been fun to watch that staff come into the SEC and do those things. They have great coaches and I think they will have their best season ever this year. I am eager for them to show everyone what Coach (Joe) Moorhead can do. He is a cool coach that brings a lot of energy and excitement and is great for the program.”

Here are his tweets during the recruiting process, and a highlight video:

https://twitter.com/therealnathan22/status/1057283470311993344

https://twitter.com/therealnathan22/status/1009945056638324736