With 40 scholarship offers to his name already, Fort Myers (Fla.) Dunbar defensive end Derick Hunter is one of the top high school recruits in the 2019 class. After backing off an early commitment to the Miami Hurricanes, hunter has been a priority for several schools.

The four-star defender recently was a guest on the SEC Recruiting Buzz Podcast to give some insight to his recruiting process.

“It’s been a lot of up’s and down’s every single night and just thinking where you’re going to land at for the next three to four years. You have to realize [coaches] say the same thing to every recruit and you have to think outside the box and think bigger than what they are saying. Like the program and the academic side of the school too and where has the university been at in the like five or ten years.”

The Florida Gators were the most recent visit for Hunter, when he spent the weekend in Gainesville at the end of February.

“I wanted to commit to Florida as a freshman,” Hunter explained. “They didn’t want me to commit because I was so young, they wanted me to enjoy the process. That’s why I fell back off of them a little bit and went towards Miami. At the same time, it’s the University of Florida and I know it like the back of my hand. When I am there, I love it and I have so much fun.”

That recent visit to Gainesville, gave Hunter a better view of the inner workings of Florida’s program.

“They’ve set the bar high and I know if I went there I’d have three to four tutors at the same time. I know my academic part will be handled and I can focus on them. I can worry on trying to get a starting job, and I know some of the players already there.”

The Gators have been a factor in this recruitment for quite some time now, and remain heavily in the mix under Dan Mullen’s new coaching staff.

“If I was to sign my letter of intent today it would be with the University of Florida because I know the academic side and I have been there 24/7 and I know how to get around the city. Also at the same time, my head and my mind are telling me to go to Georgia.”

The Bulldogs have surged in this recruitment since landing an offer from their staff last month. Georgia is coming off a strong season under second year head coach Kirby Smart, and has Hunter’s full attention.

“Competing every single year in the SEC for games and just fighting for that National Championship. Basically, separating myself and where I feel like I can think outside of the box for the next three to four years and realize where I’m at and figure out where I’m going to be at after college. That type of area I feel like I can go to, I’m a country boy and I’m not an inner-city type of kid. Athens is the country and I feel at home there, can go fishing with coach or go hog hunting, that is the type of stuff I do here at home.”

The 6-foot-4, 281-pounder even went as far as to give the Bulldogs the edge in his recruitment currently.

“It’s all Georgia everyone else is chasing them,” Hunter explained. “I just want to see the academic side of the school and I want to feel the atmosphere around campus and see what it’s like. I want to build a relationship with the coaching staff that we’ve talked over on the phone.”

The 247Sports Composite, an industry generated average, currently ranks Hunter as the Nation's No. 185 overall prospect in the 2019 recruiting class.

The entire interview with Hunter can be found below: