BREAKING NEWS: KIRBY SMART PAYS A VISIT TO NC

Courtesy of NC Athletics

UGA head coach Kirby Smart took time to take pictures with anyone who asked. Smart, who visited NC to visit recruits and catch up with head coach Shane Queen, will compete in the College Football Playoff (CFP) on December 31, in search of his first national championship. Several students from around the school showed their support for the D1 coach as the majority of students in the NC area root for the Bulldogs on Saturdays.

Peyton Stack, Co-Copy Editor
December 9, 2021

After students and staff heard loud noises coming from NC’s Emory Sewell Stadium, the word got around that University of Georgia’s head football coach, Kirby Smart, landed on Albert Mathis field via helicopter. Presumably, Smart landed to pay visits to wide receiver De’Nylon Morrissette and cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew, who both committed to the Bulldogs prior to their senior season. Though unconfirmed, Smart’s visit might also involve a meeting with four-star quarterback Malachi Singleton, who received an offer from the Bulldogs in December of 2020. Photos escaped through the student body on social media that showed Smart visiting with head coach Shane Queen. Both coaches, who built superior football programs at their respective levels, could see one another quite a bit these next few years. 

“I thought it was really awesome that a coach of the level of Kirby Smart came to our school. I was super shocked when I saw him, and even more shocked when I saw that he landed his own private helicopter on our football field. I’ll never forget it,” junior Jordan Karim said. 

Smart (far left), pictured with wide receiver De’Nylon Morrissette (far right) and cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew (second left) who both committed to the Bulldogs before the 2021 season, used this bye week as a time to catch up with recruits. Both Morrissette and Groves-Killebrew expect to enroll in UGA and head up to Athens in the spring. Groves-Killebrew will undergo physical therapy as he recovers from an ACL tear that occurred in this year’s game vs. the North Paulding Wolfpack. (Courtesy of NC Athletics)

A large percentage of the surrounding NC community root for the Bulldogs every Saturday, and witnessed great success from the SEC powerhouse so far this season. Earning a 12-0 record in the regular season, Georgia ultimately fell in the SEC championship to conference rivals, the Alabama Crimson Tide, 41-24. Georgia held down the number one spot in the College Football Playoff polls for the majority of the season but dropped down to number three following Saturday’s loss. Georgia now faces the Michigan Wolverines in the Orange Bowl on December 31, and could possibly reach their first national championship game since 2017. Depending on the final outcome of the 2021 college football season, multiple recruits could base their decisions on who finishes with the title, greatly affecting the years to come.

In order to quickly travel from Athens to Kennesaw, Smart flew in a helicopter that landed on Albert Mathis field inside Emory Sewell Stadium. After a brief, but much-needed visit, Smart took off to a few other high schools around Georgia. Multiple recruiting outlets confirmed that he also landed at Calhoun high school. Though Smart prepares for a national championship run, he continues to think about and prepare for the future.
(Courtesy of Gray Ezzell)