Colleges from all over the country such as TCU, Indiana, Florida and Ohio State have visited Plant to meet potential athletes for almost all sports at Plant. Known as a highly praised athletically talented school, Plant has produced athletes such as Jac Caglianone (UF Baseball), Pete Alonso (MLB player who played for the New York Mets), Andrew Beck (NFL player for the Houston Texans) and many more.
On Jan. 25, the University of Georgia (UGA) Football Head Coach, Kirby Smart and his staff, made an appearance in Dad’s Stadium, landing with style in a helicopter on the fifty-yard line to meet with the Plant Football staff as well as potential recruits.
Junior, Ellianna Valkenburg, had a close view of the whole ordeal through a window of one of her classrooms.
“It was really exciting to see the helicopter and Kirby smart up close,” Valkenburg said. “My family is a big football family so being able to see Smart so close was a surreal experience.”
Smart is two-time National Championship coach with the UGA team in 2021 and 2022. His overall coaching record is 94-16, a very impressive display of Smart’s renowned coaching skills. Smart coached under famed and recently retired head coach, Nick Saban, as a defensive coordinator at University of Alabama.
Teacher and past football coach, Greg Meyer, shared his sentiments about the visit by Smart.
“It is very cool to see our school get that kind of attention from a program like Georgia,” Meyer said. “For the players to get an experience like that is pretty amazing.”
Smart and his fellow coaches were greeted during third period by football staff and Smart’s family friends, the Moseley’s. Senior, Taylor Moseley, was one of the first to greet the coach and welcome him to Plant.
“My dad and him went to high school together in Georgia,” Moseley said. “My dad’s parents and his parents were friends, and my dad went to Georgia, so they have been pretty good friends ever since.”
After the UGA staff was greeted with a warm welcome and lots of adoring Plant students and staff, Smart and Plant coaches retired to the Field House.
Multiple Plant Football players had the opportunity to meet Smart during this time such as junior, Titus Patterson.
“Kirby Smart came which is crazy because he is a crazy good coach,” Patterson said. “We were super excited, and we did a TikTok it was fun.”
Kirby and his fellow coaches said their goodbyes and departed from Plant leaving lots of adoring teachers and students in his wake.
