Georgia football coach Kirby Smart visits Grovetown during recruiting trip

Fresh off a College Football Playoff National Championship, Georgia football coach Kirby Smart is back on the recruiting trail.

His signature red helicopter, regularly seen traveling to different high schools around the state, made a stop at Grovetown High School on Monday. More specifically, Smart flew in to check in on prized defensive back commit Marcus Washington, Jr.

Washington committed to Georgia in May 2021, so it's natural Grovetown would be on Smart's list of stops. Washington is rated a four-star prospect and a top-10 corner in the 2023 class, according to 247sports.

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According to Washington, Smart couldn't speak with him directly during the visit (due to NCAA regulations), but he did visit with head coach Cory Evans and defensive coordinator Marcus Washington, Sr. (Washington's father and a former Georgia linebacker).

Having a coach of Smart's caliber visit a school is no small thing. It didn't take long for word of his presence to spread throughout the halls of the campus.

"It was a big deal for the Grovetown program," Evans said. "It created a buzz around the school and more students are interested in playing football because of his visit."

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The Warriors boast a handful of promising 2023 prospects, including offensive skill players Joseph Jean and Zaidon Gunn (both of which were 1,000-yard rushers last season). Athlete Cardelle Rudolph, who has split time between running back and linebacker, has already received an offer from Mercer and is set to visit Vanderbilt this weekend.

Several programs stopped in the CSRA as they were making the rounds this week. Georgia Southern extended offers to Evans 2025 offensive lineman Mason Short and Greenbrier 2023 receiver Malik Leverett. In fact, Leverett also nabbed offers from Coastal Carolina and Wake Forest.