East Coweta High School buzzed Friday as UGA head coach Kirby Smart arrived for a recruiting visit, only to walk straight past the football field and into the chess team’s classroom. Confused players watched as Smart asked, “Where are the kids who actually think ahead?”
Instead of timing forty-yard dashes, Smart observed senior chess captain Ethan Caldwell quietly dismantle an opponent in twelve moves. “This kid plans better than half my staff,” Smart reportedly muttered while scribbling notes.
Sources say Smart specifically mentioned offensive coordinator and defensive coach’s lack of effort last season, praising Caldwell for “not panicking under pressure or calling the same mistake twice.”
Chess sponsor Ms. Linda Harper confirmed Smart asked if Caldwell could “manage a clock, read defenses, and understand consequences.” She replied, “That’s literally chess.”
Smart left campus offering Caldwell a headset, a scholarship “of some sort,” and a promise to let him handle late-game decisions—because, as Smart put it, “at least he knows when to protect the king.”
Newnan Time with Harold 