High School

Kirby Smart Touches His Helecopter Down at Georgia's Benedictine Military Academy

Gary Adornato

The helicopter which carried Georgia head coach Kirby Smart to Westminster High in Augusta, on Friday night.
The helicopter which carried Georgia head coach Kirby Smart to Westminster High in Augusta, on Friday night. / Carry Harriott

What's a big time college football coach to do on Friday night? Georgia's Kirby Smart fired up his helicopter and went out to watch a little high school football.

Smart's copter touched down at midfield of the Westminster High football stadium in Augusta, Georgia, Friday, in advance of Westminster's game with visiting Benedictine Military Academy.

Smart was there to show some love to Benedictine Military School 5-star edge rusher LaDamion Guyton.

Of course, Guyton is already somewhat spoken for in that he is committed to Texas Tech, but in today's world of college football recruiting, it's not over until its over.

Guyton, currently a member of the Class of 2027, is the type of player college programs covet. A consensus 5-star selection, he is also a track athlete and full of athleticism. He is in his first season at BMS after recording 52 tackles, including 13.5 for loss, and 6.5 sacks in nine games at Savannah Christian last year, as a sophomore.

In January, Guyton told the Savannah Morning News that it was a tough, “personal” decision to make the move from Savannah Christian to Benedictine, but he was seeking better competition, which he believed he would receive at BMS.

Later he added that Benedictine “felt like home” and would let him focus on football alongside a strong roster chasing a title.

Georgia was the first school to offer Guyton, the No. 1 rated player in the Peach State and the No. 1 edge rusher in the nation. In Aug. 7, 2025, Guyton pledged his commitment to the Texas Tech Red Raiders during a live stream. Texas Tech won out from a group of finalists which included Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina.

His commitment, however, is non-binding until his signing window opens. Thus, other schools are allowed to continue their recruiting pursuits. With Guyton situated in his own backyard, Smart is not going to allow the in-state star get away without exhausting every opportunity convince him he should spend his college football career in Athens.

However, weeks after his commitment, he told On3.com that he still felt very strongly about his choice of Texas Tech, which he said was based on "consistency and family feel." He also said the Red Raiders stayed in constant contact with him and made him feel like a priority.

Guyton possess an explosive first step, elite bend when turning the corner, and turns his speed into power. He also has a very high motor with an uncanny ability to shed blocks.

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Gary Adornato
GARY ADORNATO

Gary Adornato is the Senior VP of Content for High School On SI and SBLive Sports. He began covering high school sports with the Baltimore Sun in 1982, while still a mass communications major at Towson University. In 2003 became one of the first journalists to cover high school sports online while operating MIAASports.com, the official website of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association. Later, Adornato pioneered market-wide coverage of high school sports with DigitalSports.com, introducing video highlights and player interviews while assembling an award-winning editorial staff. In 2010, he launched VarsitySportsNetwork.com which became the premier source of high school media coverage in the state of Maryland. In 2022, he sold VSN to The Baltimore Banner and joined SBLive Sports as the company's East Coast Managing Editor.

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