Chris Smelley has gone missing in the Gulf of Mexico off of Grayton Beach. That shocking news came down on Thursday as the Walton County Sheriff’s Department in Florida is searching for the former SEC quarterback.
Chris Smelley is said to have gone “fishing in his blue and black kayak around 8:30 am and has not returned,” per a post on the social media platform X by the Walton County Sheriff’s Department.
The 37-year-old reportedly went fishing in his blue and black kayak off Grayton Beach, Florida, and never returned by 2:30 p.m., the Walton County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office said. At the time of his disappearance, Sylacauga City Schools Superintendent Michele Eller told the Sylacauga News that the system’s thoughts and prayers were with “Coach Smelley and his beautiful family along with all rescue personnel.”
A search party sent out jet skis in the water searching for the former quarterback turned coach, and the United States Coast Guard was notified.
It turns out this story would have a happy ending.
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The high school football coach was safely located by the U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday after going missing on his kayak.
The Walton County Sheriff’s office stated around 12 hours after the former standout quarterback went missing, he would be safely found by the Coast Guard as he was spotted on his kayak by a helicopter. It remains unclear what events led to him going missing. The best outcome was that the former South Carolina quarterback was found and his family could breathe a sigh of relief.
Chris Smelley Played Quarterback For South Carolina
Chris Smelley was an all-state baseball catcher and quarterback during his playing days at American Christian in Tuscaloosa. After high school, he signed on to play football at South Carolina where he was quarterback for coach Steve Spurrier from 2006-2008.
Smelley was a two-sport athlete in college. He was a four-star recruit and was the No. 14 quarterback in his class, per On3.
As the starting quarterback, Smelley went 9-6 in 15 career starts for the Gamecocks. He passed for 3,210 yards and 23 touchdowns with 22 interceptions, according to Sports Reference.
After his football career, he transferred to the University of Alabama where he played baseball and was a catcher.
