Former Gamecock quarterback safe after kayak found miles out to sea
A former University of South Carolina football player is reportedly safe after Florida law enforcement reported his boat was missing on Thursday.
Chris Smelley went fishing in a kayak off the Florida panhandle around 8:30 a.m., and was reported missing by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office when he failed to return by 2:30 p.m., AL.com reports.
After several hours of searching, Smelley was spotted by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter after 7 p.m., almost 12 miles from shore in Grayton Beach, Florida.
Smelley, 37, was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, but “was not showing any signs of distress,” the Coast Guard told the Alabama website.
A sheriff’s office spokesman told WBMA in Birmingham, Alabama, that unexpectedly strong winds likely carried Smelley’s kayak out into the Gulf of Mexico. The former Gamecock reportedly did not have his cell phone with him at the time.
Smelley, an Alabama native, played quarterback at USC from 2006 to 2008 under Coach Steve Spurrier. He was named the starter for the 2008 season, when he threw for 1,922 yards and 14 touchdowns, according to WIS TV.
In 2009, Smelley transferred to the University of Alabama, where he finished out his college career as a catcher for the Crimson Tide baseball team.
Smelley later coached his alma mater, American Christian Academy, to the Alabama state football playoffs six years in a row from 2015 to 2020. He was been head coach at Sylacauga High School since 2023.
