ATHENS -- When Christopher Smith was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday, the least surprised person in Georgia was Winston Gordon.

Gordon was Smith’s high school coach at Hapeville Charter Academy, and he’s been preaching that it’s just a matter of time for Smith since he showed up at his school in 2016.

“Chris Smith is a phenomenal person, man; let’s get past the athlete part of it,” Gordon said Tuesday morning. “Chris Smith was a leader in the classroom here, graduated in the top 25 percent of his class, made well over a 1,000 on his SAT. So first off you have to applaud his parents because they did a great job of raising him and his brother T.J.”

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The city of Brookhaven's mayor and City Council last week decided to remove the colored panes of glass from the dome of Brookhaven's new City Centre after residents objected to the brightness of the colors, seen here Friday, June 27, 2025. (Reed Williams/AJC)

Credit: Reed Williams/AJC