On Friday nights in the fall, number 22 is a hard-hitting, all-region linebacker for the Charlton County Indians’ football team. The rest of the time, senior Bryant Sloan hits the books and is ranked number one in his class academically.
“You always get players that can do a few things really well: Good on Friday nights and maybe good weight-room guys, but maybe they struggle in another part of their life. But this kid right here seems to have it all together probably more than any kid I have been around,” said Charlton County Head Coach, Rich McWhorter. High praise coming from one of the longest-tenured and most successful coaches in the state.
Sloan carries a 4.0 grade point average weighted from taking Advanced Placement Courses. He was a member of the academic all-region team, the Beta Club, and he is a University of Georgia Certificate of Merit recipient. His work in the classroom has effectively doubled his opportunities at a scholarship, as he is being recruited for both athletics and academics. “In the recruiting process, grades and athleticism are on a sliding scale so being well-rounded in both is a sure way to raise your worth to college scouts,” Sloan said. He hopes to major in physical therapy no matter where he attends.
At 6-foot and 225-pounds, Sloan is built like the prototypical linebacker with speed to match. He can bench 335, squat 510 and clean 325-pounds. Last season, he was the Indians’ leading tackler. He clogs up the line and drops back into coverage as a linebacker but prefers delivering big hits to opposing runners. “When you think of an inside linebacker he’s what you think of. He really plays downhill, extremely intelligent in the things he does on the field, He’s a very physical player,” Coach McWhorter said. Sloan’s sharp mind helps his performance tremendously. He is able to understand an opponent’s offensive scheme before the ball is snapped, which helps him know where the play is going and what it’s going to take to stop it. “As the coaches say, ‘the game is 80-percent mental.'”
Sloan gave up football in seventh grade due to conflicts with commitments at church. He returned to playing in eighth grade, when he got the opportunity to practice and play with the junior varsity team. His freshman year he got his first big crowd roar against Beach High School, when he broke down one-on-one against the quarterback and tackled him for a loss. But the season was marred when he tore his ACL. It took a year to recover without any athletic activity. “It grew me as a person. I had always heard that struggles are what make people stronger, but experiencing that for myself was life changing.” He is now bigger and faster than he was before the surgery and has improved his conditioning as well. Halfway through last season, Sloan hit his stride in a game against Irwin County when he had 11.5 tackles in a 28-14 victory. By the time the Swamp War against Clinch County came around, he was ready to shine. “The people in Homerville recognize me now and say ‘Oh, you’re number 22.'” Being known at Jimbo’s Log Kitchen is always a good thing.
When facing opposing teams, Sloan concentrates on being physical. He wants to run through blocks and hit the ball carrier. “I’m focused on winning the play by playing intensely,” he said. He makes eye contact with the running back, considers down and distance and what the play might be according to the formation. Then, he attacks.
The son of Roger and Sherry Sloan of Folkston, prefers classes in the science-related fields. Among the colleges showing interest in him are West Point, Mercer, Georgia Southern, Yale, Harvard, and Purdue with more to come as the season progresses. “It’s been great talking to colleges about him,” Coach McWhorter said. “I can talk about him as a person, which is very easy to do. I can talk about him as a football player, but then I can also say, ‘Here’s his transcript.'”
In addition to football, Sloan also runs track where he finished eighth in the state in the 800 meters. He also plays basketball where he was the team’s leading rebounder. He may even give wrestling a try this year. In what extra time he has left, Sloan works with his church which included a summer mission trip to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, an area devastated by an earthquake in 2010. “It was an experience unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of,” Sloan said. It helped him realize many things about himself and the world around him. “It was a blessing to be able to serve In Haiti. There, life was simple and the people were genuine…What we did there gave me a feeling even greater than what I’ve felt playing my favorite sport under the Friday night lights.”
He is recognized on the field, in the classroom and as a person. “There’s no doubt that he is a Christian young man and he is an extremely good student,” Coach McWhorter added. “Everything the kid does is just at an extremely high level.”
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#22 On The Field – #1 In The Classroom
Written by Rob Asbell
