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Courtesy of Gardner-Webb Athletics. Gardner-Webb redshirt senior Bailey Fisher evades two tackles in a game against Bryant on Oct. 29. Fisher, a former Rabun County Wildcat, threw for five touchdowns that day in the middle of his campaign to win Big South “Offensive Player of the Year.”
If you play quarterback at Rabun County High School, chances are you’re a special talent. With Gunner Stockton at University of Georgia and senior transfer Keegan Stover ending his career top 20 in passing touchdowns, the RCHS quarterback before Stockton is making waves playing at the Division I level.
Gardner-Webb quarterback Bailey Fisher, who played at Rabun County from 2014-17, was named “Offensive Player of the Year” for the Big South Conference on Tuesday, Nov. 22, as well as a finalist for the Football Championship Subdivision offensive player of the year, named after Walter Payton.
“It really means a lot to me,” Fisher said in a phone interview with The Clayton Tribune. “I’ve never been focused on individual awards, but with team success comes individual awards. All the credit goes to my teammates, they make me look good.”
Fisher, who notched 9,383 passing yards and 113 touchdowns, good for 10th and seventh in state history respectively, during his time at Rabun County, went 220-for-339 for 2,755 yards and 18 passing touchdowns for Gardner-Webb, as well as eight rushing touchdowns. Additionally, he helped the Runnin’ Bulldogs win their first title in 19 seasons, rattling off five wins in their last six games.
“My favorite memory is the locker room after that title win,” Fisher said. “The sweat, tears and all the grind we put in together, it was great to celebrate. There’s a lot that goes into winning, to run the table in the Big South, it was a special moment with these guys.”
The redshirt senior was joined by 12 teammates on the All-Conference Team.
“The guys up front did a good job blocking for me,” Fisher said. “The running backs did a good job catching out of the backfield; our wide receiver room and tight ends are really good, they played at a high level. I’m just a product of them.”
Fisher, who came to Gardner-Webb in 2021 after two years at Tennessee Tech, was named Big South “Offensive Player of the Week” five times as well as becoming the first quarterback in 30 years to throw for 400 yards in multiple games in the same season, according to Gardner-Webb’s website.
In the first round of the FCS playoffs against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, Nov. 26, Fisher helped Gardner-Webb to a 52-41 victory by rushing for three touchdowns on seven carries for 88 yards, as well as 14 completions for 118 yards and another touchdown.
“[Head coach] Tre Lamb said it best last week, this is a special group,” Fisher said. “Just the camaraderie and the bonds we have, I haven’t been a part of something like this before. There’s a lot of guys pulling in the right direction, just a group of guys who truly have love for each other.”
Fisher is getting his degree in sports education, and when he graduates he will become the quarterbacks coach for Gardner-Webb.
“My time at Rabun County really helped a lot,” Fisher said. “The coaching staff was great, really helped me with my football IQ and prepared me for the transition.”
Fisher gave a lot of credit to Jaybo Shaw, who was the offensive coordinator during Fisher’s time at RCHS.
“He put a lot of time into me, invested in me as a young man and a football player,” Fisher said. “We still talk once a week, it’s a relationship that will last a lifetime.”
Shaw, now the head coach at Wayne County, said he can’t choose one specific favorite memory of Fisher.
“We have had so many special memories together that it’s hard to just name a few,” Shaw said. “That’s more than just memories on a football field: we had breakfast together every Friday morning during football season of his four years of high school. I miss our handshake after every touchdown; I miss the way he celebrated with his teammates, and I miss competing with him. Bailey loved getting coached and competing.
“One of my favorite memories that I have with Bailey is bittersweet, when we drove him up to Tennessee Tech University and dropped him off to start his college football journey. It is one of my favorites because I know how hard he worked to get to the moment and what that moment meant to both of us. I love him dearly and I will always cherish the memories we have together.”
Fisher said the biggest piece of advice for high school athletes is to invest in close relationships.
“The biggest thing for me was just investing in people like Coach Shaw, other close friends,” Fisher said. “You never know where someone is going, where they’ll end up helping you in the long run. I think it makes you a more well-rounded person to have good authentic friendships.”
The Runnin’ Bulldogs took on No. 5 William & Mary on Saturday, Dec. 3, where their season ended with a 54-14 loss. Fisher was injured during the second quarter and did not return to the game.
Fisher said his favorite memory from playing at Rabun County is his senior year, where the Wildcats set a school record in total points as well as being the only team in RCHS history to make it to the State Championship game.
“It felt like a movie,” Fisher said. “It was just a group of guys who had played together since we were nine. There’s nothing like playing with the guys you grew up with, who made you who you are.”
Shaw said Fisher had a unique way of bringing out the best in everyone, coaches, players and the whole community.
“No matter how big of a game it might have been or how much pressure was on the offense, Bailey spoiled everyone in a way that people always had a feeling of ‘Bailey is going to make the crucial play for us,’” Shaw said. “That 2017 team gets more and more special as each year passes because of the seniors like Bailey and what we were all able to accomplish.”
Shaw said he wasn’t surprised at all about how Fisher has been excelling at the Division I level.
“He is so competitive and wants to be the absolute best in everything that he does,” Shaw said. “I am so very proud of him, everything that he has accomplished and the way he has led the football teams he has been on, just very proud.
“I’ll end with this: if you go into any locker room that Bailey Fisher has been a part of and ask the question, ‘Who is one of the best teammates on this team?’ I guarantee you the answer would be Bailey Fisher,” Shaw said. “He continues to represent his hometown with a lot of pride and thankfulness. Rabun County should be proud to call Bailey Fisher one of their own.”