Latest news with #SpecialTeamsPlayeroftheWeek
USA Today
02-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida Gators kicker Trey Smack named to Lou Groza Award preseason watch list
The 2025 edition of the Lou Groza Award preseason watchlist is out, and one member of the Florida football program saw his name mentioned among the 30 student-athletes listed. Senior kicker Trey Smack was named to the prestigious watch list for the second time in his collegiate career, also getting the call back in 2023 when he finished among the semifinalists. While he missed out in 2024, his performance last season was arguably better, playing in all 13 games while nailing 18 of 21 field goal attempts and remaining perfect in PATs for the second-straight season with 44 — giving him a total of 73 straight PATs over two years. Smack has earned the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week award thrice (Week 12, 2024; Week 7, 2023; Week 4, 2023) and Lou Groza Star of the Week honors twice (Week 7, 2023; Week 4, 2023). About the Lou Groza Award The Lou Groza Award — named after the NFL great who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns after serving in World War II — is presented each year to the best placekicker in college football. Groza was a nine-time all-pro player and won four AAFC championships and four NFL championships before retiring in 1967. The qualifications for the award include inclusion among the 30 players on the preseason watch list, which is determined by a player's statistics from the previous season and their preseason expectations. The 30-athlete watch list will be trimmed down to a group of 20 semifinalists on Nov. 18 by a selection committee. From that group of semifinalists, three finalists will be announced on Nov. 25, with the winner being selected on Dec. 12. Athletes are chosen to advance to the next round by a panel of more than 100 members, which consists of FBS head coaches, sports information directors, media members, former Groza finalists and current NFL kickers. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Thiccer Kicker' Harrison Mevis returns to the NFL, joins 2 Missouri football teammates
Harrison Mevis has earned a second shot in the NFL. The Missouri football standout, nicknamed the 'Thiccer Kicker' during his time in Columbia, signed with the New York Jets on Wednesday, according to a news release from the team. The Jets also waived Auburn grad and kicker Anders Carlson, which means Mevis, who most recently played for the Birmingham Stallions in the UFL, is in a two-horse race for starting duties. Advertisement Mevis looks set to compete for a spot on the Jets' 53-man roster with Ole Miss grad Caden Davis, who signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent in May. With Mevis on board, there are currently two kickers on the Jets' roster. The Mizzou grad also joins the roster with Armand Membou and Brady Cook, two of his former teammates. Membou was the No. 7-overall pick in this year's NFL Draft by the Jets, and Cook signed with the team as an undrafted free agent shortly after the draft. Mevis was 20-of-21 on field-goal attempts in the regular season for the Stallions, which was the second-best conversion percentage (95.2%) in the UFL behind just former Indianapolis Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, who went 21-of-22 (95.4%). Advertisement The former Tiger, who hails from Warsaw, Indiana, longest field goal this season came from 56 yards out, and his only miss came from 63 yards. Mevis' 20 total field goals this year were the third-most in the UFL. The Stallions topped the UFL Conference in the regular season with a 7-3 record. Mevis was named the UFL Special Teams Player of the Week on May 15 after a 3-of-3 performance that included a 52-yard make. While at Missouri, Mevis broke the SEC record with a 61-yard field goal as time expired to knock off Kansas State in September 2023. He is the all-time points leader in Mizzou's history with 405 career points, as he passed previous record-holder Jeff Wolfert in his senior season. Mevis was 86-of-103 (83.5%) on field goals in his MU career and holds another program record with 12 makes from more than 50 yards. Nov 20, 2021; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers place kicker Harrison Mevis (92) kicks a field goal against the Florida Gators during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports He earned the nickname 'Thiccer Kicker' early in his Mizzou career due to his unusual size for his position: 5 foot 11, 243 pounds. The name earned him several NIL deals over the course of his career, including a burger named after his famous moniker at Campus Bar and Grill in downtown Columbia. Advertisement More: Missouri AD Laird Veatch discusses NIL, house settlement: What we do, don't know about MU's future More: Missouri football post-spring preview: Why you shouldn't underestimate Vanderbilt this year After graduating from Missouri, Mevis went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft but was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Carolina Panthers. He was eventually waived after incumbent kicker Eddy Pineiro won the starting job. Now, Mevis is back in the league. This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Former Missouri football kicker Harrison Mevis returns to NFL
New York Times
07-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Chicago Bears 2025 free agency tracker: Building around Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson
The Chicago Bears enter the 2025 league year with an abundance of resources, a promising quarterback entering Year 2 and a head coach whose approval rating in town is off the charts. GM Ryan Poles' record in three seasons is 15-36 with one fired head coach, but he got another swing at that, and alongside Ben Johnson, can attack the offseason and build a contender for 2025. Advertisement The Bears went 5-12 last season, which included mystifying losses, a franchise-record losing streak, and a quarterback who was sacked way too often. However, the roster is not that far away from taking a big jump in Johnson's first season. The Bears began the offseason with plenty of cap space and three picks in the top 41 selections of April's draft. Caleb Williams is going to have several new faces in the huddle with him, to go along with a new coach in his ear calling plays. Poles kicked things off with two trades for starting guards, not waiting until free agency to begin fortifying the group tasked with protecting Williams. This post will be updated as roster moves are made during free agency, so check back often. — Bears re-sign DB Josh Blackwell March 6: Set to be a restricted free agent, Blackwell returns to the Bears on a two-year deal worth up to $6 million, a league source confirmed. That's a nice contract to reward the team's top special-teamer. Blackwell's punt-return touchdown in Week 18 against the Packers earned him Special Teams Player of the Week. He's been a productive gunner since joining the team in 2022 off waivers, and has stepped in nicely as a backup slot corner when needed. Bears keep LB Amen Ogbongbemiga March 6: Another special-teams move, Ogbongbemiga was one of the core players for Richard Hightower's unit in his first season with Chicago. He also signed a two-year deal, per NFL Network. He had five special-teams tackles and six assists, plus a sack on defense. Adding a No. 2 TE in Durham Smythe March 6: Johnson's Lions were third in the NFL in percentage of plays run in 12 personnel (two tight ends). Smythe, who played at Notre Dame in 2017 with Cole Kmet, reunites with his former college teammate to complement him in Chicago, NFL Network reported. He also was a rookie with the Dolphins in '18 when Johnson was their wide receivers coach. Advertisement Joe Thuney brings significant upgrade to line March 5: The Bears haven't had an offensive lineman named first-team All-Pro since 2006. Enter Thuney, who's done it two years in a row with the Chiefs. He comes to Chicago with four Super Bowl rings, experience with two of the greatest quarterbacks and head coaches to ever do it, and brings leadership the line needs. Jonah Jackson, Ben Johnson reunion March 4: Poles' first major move of the offseason was to send a sixth-round pick to the Rams to take a chance with Jackson, who is set to make $17.5 million this season after playing in only four games in 2024. He overlapped with Johnson in Detroit, where he made a Pro Bowl in 2021, so there's trust in Johnson for this move to happen.
