Latest news with #TreySmack
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
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UF football position preview: Specialists
GAINESVILLE — The 11th and final position-by-position preview of the UF football team leading up to SEC Media Days. TODAY: SPECIAL TEAMS What to expect The 2024 Gators had a 1-2 punch in the kicking game few if any teams could match. Now there is one. Placekicker Trey Smack is back for his final season, while record-setting punter Jeremy Crawshaw is off to the NFL. Advertisement Crawshaw might have been Florida's most consistent, reliable performer through the ups and downs of five seasons, three of them losing ones. He also endured a coaching change from Dan Mullen, who recruited the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Australia native to Gainesville, to Billy Napier. Crawshaw ended his career averaging a school-record 46.4 yards per punt, including the single-season mark of 48.9 in 2023. The 24-year-old was rewarded. The Denver Broncos selected him in the sixth round to make him the only punter chosen in the 2025 NFL draft. Michigan transfer punter Tommy Doman has big shoes to fill, but also a solid resumé. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound senior Doman averaged 42.6 yards on 49 punts this past season, including 15 downed inside the 20 and 10 of 50 yards or longer. Crawshaw finished last season with 25 of 59 punts inside the 20 and 19 of at least 50 yards. Doman will be receiving the ball from one of the best in the business. Former Orlando Boone standout Rocco Underwood returns for his fourth year at UF after he earned the 2024 Mannelly Award, given the best long snapper in college football, and was second-team All-SEC. The 6-foot-3, 231-pound Underwood, a former tight end, also has recorded seven tackles on special teams. Advertisement True freshman Hayden Craig, a 3-star prospect from Quebec, Canada, who attended Bridgton Academy in Maine, will be preparing for his chance in 2026. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Craig was No. 5 player at his position, according to 247Sports composite rankings. Evan Noel, the No. 1-rated kicker in the 2025 per 247Sports, will be Smack's heir apparent. The 6-foot-2, 155-pound native of Bay Saint Louis, Miss., set a state high school record with 61-yard field goal in 2024. He hit 25 of 40 attempts at St. Stanislaus High, but did miss 10 of 119 extra-point tries. Previous Quarterback Running back Tight end Receiver Offensive line Interior defensive line Edge rusher Linebacker Cornerbacks Advertisement What they're saying 'Tommy's gonna be an instrumental part this fall. The experience, being a two-year starter at Michigan, playing in tough conditions — also having a guy from a program that's won a national championship. So he's been on that journey before but the warm weather in Florida was an easy sell. We're very, very fortunate to have him.' — special teams coach Joe Houston on Doman. Returnees Trey Smack Rocco Underwood Departures Jeremy Crawshaw New arrivals Hayden Craig (Quebec, Canada), true freshman Evan Noel (Bay Saint Louis, Miss), true freshman Projected depth chart (offseason) PK — Trey Smack | Evan Noel P — Tommy Doman | Hayden Craig LS — Rocco Underwood Advertisement Previous Quarterback Running back Tight end Receiver Offensive line Interior defensive line Edge rusher Linebacker Cornerback Safeties and STARs Specialists Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What preseason magazines think of Florida football entering 2025 season
With Florida football set to begin practice at the end of July, hope remains high entering the 2025 season. The Florida Gators return an experienced squad that includes eight starters on offense, eight starters on defense and kicker Trey Smack. UF closed its season at 8-5 on a four-game win streak and picked up its first bowl win since 2019, beating Tulane 33-8 in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa. Advertisement Florida is 19-19 in three seasons under head coach Billy Napier, who for now, at least, appears off the hot seat. The challenge for Napier is to build off that momentum against another challenging schedule that includes games against national-title contenders LSU, Miami, Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia and Tennessee. "We've gotten more and more familiar with the evaluation process in terms of what's required in our league at the top of college football," Napier said. "And then I think you learn a lot about the football piece, too, in terms of how you put your team together and what it takes to win our conference and win a national championship." Here's where preseason magazines project the Gators going into the 2025 season: Where Phil Steele Magazine projects Florida football Phil Steele has Florida at No. 17 in its preseason poll and picks the Gators to finish seventh in the SEC. Advertisement "Billy Napier took over a Gators squad that had below average recruiting classes prior to him and two super tough schedules," the magazine wrote. "In '22 they got to a bowl game and lost (6-7) and in '23 were 5-7 with three close losses. Last year they had a brutal schedule, but all of my nine sets power ratings call for seven-plus wins with just three true SEC road games. After a 4-5 start, which included their QB out for the year, DJ Lagway led them to four wins and an 8-5 year (beat No. 21 LSU. No. 9 Ole Miss). This year Lagway is back, and they face the fourth-toughest schedule in the SEC." Steele has seven UF players on his All-SEC teams, with defensive tackle Caleb Banks and long snapper Rocco Underwood on the first team, center Jake Slaughter and left tackle Austin Barber on the second team and defensive end Tyreak Sapp, kicker Trey Smack and wide receiver Eugene Wilson on the third team. Underwood was named a first-team All-American by the magazine, while Slaughter was named a second-team All-American, Banks a third-team All-American and Wilson a fourth-team All-American. Where Lindy's Magazine projects Florida football Lindy's has Florida as No. 15 in its preseason Top 25 and picks Florida to finish seventh in the SEC. Advertisement "No longer on college football's hottest seat, Billy Napier hopes to ascend with DJ Lagway, the most talented quarterback the program has had since Tim Tebow," the magazine writes. "UCLA wideout J. Michael Sturdivant was a nice add and edge Kofi Asare (UMass) was a needed depth piece." Lindy's has Slaughter as an All-SEC first team selection and Banks and Smack on its All-SEC third team. Where Athlon Magazine projects Florida football Athon has Florida at No. 11 in its preseason Top 25 and picks Florida to finish fifth in the SEC. "The Gators have momentum after ending 2024 on a four-game winning streak," the magazine writes. "The late surge helped ease the pressure on head coach Billy Napier, especially with quarterback DJ Lagway's emergence to superstar status. However, the Gators will be holding their breath all offseason after Lagway was limited in spring practice due to a shoulder injury ... The Gators could play seven preseason Top 25 teams on a daunting schedule. Lagway's recovery and development will share just how successful the '25 season will be." Advertisement Athlon has Slaughter at center on its All-SEC first team. Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun's Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@ Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators' national championship basketball season in 'CHOMP-IONS!' — a hardcover coffee-table collector's book from The Sun. Details at This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Where preseason magazines pick Florida football to finish in SEC, nationally
USA Today
21-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida football spring game 2025: Everything you need to know about Orange & Blue Game
Florida football spring game 2025: Everything you need to know about Orange & Blue Game Florida football's spring game will take place on Saturday, April 12, inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville this year with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. The annual Orange and Blue Game represents an opportunity for the fans and media to get a gander at the Gators as they wrap up their spring practice and scrimmage schedule. Traditionally played on a Saturday, the game had been moved to Thursday nights ahead of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, only to return back to the weekend last year. In 2024, the Blue team prevailed over the Orange, 19-17, on a beautiful spring day in Gainesville. For the second year in a row, Trey Smack ended the scrimmage with a field goal at the final horn while head coach Billy Napier noted that, 'It was as good as we could have asked for situationally,' as far as the overall game outcome. More details about this year's game, including streaming, broadcast information and fan initiatives, will be announced as that information becomes available. 2025 Football Season Tickets After 12-straight sold-out games at The Swamp, fans can now secure season tickets for six games in 2025 with matchups against LIU (Aug. 30), South Florida (Sept. 6), Texas (Oct. 4), Mississippi State (Oct. 18), Tennessee (Nov. 22) and Florida State (Nov. 29). Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
