{"id":705153,"date":"2026-05-30T22:44:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T22:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/705153\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T22:44:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T22:44:08","slug":"former-gator-trey-smack-named-among-nfl-rookies-facing-big-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/705153\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Gator Trey Smack named among NFL rookies facing big pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Former <a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/football\/ncaaf\/teams\/florida-gators\/3472\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Florida;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Florida&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Florida<\/a> kicker Trey Smack was identified by NFL.com as one of 12 rookies who &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/12-nfl-rookies-who-need-to-succeed-in-year-1-heat-is-on-carnell-tate-jadarian-price-antonio-williams?campaign=Twitter_atn\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:need to succeed;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;need to succeed&quot;}\" class=\"link \">need to succeed<\/a>&#8221; in their first season.<\/p>\n<p>Smack was a sixth-round selection by the <a href=\"http:\/\/packerswire.usatoday.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Green Bay Packers;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Green Bay Packers&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Green Bay Packers<\/a>, a team with lofty playoff aspirations. Following the team&#8217;s release of veteran kicker <a class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/nfl\/players\/27120\/\" data-i13n=\"sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link\" data-ylk=\"slk:Brandon McManus;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Brandon McManus&quot;,&quot;ySubModuleName&quot;:&quot;anchor_text&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Brandon McManus<\/a>, the 2025 All-SEC Third Team selection has a direct path to a starting role in <a class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/nfl\/teams\/green-bay\/\" data-i13n=\"sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link\" data-ylk=\"slk:Green Bay;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Green Bay&quot;,&quot;ySubModuleName&quot;:&quot;anchor_text&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Green Bay<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/football\/nfl\/teams\/green-bay-packers\/335\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Packers;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Packers&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Packers<\/a> traded up in the draft for Smack, which signals the former Gator is viewed as a long-term solution at this position. Head coach Matt LaFleur is likely intrigued by Smack&#8217;s dependability \u2014 while at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/sports\/college-sports\/sec\/florida\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Florida;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Florida&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Florida<\/a>, he was one of the most reliable kickers in the SEC. A semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, Smack built a reputation for accuracy from long range during his collegiate career.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The name packs WWE flare, but how\u2019s the leg? Plenty powerful, seeing how he set a program record at Florida with 10 career field goals of 50-plus yards,&#8221; NFL editor Gennaro Filice said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Kicking in the sun-soaked Swamp is obviously different than performing the duty on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, but Smack was born and raised in Maryland, so at least he\u2019s familiar with the concept of winter.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Follow us\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GatorsWire\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:@GatorsWire;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;@GatorsWire&quot;}\" class=\"link \">@GatorsWire<\/a>\u00a0on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/gatorswire.bsky.social\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Bluesky;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Bluesky&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Bluesky<\/a>, and like our page on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GatorsWire\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Facebook;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Facebook&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Facebook<\/a>\u00a0to follow ongoing coverage of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/basketball\/ncaab\/teams\/florida-gators\/1407\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Florida Gators;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Florida Gators&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Florida Gators<\/a>\u00a0news, notes and opinions.<\/p>\n<p>This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: <a href=\"https:\/\/gatorswire.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/college\/gators\/football\/2026\/05\/30\/florida-football-trey-smack-green-bay-packers-rookies-who-need-to-succeed\/90329223007\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Former Florida football kicker Trey Smack a rookie who must succeed;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Former Florida football kicker Trey Smack a rookie who must succeed&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Former Florida football kicker Trey Smack a rookie who must succeed<\/a><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former Florida kicker Trey Smack was identified by NFL.com as one of 12 rookies who &#8220;need to succeed&#8221;&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":705154,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,99760,6587,1243,593,85,305686],"class_list":["post-705153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-brandon-mcmanus","tag-green-bay","tag-green-bay-packers","tag-nfl","tag-sports","tag-trey-smack"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=705153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705153\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/705154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=705153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=705153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=705153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}