Green Bay Packers rookie Trey Smack began his athletic career playing lacrosse. But after making the transition to football, he became the only kicker selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Smack was lacrosse teammates with Joe Stover, the son of former NFL kicker Matt Stover. When his son told him about Smack's leg, the eldest Stover had to take a look. He more than liked what he saw, agreeing to train the kicker through his transition to football, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.
“‘He's done with lacrosse. He has a pro leg at [age] 16, and nobody's taught him how to do that. He just has the talent.' And that's what Trey had,” Stover said. “And I can tell you I did the same thing for [former NFL kickers] Phil Dawson and Mason Crosby.”
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Smack took to football immediately, rising up the recruiting boards and ultimately committing to Florida. He spent four years with the Gators, appearing in 44 games. Smack converted on 99 percent of his extra points and 82.8 percent of his field goals during that time. He was named Third-team All-SEC in 2025 after hitting 96.4 percent of his extra points and 81.8 percent of his field goals.
The selection of Smack – which came in the sixth round with the No. 216 pick – all but guaranteed he would be Green Bay's starting kicker in 2026. But their release of Brandon McManus etched that fact into stone. The pressure will now be on for Smack to make a strong impact as a rookie.
No matter how he fares though, the kicker has taken a tumultuous path to the NFL, starting with not even playing the sport. As he watches him kick for the Packers, Stover won't soon forget what Smack looked like when he started.
Green Bay Packers rookie Trey Smack began his athletic career playing lacrosse. But after making the transition to football, he became the only kicker selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. Smack was lacrosse teammates with Joe Stover, the son of former NFL kicker Matt Stover. When his son told him about Smack's leg, the eldest Stover had to take a look.