Rookie kicker Trey Smack is set to make his regular-season debut for the Green Bay Packers against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Following a flawless preseason, the sixth-round draft pick steps into a high-stakes role as Green Bay seeks stability following years of kicking volatility.
GREEN BAY (WLunn) — After going 9-for-9 in field goals in the preseason, Packers rookie kicker Trey Smack is now ready to prove it when it really counts. With U.S. Bank Stadium being one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL, Smack is ready to soak it in.
Smack said there’s no jitters and he’s treating it like every preseason game in terms of preparation and focusing on his job. Since long snapper Matt Orzech came back from injury, their relationship and chemistry has grown and it feels right. He said a person who’s he’s leaned on the most is Punter Daniel Whelan on how to prepare and learn from. Smack did say he will have some family and friends in attendance.
Trey Smack ready to make NFL debut
GREEN BAY, Wis. – When Green Bay Packers kicker Trey Smack jogs onto the field for the first kicks of his NFL career on Sunday at the Minnesota Vikings, about 67,000 screaming fans will be encouraging him to, well, choke.
How will he handle the moment? The deafening roar trying to get in his head? The sea of twirling white towels trying to distract him?
You really don’t notice it because I’m not really worried about, like, ‘Oh, man, there’s a lot of fans screaming at me,’
Smack said after practice on Friday. I got to worry about kicking a ball, so that’s what I’m kind of worried about.
Smack, a sixth-round pick from Florida, is no stranger to pressure kicks in tough stadiums. He played in the SEC, the toughest conference in college football and with some of the most rabid fanbases.
Was LSU’s infamous Death Valley the toughest stadium? No, I think LSU’s overrated,
Smack said.
So, what were the most challenging environments? I would say Tennessee’s up there. Tennessee’s probably in my top,
he said. I would say, Kyle Field [at Texas A&M] can get amped up when they want to. And the sleeper’s South Carolina. I think South Carolina is one of the better atmospheres in college football.
Smack kicked for the Gators for three seasons. In road games, he made 12-of-15 field-goal attempts and all 36 extra points.
Florida Alum Trey Smack Has Productive Rookie Preseason
The Green Bay Packers selected Florida Gators alum Trey Smack in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Smack has thrived in the preseason, making all nine of his field goal attempts and seven of his extra point attempts.
The 23-year-old had a great year with the Gators and is now making his mark in the NFL. In the 2023 season, Smack made 17 of 21 field goal attempts and all 29 of his extra point attempts.
He was even more impressive in 2024, making 18 of 21 field goal attempts and all 44 of his extra point attempts. Smack played at a high level once again in the 2025 season, as he made 18 of 22 field goal attempts and 27 of 28 extra point attempts.
Smack’s consistency at Florida is translating on the field, and he will be the starting kicker for the Packers in the upcoming season.
Rookie Trey Smack adjusting to pressure of being Packers kicker
Aug. 20, 2026, 6:30 a.m. ET GREEN BAY – Xavier McKinney is smiling as he discusses the rookie who’s his new locker room neighbor, but he is not joking. It’s a nervous grin wrapped in trepidation, the type of look someone gives when things might be better now, but the wound is still fresh.
He’s not alone in these parts. Everyone around the Green Bay Packers is trying to suppress a bad memory. For more than three decades, this franchise knew only stability at the game’s most unstable position. That rug got pulled out from under the Packers in 2023, one year before McKinney arrived. They’ve been trying to survive kicking hell ever since.
McKinney’s nervous energy can’t be duplicated without experiencing something like last season. The blocked field goal in Cleveland. The blocked extra points in Dallas. Three missed kicks in a playoff loss at Chicago. Rookie kicker Trey Smack is one of the only people on the Packers’ payroll who doesn’t carry that baggage with him.
One locker over, McKinney is there to remind him – and keep reminding him – all through camp. I’m on his ass every day,
McKinney said, smiling but not really, and I tell him, ‘Hey, you’ve got a big responsibility, and we need you.’
Smack estimated he’s heard McKinney mutter those four magical words – just make the kick
– close to 20 times since he’s arrived. He knows the All-Pro safety isn’t joking.
Trey Smack made an impression in his first preseason appearance very quickly. The Packers’ rookie kicker looked comfortable right away, and that’s already a reason to believe the Green Bay Packers may have found something important. Making his debut in Pittsburgh isn’t exactly the easiest introduction for a young kicker. The conditions can be tough, and kicking there can test even experienced players. Smack didn’t seem bothered by any of it. He looked confident and showed off the kind of leg that could make 60-yard field goals feel like a realistic bet.
That’s a valuable trait for a team that has struggled badly from longer distances. The Packers have converted just 57% of their field-goal attempts from 40-49 yards over the last two seasons. In an era when teams generally expect reliable kicking from that range, that’s a big problem. It’s also the kind of problem that can actually cost a team games.
Smack has a chance to change that. Of course, one preseason appearance isn’t enough to declare a kicker the answer to every special teams problem. He’ll have to keep proving himself once the games get started in the regular season. But the early signs are there, and his combination of confidence and leg strength gives Green Bay something it hasn’t consistently had.
Worth a look