Former Florida kicker Trey Smack wasted no time showing why the Packers trusted him with the job.
Green Bay picked Smack in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and he beat out the competition to become the starter. In his first NFL game, the 23-year-old delivered a clean night on the biggest kicks, drilling all three of his field goal attempts - including a 59-yarder - while missing one of his two extra point tries.
That leaves Smack with a debut that was more good than great, but still plenty encouraging. The next test comes in Week 2 against the New York Jets, where he’ll try to put together a perfect outing.
Smack’s college resume at Florida gives the Packers reason to believe the strong leg is real. He put together three solid seasons with the Gators, starting in 2023 when he went 17-for-21 on field goals and was perfect on 29 extra points. He backed that up in 2024 by making 18 of 21 field goals and all 44 PATs, then followed with another steady year in 2025, converting 18 of 22 field goals and 27 of 28 extra points.
He was one of the few reliable pieces on a Florida team that struggled under Billy Napier. After the Gators finished 4-8 in 2025, Florida moved on from Napier and hired Jon Sumrall.
Sumrall’s first season has started well. Florida is 2-0 in 2026, helped by a transfer portal haul that made the team competitive quickly.
One of those additions was kicker Patrick Durkin, and so far he has done the job in Smack’s old spot. Through two weeks, Durkin has made both of his field goal attempts and all 15 of his extra point tries. The Tulane transfer arrived with his own track record, having hit 27 of 32 field goals and 57 of 58 extra points for the Green Wave.
In Other News...
Florida Gets One Encouraging Sign As Auburn Availability Questions Linger
Florida got a small but useful boost on the availability front this week with starting kicker Patrick Durkin moving onto the probable list for Saturdays game against Auburn. In a matchup where special teams can swing field position and points in tight spots, having the usual kicker trending in the right direction gives Billy Napiers group at least one bit of stability as the SEC schedule starts to settle in.
Elsewhere on the injury report, the status of wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. and defensive end Emmanuel Oyebadejo still bears watching after both were listed questionable with ankle injuries. Auburn has its own list of concerns, with Tai Buster already ruled out and Hunter Herring and Joe Phillips tagged questionable, leaving both teams to sort through a little uncertainty before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Sees Something In Florida Auburn Still Hasn't Matched
Nick Saban chimed in on The Pat McAfee Show with a confident read on Floridas SEC opener against Auburn, and his takeaway centered on the Gators ground game. He pointed to Floridas rushing attack, led by Jadan Baugh, while also suggesting Jon Sumrall walked into a better roster situation than Auburn coach Alex Golesh did. It was the kind of preseason assessment that carries a little extra weight coming from Saban, especially with both teams trying to shape early momentum in conference play.
Auburn does have one recent performance that should keep Florida honest, and Saban made sure to acknowledge it. Byrum Brown gave the Gators plenty to handle in last seasons meeting, so this matchup does not figure to be one-way traffic just because Florida has the more appealing setup on paper. Still, Sabans prediction adds another layer of attention to an opener that already feels like an important marker for where Florida stands under Sumrall. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Opens SEC Play With One Big Concern At Auburn
Week 3 brings Florida into SEC play with a familiar kind of road test, and Jon Sumrall is already focused on the part that usually matters most in September: surviving the setting. Jordan-Hare Stadium can turn a routine conference opener into something much tougher, and Sumrall pointed to the challenge of dealing with a well-coached Auburn team that has enough talent to make every mistake feel bigger than it should.
Auburns offense is the main source of concern, especially with Byrum Brown operating in a system he knows well and a coach in Alex Golesh who has already crossed paths with Sumrall. The Gators are entering league play knowing the schematic fit and the personnel both line up against them, which is why this matchup feels less like an early-season measuring stick and more like a test of whether Florida can handle a disciplined offense in a hostile place. [Read more 🡒]