Turning heads isn’t always a good thing—especially for a rookie kicker in Green Bay.

The Packers raised some eyebrows back in April when they traded up in the sixth round to select Trey Smack out of the University of Florida. Even with veterans Brandon McManus and Lukas Havrisik on the roster, general manager Brian Gutekunst made his move. Then came the real shocker: on May 8th, the team released veteran Brandon McManus, eating a $1 million roster bonus to all but hand the keys entirely to the rookie. While Lukas Havrisik remains on the roster, the 2026 kicking job is undeniably Smack’s to lose.

A Rocky Debut

Fast forward to OTAs, and Smack has already gotten a taste of the weather elements that Wisconsin has to offer. During his first session in front of the media, Smack struggled, going just 5-of-9 on field-goal attempts with misses from 35, 38, 42, and 46 yards. It was described as a windy day, but that’s par for the course in Green Bay.

Smack did bounce back the following week, drilling 7-of-8 attempts, including an impressive 58-yarder. His lone miss came from 35. That brings his total to 12-of-17 this offseason. Meanwhile, Havrisik has quietly gone a perfect 8-of-8, albeit his reps were all taken inside the Don Hutson Center.

Growing pains are normal for rookie kickers, but Smack has a franchise legend in his corner to help him navigate the learning curve: Packers Hall of Famer Ryan Longwell.

“You need to look at Chris Jacke, myself, and Mason Crosby…versus Dave Rayner, Anders Carlson, and guys that have not made it in this place.” 🏈#Packers Hall of Fame kicker Ryan Longwell breaks down how rookie kicker Trey Smack can have success in Green Bay. 🧀 pic.twitter.com/XLEWjJQ67J

— Wilde and Tausch (@WildeAndTausch) June 12, 2026

Longwell Weighs In

Longwell recently appeared on the Wilde and Tausch radio show and revealed he spoke at length with the rookie about what it actually takes to kick at Lambeau Field.

“I do know Trey. I did talk to him at length last weekend about the situation,” Longwell shared. “You need to look at Chris Jacke, myself, and Mason Crosby and what do we do, or didn’t we do, versus Dave Rayner, Anders Carlson, and guys that have not made it in this place. The difference really is Jacke, and myself, and Mason all hit what you would call a lower cut, meaning the ball was not going left. The ball was going straight or it would fall right. It would never ever turn left.”

From 1989 to 2022, Green Bay had unprecedented stability at the kicker position. Kicking at Lambeau Field, especially during the winter, requires a specific approach, and the franchise's best kickers all had it.

Despite a rocky last several seasons, the Packers had a lot of stability at the kicker position from 1989 to 2022. Kicking at Lambeau Field is never easy, especially as the weather gets worse. Chris Jacke held down the spot for eight years, then Ryan Longwell took over for nine years, and then Mason Crosby held it down for 16 years. Those three brought stability to a position that desperately needed it, despite kicking in the elements of Green Bay. The table below highlights how each performed at Lambeau Field in their career.

According to Longwell, Smack’s college film showed a style that hasn’t been very successful for kickers in Green Bay. “When you look at Trey’s college film, he hit a very high hook, “ Longwell said. “Like a high, high ball. And so what that does in Lambeau Field is you look at Anders, and what did he do? He hits the high, high ball, and it stays wide right. At one end of the field, it hangs right on the high hook, and the other end of the field, it blows across the whole upright and goes left.”

Avoiding the Kryptonite

The adjustment seems fairly straightforward — don’t kick the ball so high. “The high hook in Lambeau has always been kryptonite,” Longwell added. “You have to be able to adjust and hit a lower cut to kick in that place.”

“What I have told Trey, and what needs to happen…The ball needs to be leaned more forward in a way,” he continued. “You need to cover the ball more. It’s like a golf shot. You need to cover it to get it so it doesn’t move left, and you absolutely need to lower the trajectory.”

Despite kicking a higher ball, Smack’s ability to kick a straight ball was one of the traits that the Packers liked the most. “Straight ball, accuracy. His ball doesn’t move a lot,” special teams coordinator Cam Achord shared. “For me, I don’t need a guy — and I’ve been blessed to coach a lot of guys that are really good — I don’t need a guy that can kick 65 yards, personally. I want the guy who’s gonna put it through consistently from 58, 55, ’cause again, we’re playing in Green Bay.”

Smack undoubtedly has the leg strength to kick anywhere, setting a Florida record with 10 career field goals from 50+ yards and regularly clearing 65 yards in practice. But as Achord emphasized, the Packers value someone who can endure the elements. “Whether I was coaching in New England, coaching in MetLife, we’re gonna play in elements, and you’re not gonna need the 60-yard ball all the time,” Achord said. “You’re gonna need the 45-yard ball with a 14-mile-an-hour crosswind, so his ball not moving and stuff like that was definitely a big part for me.”

With training camp and the preseason on the horizon, Smack will get the lion’s share of the reps to make his adjustments and hone in on a style that will be successful in Green Bay. “It’s you versus you,” is how Smack plans to approach it. “I don’t really pay attention to anybody else but myself because I’m the one that’s got to put it through the uprights.”