A Lou Groza Award winner who went undrafted, kicked in the UFL, and now beats Packers with 55-yard game-winners for the Browns.
Andre Szmyt won college football's top kicking award as a Syracuse freshman, then still had to grind through an undrafted free agent stint, a release from the Bears and a season in the UFL before landing a real NFL job. He beat out veteran Dustin Hopkins for Cleveland's kicking job in 2025 and delivered immediately.
Path to the league
Szmyt joined Syracuse as a walk-on in 2017 and redshirted, then broke out in 2018 by winning the Lou Groza Award as the nation's top kicker, going 30-for-34 on field goals and earning unanimous All-American honors. He went undrafted in 2023, had a brief stint with the Chicago Bears, then spent 2024 kicking for the UFL's St. Louis Battlehawks before signing to Cleveland's practice squad.
Career highlights
Szmyt led the UFL in field goals during his 2024 season with the Battlehawks. He won Cleveland's starting kicking job over veteran Dustin Hopkins during 2025 training camp and re-signed with the Browns in April 2026 after a strong debut season.
2025 season recap
Szmyt made his mark by hitting a 55-yard field goal, then a career long, to beat the Green Bay Packers on September 21, 2025, for Cleveland's first win of the season. He finished the year 24-for-27 on field goals and 25-for-26 on extra points for 97 total points.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Andre Szmyt
- ESPN: Andre Szmyt
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | browns | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Place Kicker
- Group
- specialTeam
- College
- Syracuse
- Hometown
- Vernon Hills, IL, USA
- Age
- 27
- Status
- active
