Andre Eric Szmyt (born September 26, 1998) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

for the

Syracuse Orange The Syracuse Orange are the athletic teams that represent Syracuse University. The school is a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Until 2013, Syracuse was a member of the Big East Conference. The school's mascot is ...

College career

Szmyt

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

his true freshman year in 2017. In 2018, Szmyt became the first Syracuse kicker and third freshman to win the

Lou Groza Award The Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the top college football placekicker in the United States by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award is named after former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns player Lou Groza. It has be ...

, and was named a unanimous All-American. Szmyt also won the 2018 Vlade Award. After a stellar freshman year, Szmyt's performance was marred by coaching changes and his holders switching. He returned to a better form when

Bob Ligashesky Bob Ligashesky (born June 2, 1962) is an American football coach. He is the special teams coordinator at Syracuse University. Ligashesky has been as assistant coach with several teams in the National Football League (NFL). Playing career Ligash ...

took over as the

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

coordinator in 2022.

References

External links

Syracuse Orange bio
1998 births Living people All-American college football players American football placekickers People from Vernon Hills, Illinois Players of American football from Illinois Sportspeople from the Chicago metropolitan area Syracuse Orange football players {{Amfoot-kicker-stub