Florida Gators News: Trey Smack keeps impressing, Jake Slaughter gets starting role, more

Florida fans know what former kicker Trey Smack is capable of, and now the rest of the NFL world is starting to catch up. The Green Bay Packers drafted Smack in the 6th round of the 2026 draft to challenge veteran Brandon McManus and journeyman Lucas Havrisik, and Smack won the job quickly.

What’s interesting is that Smack hadn’t been that great at practice. As our FanSided sister site Lombardi Ave. noted:

“Smack has been anything but perfect at Ray Nitschke Field for practice. To date, he's made 24 of 34 attempts throughout training camp, including a near-perfect night at Lambeau Field for Family Night.”

Now in preseason action, Smack is 7/7 on field goal attempts, including four from over 50 yards. In their preseason game against the Denver Broncos, Smack had a long of 59 yards and made all three of his extra point attempts.

Jake Slaughter named starting center for the Los Angeles Chargers

Another draft pick from the 2026 draft, Jake Slaughter, is also having a solid preseason, at least in the eyes of his coaches. Jim Harbaugh announced that Slaughter would be the Chargers' starting center to open the 2026 season.

“Every time he's been in a game, every time he's had to go in there, he's a football player. He's shown up. He's got the ability to process, and his athleticism, his strength, it's all plus-plus,” said Harbaugh.

What’s notable is that even though Slaughter was a center with Florida, he had been drafted by the Chargers with the intention to play guard this season. However, an injury to Tyler Biadasz opened the door for Slaughter to move back to his native position. 

Anthony Richardson Sr. does not have a good day

The saga of Anthony Richardson Sr. is one we have covered at length here at Hail Florida Hail. Injuries and inconsistencies have plagued Richardson, and he is fighting just to have a backup role in 2026, the last year of his rookie contract that Indianapolis doesn’t intend to extend.

Playing against Atlanta, Richardson went 3/9 for 24 yards and took two sacks. He got a PFF grade of 43.7. It comes on the heels of his preseason opener, which wasn’t terrible but was hampered by turnovers.

Jack Pyburn quiet in his second preseason outing

We’ll end with one of the more bizarre stories in college football right now. Former Gator, turned LSU Tiger, Jack Pyburn had a solid outing last week with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, recording two sacks. 

Then it came out that Pyburn got a TRO that could pave the way for him to play one more season of college football.

Last night against Kansas City, Pyburn took 24 snaps, 12 of which were on the pass rush. Pyburn had zero sacks, nor did he get credited with a QB pressure.

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