2015 Football Roster
Spencer Smith
- Position:
- P/PK
- Ht./Wt.:
- 6-1 / 195
- Class:
- Redshirt Sophomore
- Hometown:
- Newnan, Ga.
- HS:
- East Coweta HS
- Prev School:
- East Coweta HS
Career
Graduated in May of 2017 with a degree in exercise science ... Squad’s primary punter the past three seasons ... Has played in 39 games ... Has 146 punts for a 43.8 average ... Enters 2017 with seventh-most punts (146) and second-highest average (43.8) in school history ... Has had no punts blocked ... Has 40 punts of 50-plus yards and 39 punts inside the 20 ... Has 20 games with punting averages of 45 yards or more (three-plus attempts per game).
Honors (Academic/Athletic)
Earned Tiger 3.0 Club recognition for the 2013 fall and 2014 spring semesters ... Named to the 2014-15 American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team … Three-time All-American Athletic Conference honoree at punter (2014 second team; 2015, 2016 first team) … Earned American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week following the Cincinnati game (Sept. 28, 2015) ... Received 2014 Scout.com Freshman All- American Team honorable mention distinction.
2016 (Junior)
Played in all 13 games ... Joined Nick Jacobs as the Tigers’ “one-two” punch at punter ... Led the American Athletic Conference with a 45.1 punting average on 45 kicks ... His 45.1 average would rank seventh in FBS, but his 3.4 attempts per game were under the FBS minimum (3.6 attempts) to appear among the national leaders … His 45.1 average is fourth-best for a season in program history … Registered eight games with punting averages of 45 yards or more (three-plus attempts per game) … Booted 13 punts over 50 yards … Placed 11 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line … Had 20 of his punts fair-caught by opponents … Had a season-best 53.7 average (3 punts) in a home win over Temple … All three punts vs. the Owls were over 50 yards … The 53.7 average is second-best for a game in program history (2 or more punt attempts per game) … Also posted punt averages of 45-plus yards vs. Southeast Missouri (45.3), Kansas (51.3), Bowling Green (45.3), Tulane (45.4), SMU (49.6), USF (49.5) and Cincinnati (45.8) … Had a career-high five fair-catches in a home win over Bowling Green … Punted a season-high six times vs. the Falcons … Had all four punts vs. Tulsa and Houston end up as fair-catches … Had a season-long punt of 63 yards in a road win at Tulane … Placed a season-high two punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line three times vs. Kansas, Ole Miss and SMU … Member of the Tigers punt unit that led the American Athletic Conference and was eighth nationally in net punting (41.10 yards).
2015 (Sophomore)
Played in all 13 games ... Continued punting-tandem duties with Nick Jacobs ... Led the American Athletic Conference with a 47.2 punting average on 43 kicks ... Set the school single-season record with his 47.2 punting average ... His 47.2 average would rank fifth in FBS, but his 3.3 attempts per game were under the FBS minimum (3.6 attempts) to appear among the national leaders ... Registered 10 games with punting averages of 45 yards or more (three-plus attempts per game) ... Had 18 punts of 50-plus yards ... Also placed 11 punts inside the 20- yard line ... Had a career-long punt of 72 yards ... Opened campaign with a 46.5 average on four punts vs. Missouri State ... Had two punts of 50-plus yards vs. the Bears ... Punted four times for a 48.0 average in a win at Bowling Green ... Had two 50-yard punts and placed three inside the 20 vs. the Falcons ... Booted a season-high six punts for a 52.7 average in a home win over Cincinnati ... Had a career-best four punts of 50-plus yards, including a career-long 72 yarder ... His 52.7 average tied for the fourth-best average in a game in program history ... His 72-yard punt is the fifth-longest in school history ... The 72-yard punt was tied for the 19th-longest in FBS in 2015 ... The 72-yard effort came late in the second quarter and flipped the field ... After stopping the Tigers on a 3rd-and-2 from the Memphis 28, Cincinnati called timeout with 1:17 left for a possible last drive before halftime ... However, his 72-yard punt went for a touchback and placed the Bearcats on their own 20 with just over a minute left before half ... Following Cincinnati contest, had six games with punting averages of over 45 yards ... Logged averages of 47.5 vs. USF, 48.0 vs. Tulsa, 47.5 vs. Houston, 47.2 vs. Temple, 52.0 vs. SMU and 47.2 vs. Auburn ... Had nine punts of 50-plus yards in those six contests.
2014 (Redshirt Freshman)
Saw action in all 13 games … Part of the team’s punting tandem with Nick Jacobs ... Averaged 40.3 yards on 58 punts … Logged nine punts of 50-plus yards and booted 18 inside the 20-yard line … Had one touchback during the season … Helped Memphis hold opponents to only 2.77 yards per return (13 total returns) to rank fourth nationally in punt return defense … Memphis’ net punting average of 37.97 yards ranked third in the American Athletic Conference and 49th nationally … First collegiate punt was his only touch back of the season … Booted his first kick 47 yards and into the end zone on the final play of the first half in the season-opening win over Austin Peay … Had another kick of 55 yards vs. the Governors for a 51.0 average … Placed four of seven punts inside No. 11 UCLA’s 20-yard line … His four punts inside the 20 were a season high … Averaged 39.4 yards per punt against the Bruins … Logged a season-high nine punts at Ole Miss … His punting efforts kept the Rebels deep in their own territory all game … Averaged 42.9 yards per punt, including two kicks of 50-plus yards … Placed two punts inside the Ole Miss 20 … Converted his lone PAT in a road win at SMU … Only punt vs. the Mustangs was a 46-yarder downed at the SMU 9 … Averaged 46.9 yards per punt in a road win at Tulane … Registered a career-best four punts of 50-plus yards vs. the Green Wave … Pinned Tulane inside its own 20 three times … First punt vs. BYU in the Miami Beach Bowl went 53 yards … On ensuing possession, the Memphis defense intercepted a pass on BYU’s first play from scrimmage … Interception led to a TD that gave the Tigers a 24-14 early second-quarter lead.
2013 (Freshman)
Redshirted.
High School
Played at East Coweta High School for head coach Clint Wade … Three-year starter and letterman at kicker/ punter … As a senior in 2012, 91 percent of his kickoffs were touch-backs ... Connected on a perfect 32-of-32 PAT and 6-of-12 FG … Had a FG long of 41 yards ... Also averaged 37 yards on punts … A 2012 Georgia Athletic Coaches Association (GACA) All-Region 3AAAAAA first team selection at punter (as voted by region’s coaches) ... Also named The Times-Herald All-County kicker/punter in 2012 ... Selected the Most Outstanding Player of the Georgia Senior All-Star Bowl in December of 2012 ... A scholar-athlete award winner.
Personal
Son of Earl and Melanie Smith ... Born August 11 ... Has an older brother, Jeremy, and an older sister, Emily ... Exercise science major.
