Andre Szmyt Bio
Andre Eric Szmyt is an American professional football placekicker for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). Born in the Chicago suburbs, Szmyt played college football at Syracuse, where he set records and won national recognition. After going undrafted in 2023, he began his professional career with the Chicago Bears, spent a season with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League, and returned to the NFL with the Cleveland Browns.
Early Life and Background
Andre Eric Szmyt was born on September 26, 1998, in Lake Forest, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago. He grew up in the Chicago area, where football is part of the regional sporting culture and kickers are held to high standards. He attended Vernon Hills High School, where he developed into a dependable kicking prospect capable of handling longer field goals under pressure.
Coming out of Vernon Hills, Szmyt was regarded as one of the more polished kicking prospects in his class, with a leg strong enough to attract attention from major college programs. His combination of accuracy from midrange distances and the ability to connect from beyond fifty yards set him apart from many high school specialists. Those tools earned him an opportunity at Syracuse, a program with a long history of producing professional kickers and one that would challenge his leg in cold-weather and wind-affected venues in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Path to American Football
Andre Eric Szmyt arrived at Syracuse in 2017 and redshirted his true freshman year, using the season to adjust to the speed and demands of the college game. He also earned a place on the Syracuse Athletic Director’s Honor Roll that fall, showing early commitment to academics alongside his athletic development. The redshirt year allowed him to refine his mechanics and prepare for a larger role the following season.
That breakthrough came quickly in 2018, when Szmyt became the first Syracuse kicker and the third freshman ever to win the Lou Groza Award as the best kicker in college football. He was also named a unanimous All-American, the first Syracuse player to earn that distinction since defensive end Dwight Freeney in 2001, and he collected the program’s Vlade Award. That season he converted 30 of 34 field goal attempts and was perfect on all 61 of his extra point tries, including a season-long 54-yarder against Pittsburgh. The award-winning campaign established him as one of the most accurate and powerful young kickers in the country and put him on the path to the professional ranks.
Andre Szmyt Career
College Career (2017-2022)
After his historic 2018 season, Szmyt returned as a focal point of the Syracuse offense. In 2019 he connected on 17 of 20 field goals, including a 50-yarder at Florida State, and he closed the year with a clutch 49-yard kick against Wake Forest with 44 seconds left in regulation and a 40-yard overtime field goal in a 39-30 win. The 2020 season was shortened, but he still hit 9 of 11 field goal attempts as he continued to handle kicking duties for the Orange.
Szmyt’s 2021 season was a difficult one, as he connected on only 9 of 14 field goals amid coaching changes and the rotation of holders. He returned to better form in 2022 after Bob Ligashesky took over as Syracuse’s special teams coordinator, finishing the year 20 of 26 on field goals and a perfect 40 of 40 on extra points. Across his college career, Szmyt earned First-team All-ACC honors in 2018 and Third-team All-ACC honors in 2019.
Chicago Bears Era (2023)
Following the 2022 season, Andre Eric Szmyt declared for the NFL Draft but went undrafted. The Chicago Bears signed him as an undrafted free agent on May 4, 2023, giving him an opportunity to compete for a roster spot. His time in Chicago was short, as the Bears waived him on August 8, 2023, ending his first NFL stint before the regular season began.
St. Louis Battlehawks Era (2024)
On January 22, 2024, Szmyt signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League to continue his professional development in the spring league. He re-signed with the Battlehawks later that year on August 21. During the 2024 UFL season, Szmyt led the league in field goals, showing the consistency he had built at Syracuse and reaffirming that his leg was NFL-caliber.
Cleveland Browns Era (2024-Present)
On December 24, 2024, Szmyt was signed to the Cleveland Browns practice squad, and on January 6, 2025, he signed a reserve and future contract with Cleveland. After being waived on June 4 and re-signed on June 26, he made the Browns’ initial 53-man roster on August 26, beating out incumbent kicker Dustin Hopkins for the job. His Cleveland debut was rocky, including a missed extra point and a missed potential winning field goal in a 17-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on September 7, drawing public criticism. He answered two weeks later on September 21 by hitting a game-winning 55-yard field goal to beat the Green Bay Packers 13-10 in a comeback win, an early signature moment with the Browns.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the defining moments of Andre Eric Szmyt’s career are his 2018 Lou Groza Award, his status as a unanimous All-American, and his Lou Groza recognition as a freshman at Syracuse. In the professional ranks, his game-winning 55-yard field goal against the Green Bay Packers in September 2025 stands as his most dramatic NFL moment to date. He also led the UFL in field goals in 2024, underlining his consistency at the professional level.
Andre Szmyt Career Wins
Andre Eric Szmyt’s career wins are best measured through his accuracy and clutch kicks rather than win-loss totals. At Syracuse he repeatedly delivered in close games, including the 49-yard and 40-yard field goals that fueled a 39-30 overtime win over Wake Forest. In the NFL, his first victory-clinching kick came on a 55-yard field goal that beat the Green Bay Packers 13-10 in September 2025, a moment that quickly became the headline of his young professional resume.
Other Wins and Performances
Szmyt was a First-team All-ACC selection in 2018 and a Third-team All-ACC selection in 2019, and he won the Vlade Award that same freshman season. He also led the United Football League in field goals in 2024 with the St. Louis Battlehawks, adding a professional spring-league statistical title to his list of accomplishments.
Andre Szmyt Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Andre Eric Szmyt’s immediate family is limited. He grew up in Lake Forest, Illinois, and attended Vernon Hills High School, where his family supported his early development as a kicker. Detailed information about his parents and siblings is not widely reported in verified sources.
Personal Life
Szmyt has kept his personal life largely private, and verified public details about a spouse, partner, or children are not currently available. He remains focused on his professional career with the Cleveland Browns and continues to build on his record-setting background.
2025 Season Performance
Andre Eric Szmyt entered the 2025 season as the Cleveland Browns’ kicker after winning the job out of training camp. His debut on September 7 was uneven, with a missed extra point and a missed potential winning field goal in a 17-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, drawing criticism from fans and media. The criticism was short-lived, as he responded two weeks later on September 21 with a 55-yard game-winning field goal that gave Cleveland a 13-10 comeback win over the Green Bay Packers.
That dramatic swing, from a tough opening day to a walk-off winner against a longtime NFC North rival, established Szmyt as a key figure in the Browns’ special teams unit. The performance also highlighted the strength of his leg and his ability to handle pressure, traits that had defined him since his unanimous All-American season at Syracuse. Heading into the rest of the 2025 campaign, Cleveland’s outlook relies in part on his consistency from both close and long range.
With his roster spot secured and his first career game-winner in hand, Szmyt’s 2025 storyline is now defined by the bounce-back he showed against Green Bay. Continued accuracy on extra points and field goals inside and beyond fifty yards will shape his reputation as a long-term NFL kicker. The early September swings in fortune suggest that his 2025 season will be measured as much by poise under pressure as by raw totals.