PUEBLO, Colo. - Colorado State University Pueblo junior kicker Jackson Smith (Centennial, Colo./Santa Barbara City College) has been selected as a semifinalist for the 2025 Fred Mitchell Award, which honors the top placekicker in FCS, NCAA Division II, Division III, NAIA, and NJCAA football who demonstrates excellence both on the field and in community service.
Smith earned his semifinalist recognition after a historic season for the ThunderWolves. The junior led the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in field goal percentage (78.9 percent), field goals per game (1.67), and kicking points per game (9.8) during the regular season, while ranking fifth in the league with a total of 88 points. During the 2025 regular season, Smith was a three-time RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week.
One of the defining moments of his 2025 season for Smith came at New Mexico Highlands, where he drilled a school-record 60-yard field goal, surpassing the previous school record of 55 yards set in 1975 by Mitch Johnson against Western New Mexico. The field goal was the fifth-longest in the state of Colorado history and one of only 18 field goals of 60 yards or longer in NCAA football since the beginning of the 2008 season, including a total of three this season (2 in FBS and Smith's in Division II). In addition, he later tied another school record by going 4-for-4 on field goals in a 40-14 win at Black Hills State on Oct. 18, and added four extra points for a single-game school record 16 kicking points.
Smith was flawless on extra points during the regular season, as he was 43-for-43 and was 15-for-19 on field goals (78.9 percent), including going 3-for-4 from 50-plus yards. His 94 points were second-most on the team and fifth-most in the RMAC. He also provided one of the year's signature moments when he hit a walk-off 32-yard field goal to complete CSU Pueblo's 24-21 comeback win at Western Colorado on Nov. 1. The walk-off field goal helped the Pack comeback from a 21-point deficit midway through the second quarter.
This year's 41 semifinalists for the Fred Mitchell Award include 23 kickers from the FCS level, eight from Division II, eight from Division III, 1 from NAIA, two from NJCAA, and 1 from 3C2A. The other Division II kickers selected as semifinalists were Minnesota State sophomore Connor Fournier, Minot State sophomore Brandon McCary, Virginia Union senior Brady Myers, Colorado School of Mines freshman Preston Kyle, Pittsburg State junior Austin Schmitt, Ashland (Ohio) freshman Manaki Watanabe, and Chadron State senior Wilson Yee.
The Fred Mitchell Award is presented annually to a kicker for performance on the field, academic achievement, and meaningful service to the community. Semifinalists were chosen from a national watch list, and the winner of the 2025 award will be named in December based on performance on the football field and in the community.
