COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo senior kicker Jackson Smith (Centennial, Colo./Santa Barbara City College) has been named this week's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Special Teams Football Player of the Week as announced by the league office Monday afternoon.
Jackson becomes the third different Pack player to earn Player of the Week accolades this season from the RMAC as sophomore quarterback Navi Bruzon (Peoria, Ariz./Highland CC) was named the Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 14 and Sept. 28, while sophomore linebacker Carter Daniels (Centennial, Colo./Mountain Vista) was named the Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 31. In fact, the Pack has had at least one Player of the Week honor four times in six weeks this season.
Jackson earns his first RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week accolade this season and fourth in his career after having a record setting performance in the Pack's 72-7 road win this past Saturday at Adams State. The victory moved the Pack to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in RMAC play.
Against the Grizzlies, Smith, who was named a Preseason All-RMAC selection and was named the Preseason Fred Mitchell Award Watch List, set a single-game school record of 17 kicking points as he was a perfect 8-for-8 on extra points and was 3-for-3 on field goals, including a 50-yard field goal to give the Pack a 17-0 lead with 2:09 left in the opening quarter. His three goals went for 50, 48 and 25 yards and he became the third RMAC kicker with a 50-yard field goal this season. The 17 kicking points broke his own school record of 16 points set last season against Black Hills State.
Through six games this season, Smith is second in the RMAC in points scored by an RMAC kicker this season with 51 and he is 33-for-34 on extra points and 6-for-9 on field goals, including three made field goals over 40 yards. His 33 extra points lead the league and he is tied for seventh in the league with six made field goals. In his career, he is now 22-for-30 on field goals and 79-for-80 on extra points and has scored 145 points, which is fifth-most on the school's all-time charts.
In addition to Bruzon, the league named Western Colorado fifth-year quarterback Josiah Roy as the Offensive Player of the Week and South Dakota Mines senior defensive back Lang Gappelberg as the Defensive Player of the Week.
Roy earns this week's RMAC Offensive Player of the Week honor after throwing for five touchdown passes in Western Colorado's 52-24 road win this past Saturday against New Mexico Highlands. Against the Cowboys, Roy was 16-for-25 passing for 227 yards and connected on three touchdown passes before the first half ended after the Mountaineers trailed 17-0 with 6:49 remaining in the half.
Meanwhile, Gappelberg earns this week's RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honor after leading the Hardrockers with six tackles, including two solo stops, along with an interception and a pass break-up in their 30-16 road win on Saturday over Fort Lewis. Gappelberg's interception came on the second half's opening drive and his 25-yard return set up a South Dakota Mines at Fort Lewis' 5-yard line, resulting in a touchdown and a 20-6 lead two plays later. In the game, South Dakota Mines defense forced five turnovers (three interceptions) and limited the Skyhawks to a total of 302 yards on 60 plays, including 15 net rushing yards.
Smith and the fourth-ranked ThunderWolves (6-0 overall, 4-0 RMAC) will take this weekend off before returning to action on Saturday, Oct. 17 for a 2 p.m. Homecoming 2026 and Hall of Fame game against New Mexico Highlands (3-3 overall, 1-3 RMAC) in the ThunderBowl.
