Kentucky football defensive lineman Nic ‘Happy’ Smith has died
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kentucky announced the death of redshirt freshman defensive lineman Nic Smith on Monday.
- Coach Will Stein said the team’s hearts are broken and offered thoughts and prayers.
- Smith signed as a three-star lineman in the high school class of 2025 and was redshirting.
Kentucky redshirt freshman defensive lineman Nic Smith has died, the university announced Monday afternoon.
“Today our hearts are broken,” football coach Will Stein said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Nic’s family, friends, teammates and everyone who knew and loved him. This is a tremendous loss for our program and university community. We will continue to support one another and honor his memory.”
Smith signed with Kentucky as a three-star lineman in the high school class of 2025. The Loganville, Georgia, native did not appear in a game while redshirting in his first year on campus.
He is the son of Spencer and Kisha Smith and Genedra Smalls and brother of Jackson Roundtree, Killik Smith, Arkeion Smith, Nedra Roundtree, Valencia Murray and Ariana Smith.
Smith was majoring in community and leadership development.
This story will be updated.
This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 4:23 PM.