Kentucky announced the death of redshirt freshman football player Nicholas Smith through its X account on Monday. A defensive lineman out of Loganville, Georgia, Smith was 20 years old.
In a statement released through his social media, Wildcats coach Will Stein spoke about Smith’s death.
The statement read,
“Today our hearts are broken. 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.”
While the details of Smith’s death have not been revealed, according to his bio on the team website, Smith was nicknamed “Happy” by his teammates, and the name eventually turned into “Big Happ.” Despite being a Georgia native, Smith chose to attend Kentucky over Georgia and Georgia Tech.
While Smith redshirted his first season on the field, the Georgia native was a sophomore as part of the Community Leadership and Development program in the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment. Smith also spoke about his ambition to start a food business after retiring from the NFL.
The University of Kentucky also issued a statement.
“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our beloved teammate Nic Smith. We extend our thoughts and prayers to Nic’s family, friends and the members of our program. “We ask that you respect their privacy during this difficult time.””
More Details about Smith’s death will be updated here as they become available.
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