Andre Szmyt Signs as Undrafted Free Agent With Chicago Bears

Syracuse Orange's kicker has an NFL home.

Mike McAllister | Apr 29, 2023

Andre Szmyt Signs as Undrafted Free Agent With Chicago Bears /

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Syracuse kicker Andre Szmyt may not have been selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, but he has still found an NFL home. According to multiple reports, Szmyt has signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Chicago Bears.

Szmyt is Syracuse football's all-time leader in points with 454, which ranks 13th in FBS history and fourth in ACC history. His 85 made field goals is a Syracuse record and he also holds the record for highest field goal percentage at SU (81%). During the 2018 season, Szmyt became the first Syracuse player to win the Lou Groza Award when he made a school record 30 field goals. He was also a unanimous All-American that season.

Szmyt came to Syracuse out of Vernon Hills High School in Illinois as a preferred walk-on for the Orange's 2017 recruiting class. He was set to depart Syracuse after the 2021 season, but elected to come back after the Orange hired Bob Ligashesky. He bounced back after a subpar 2021 season, where he made just nine of 14 field goals (64%), to connect on 20 of 26 field goal attempts (77%). Szmyt will now take that accurate leg to the Bears with a chance to make the roster.

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Published Apr 29, 2023

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.