STATESBORO – Alex Smith's entire life was dedicated to the pursuit of playing professional tennis at the international level. Once COVID-19 struck, his life changed course to America. 
 
Upon high school graduation, Smith decided to skip the college route – despite receiving offers from Power 4 programs in America – and instead stayed in the Australian tennis system in order to pursue the sport professionally. 
 
"At the end of high school, all of my friends I played tennis with were getting recruited by Power 4 schools," Smith said. "My best friend went to Oregon, another to Memphis, and I was getting interest from colleges too. But coming from Dubai and only spending a couple of years in the Australian tennis system, I didn't know much about the process, so I decided to go pro."
 
In early 2020, Smith was competing on the Australian Tour and had climbed into the top 100, gearing up at a training camp for his next step: the ATP Futures Tour. But just as his ranking was high enough to play internationally, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing him to put his tennis career on hold.
 
"I'd never really known anything outside of tennis, and when COVID hit, so much was suddenly out of my control, tennis included," Smith said. "For the first time, I took a step back and wondered what life might look like if tennis wasn't everything. I started thinking about how I'd missed the boat on going to university and wanted to see if there was anything out there for me beyond Australia within reach."
 
In search of a new path, Smith remembered he could kick a ball far, with his limited experience playing Australian football in school. He also recalled hearing about ProKick Australia, a program known for sending several punters to the United States.
 
"With a few months off because of COVID, that's when I started to explore punting and wondered if this is something worth trying," Smith said. "So I went down to ProKick and tried it – expecting nothing – and I was terrible at my tryout. But they must have seen something in me."

American football has given Smith something tennis never could: the chance to be part of a team.

"Having teammates for the first time, instead of constantly being in your own head, was a really nice change," Smith said. "I'm so grateful for football and everything it's given me."
Some lessons from tennis still shape the way Smith approaches football today.

"Even though I'm part of a team now, my job is still very specific and individualized; it comes down to whether I do well or not," Smith said. "Obviously, Jackson (Wheeler) has to snap the ball well, and the guys have to block, but the kick itself is on me. That moment before the kick can feel uncomfortable, but tennis taught me how to live in that discomfort and do what I need to do."

Now a veteran presence in Georgia Southern's special teams unit, Smith has stepped into a leadership role – one built on a standard for excellence.

"Over the last two years, it's been a very senior special teams room, and I love how much Coach (Clay) Helton emphasizes that phase of the game," Smith said. "It's such a huge part of the program and stepping into a leadership role has meant a lot to me. Now we've got 18- and 19-year-olds trying to figure out how to act and play, and I'm doing my best to show them the way – to lay the foundation so that when I'm gone, they understand the standard in that room. We have to be excellent and flawless – nothing else – because we only get one crack."

When it comes to leadership, Smith takes a semi-vocal approach, offering a few words to rally the boys before game time but preferring one-on-one conversations. 

"I like to talk to the boys before we head out and remind them that we need to execute," Smith said. "I'm not the guy who's going to gather everyone and fire them up. I prefer to pull someone aside if they've had a bad rep and ask, 'How can we do this better?' That one-on-one approach feels more genuine, and I think the guys get more out of it."
Initially committed to Vanderbilt, Georgia Southern called him and offered him a spot on the roster, but Smith still had reservations. 
 
"The first thing was that the South attracted me. I grew up in Dubai, so I wanted to be around the heat, and I aligned better with the people here; that's why I was committed to Vanderbilt," he said. "I almost quit the ProKick program when Georgia Southern offered me, and I almost didn't say yes. But I needed to challenge myself and give something a crack, so I came here and in that first week, I was looking for any reason to get back on a plane and go home. Every single person in this building made that impossible."
 
When Smith first arrived in Statesboro, special teams coordinator Blake Wilson made sure he felt right at home, driving him around town, showing him the area and even taking him to Walmart to pick up essentials. 
 
"I had nothing; it was like starting a brand-new life here," Smith said. "They made it impossible by how generous they were with their time and then feeding that into football. When I first started, the coaches were very understanding that I needed some time to develop and adjust to the college climate. Had they done it any other way, then I wouldn't have had the success that I've had here. So I'm very grateful for how they treated me when I got here and throughout the first year because it allowed me to succeed."
 
When it comes to celebrating success, Smith has his own unique benchmark.
 
"Let's go for back-to-back weeks of me not going out (to punt) – that's how I'll know it's a good one," Smith joked. 

Game Eight will be played at Arkansas State on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 6 p.m. CT/ 7 p.m. ET. Tune in on ESPN+ or the Georgia Southern Sports Network.