The progress 2028 Fairmont Senior K Ben Smith Ben Smith 5'9" | 170 lbs | K/P Fairmont Senior | 2028 State WV has made since his freshman year is starting to pay off. The lefty has begun his junior season without a miss on place kicks, going 11/11 on PATs and 2/2 on short field goals. That consistency has helped him develop into one of the top kickers in the class as he continues to develop. His strong lower-body base translates well to leg strength, giving him a solid physical foundation to build on. There’s still room to refine his fundamentals, but Smith has worked to improve and has plenty of upside remaining.

BREAKOUT CANDIDATE

Special teams will remain in good hands with 2028 K Ben Smith returning for his sophomore season. Smith stepped into the varsity role last fall and delivered consistent production, converting 47/53 PAT attempts while connecting on his lone field goal attempt. He also made an impact on kickoffs, averaging 52 yards per kick and recording 14 touchbacks to help Fairmont Senior consistently win the field position battle. As he continues to gain experience and develop, Smith gives the Polar Bears a dependable specialist and another valuable piece to the team.

2028 Fairmont Senior K Ben Smith Ben Smith 5'9" | 170 lbs | K/P Fairmont Senior | 2028 State WV has earned a varsity role for the Polar Bears in his sophomore season. We expected him to do just that when we ranked him as an early Top 5 specialist in our 2028 rankings this summer. Smith has been perfect on PATs, converting on 28/28 attempts and his lone field goal attempt. His touchback ratio has also been solid for a young kicker, as Smith has shown leg strength potential to match his accuracy in the early stages of his career.

2028 Fairmont Senior K Ben Smith Ben Smith 5'9" | 170 lbs | K/P Fairmont Senior | 2028 State WV may emerge as the Polar Bears’ starting varsity kicker as a sophomore. He’s a young specialist to follow for the next three years as he develops. Smith will be battling a senior for playing time this season, but will be their guy as an upperclassman if he doesn’t win the job as a sophomore. He’s developing and improving quickly, which should get him on the field sooner rather than later.