Xavier Smith was a blocked field goal (either of them) away from an all-time birthday celebration.
The Haines City, Florida native turned 28 years old on Sunday in Philadelphia, but along with the rest of the Los Angeles Rams, he saw a potential 3-0 start to the season evaporate in soul-crushing defeat.
"A lot of times the games are won and lost in the special teams phase of the game," Smith told us on a new episode of Rams Revealed. "Sometimes that's the turning point to give you that momentum or just steal a win when it's a close game like we had (on Sunday)."
Smith detailed his improbable journey to the NFL, one that included a year away from football working for Amazon, after he failed to receive any college offers coming out of high school as a running back.
"I'm like, I'm done. You know? I didn't want to play," Smith said of the silent treatment he received despite emailing programs around the country and messaging on social media. But a year in the real world informed his next steps in life and on the field.
"I knew that ain't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life… You know, at that time, I was having to help my mom, but I really couldn't help much because I'm only making ten, 11 (dollars) an hour, and I'm only working four hours a day, so, you know, it wasn't much that I could do. It kinda opened my eyes to reality."
His mother encouraged him to apply to and enroll at FAMU, where his older brother was completing his college career. Xavier passed summer school to qualify, walked on with the Rattlers, and became a record-setting wide receiver. After multiple stints on the Rams practice squad, he's now held a starting role in the kicking game for a full calendar year since setting up a walk-off victory over the San Francisco 49ers in 2024.
As they've done each of the past two seasons, the Rams will look to win two home games in a span of five days. First, it's a Week 4 matchup against the 3-0 Indianapolis Colts, who are off to one of the best starts in franchise history. Then, division play begins against those Niners on Thursday Night Football.
Full episodes of Rams Revealed are available on YouTube or in audio format wherever you get your podcasts. Get tickets to see the Rams at SoFi Stadium here.
