Tracy Smith enters his second season as the Panthers special teams coordinator after serving the previous three seasons as the assistant special teams coach for the Seattle Seahawks (2021-23). An NFL coaching veteran for 17 years, Smith led one of the league's best kick coverage units in his first season with Carolina.
In his first season as the Panthers special teams coordinator (2024), Smith oversaw a unit that led the NFL in opponent kickoff return average (24.3) and finished tied for fourth in opponent punt return average (6.8). Kicker Eddy Piñeiro became the third-most accurate kicker in NFL history, with a career field goal percentage of 88.1% (111-for-126) and finished the season ranked seventh in Panthers history for all-time points scored (320). Following changes to the league's kickoff rules, running back Raheem Blackshear capitalized on increased opportunities and ranked third in the NFL in kickoff return average (25.5), the fifth-highest mark in team history among qualified returners. Linebacker Jon Rhattigan led the team with a career-high 12 special teams tackles (six solo), which was tied for seventh in the NFL and tied for fourth in the NFC. After placing 24 of 70 punts inside the 20-yard line in 2024, punter Johnny Hekker has 378 career punts inside the 20, the 11th-most in NFL history.
Throughout Smith's three seasons with the Seahawks (2021-23), Seattle's special teams unit ranked in the top-10 in a number of categories, including fifth in net punting average (43.3), fifth in kickoff return average (24.5) and tied for ninth in field goals made (86), while their punt and kickoff coverage teams ranked first and sixth in that span, respectively.
Under Smith, kicker Jason Myers was selected to the 2022 Pro Bowl and made a franchise-record 37 consecutive field goals (11/11/19-9/26/21), tied for the fifth-longest streak in NFL history. Punter Michael Dickson finished with the seventh-best net punting average overall, including second in 2022 (44.3) and third in 2023 (44.1). Linebacer Nick Bellore was selected to the Pro Bowl as a special teams player in 2023, and during his three seasons with Smith, notched the second-most special teams tackles in that span (41).
After spending the 2018-19 seasons with the Texans as the assistant special teams coordinator, Smith was elevated to special teams coordinator in 2020. Over his three seasons in Houston, the Texans ranked fifth in field goals made (84) and 10th in punt return average (8.7), while also holding opponents to the second-lowest kickoff return average (19.9) and the fourth-lowest punt return average (6.0).
Smith spent three seasons with the Oakland Raiders (2015-17) as an assistant special teams coach. During Smith's tenure with the team, the Raiders special teams unit ranked fourth in punts inside the 20-yard line (102), fifth in punting average (46.6), fifth in net punting average (41.3), eighth in kickoff return yards (2,540), ninth in punt returns (110) and 10th in punting yards (10,904).
With San Francisco from 2012-14, Smith helped produce one of the top special teams units in the NFL as the 49ers ranked in the top-10 in field goals made (tied for ninth, 86) and opponents punt return average (ninth, 8.3) during that span. San Francisco also ranked in the top five in net punting average (fourth, 41.3) and gross punting average (third, 47.5). Punter Andy Lee earned All-Pro honors after he led the NFL with a 43.2 net punting average in 2012, while kicker Phil Dawson set a franchise record with 27 consecutive field goals made in 2013.
Before his initial stint in Seattle as a coaching assistant in 2011, Smith's first NFL experience came with the Browns (2009-10), where he helped Cleveland lead the NFL in kickoff coverage, finished fifth in punt coverage and sent Josh Cribbs to the Pro Bowl as a kick returner in 2010.
Before making the jump to the NFL, Smith coached tight ends at Utah State (2006-08), and served as the offensive graduate assistant at LSU, working with the team's quarterbacks in 2005. Smith began his coaching career at Stephen F. Austin in 2004, working with the tight ends and serving as the team's video coordinator.
A native of Beaumont, Texas, Smith received a bachelor's degree in business while working for the athletic department's video staff at LSU.
Smith has a son, Troy, and he and his wife, Megan, have a daughter, Lane, and two sons, Bo and Mack. His father, Carl, was an NFL assistant coach for 34 seasons, and the two spent seven seasons coaching together in Cleveland, Seattle and Houston (2009-11, 2019, 2021-23).
- 2004 | Stephen F. Austin - Tight Ends/Video Coordinator
- 2005 | LSU - Graduate Assistant/Offense
- 2006-08 | Utah State - Tight Ends
- 2009-10 | Cleveland Browns - Special Teams Assistant
- 2011 | Seattle Seahawks - Coaching Assistant
- 2012-14 | San Francisco 49ers - Special Teams Assistant
- 2015-17 | Oakland Raiders - Assistant Special Teams
- 2018-19 | Houston Texans - Assistant Special Teams Coordinator
- 2020 | Houston Texans - Special Teams Coordinator
- 2021-23 | Seattle Seahawks - Assistant Special Teams
- 2024- | Carolina Panthers - Special Teams Coordinator
