The New Orleans Saints have been one of the better teams in the NFL as of late, as their four-game winning streak has been brought on by Tyler Shough having a dominant second-half of 2025.
He's not the only one making an impact, as rookie kicker Charlie Smyth has come on as a UDFA and become an integral piece of the Saints team. He's hitting long kicks and proving the International pathway program is worth it.
But Smyth is doing a lot more than just his on-field production. As Michael McQuaid of NFL Ireland shared, following Smyth's career-long 57-yard field goal in Week 17, nearly 100 NFL hopefuls signed up for a kicking clinic in Ireland.
Saints' Charlie Smyth proving to be an inspiration for Ireland NFL hopefuls
"Less than 24 hours after Charlie Smyth made a personal best FG of 57 yards for the New Orleans Saints," McQuaid writes, "there are over 95 athletes here in Dublin at a clinic learning the sport at a Leader Kicking clinic.... The future is bright in Ireland!"
Smyth's emergence as the Saints' kicker has drawn a lot of attention from people in Ireland, and his prowess lately has partially inspired nearly 100 NFL hopefuls to check out a kicking clinic in Ireland this week.
Not only has Smyth helped the Saints turn a corner on special teams after some struggles from Cade York, but he's also inspiring fans back home in Ireland.
More: Chase Young scores a rare touchdown on strip sack against Titans
So far, the 24-year-old kicker has gone 11/14 on field goals, with a long of 57 yards from this week's game against the Tennessee Titans.
Smyth has one of the best legs in the NFL and has consistently made some incredibly long kicks in his career so far. His first kick was a 56-yarder against the Miami Dolphins, and he's been very good since.
While he's missed three kicks, his ability to make field goals from far out, and the way he's inspired people in Ireland to try out kicking, have proven that Smyth's impact on the NFL has been a great one.
Not only have the Saints found their franchise quarterback in Shough, but they've found a kicker in Smyth to rely upon going forward.
More Saints News:
- Chris Olave's contract extension update is great news for Saints fans
- Tyler Shough takes goofy Saints rookie QB history from Archie Manning, Spencer Rattler
- Saints' Taysom Hill makes his kind of football history never done in the NFL
- Saints' Tyler Shough looking more like a franchise QB vs Jets
- Saints' Taysom Hill makes Super Bowl era NFL history with trio of 1,000-yard feats
- Tyler Shough has proven Saints didn't waste their 2025 2nd-round pick