James Smith was signed as a free agent by Tennessee Titans after the NFL draft, which finished on Saturday.

He now enters a pre-season challenge where he'll battle the experienced Brett Kern for a spot on the Titans' roster.

"Obviously when the journey started we never knew where the journey was going to finish," his father Andrew revealed.

"It was a great effort to be awarded a college scholarship and then to end up as one of the nation's top punters in his graduate year, that's pretty surreal when he had no inkling or any dream when it first started (back in 2016)."

The 26-year-old played 61 senior games with Rovers from 2013-2016.

"We've very excited for James, he's had an incredible journey," proud Rovers' president Wally Pasquali said.

Pasquali saw Smith's football talents as a runner.

"He was a penetrating kick, but the most impressive aspect was his athleticism, he was an exceptional athlete, he had speed and he didn't shy away from trying to improve his game," he added.

Smith won the footballers sprint at the Albury-Wodonga Gift in January, 2014.

During 2016, Smith woke at 4am every Sunday to attend Nathan Chapman's Prokick Australia and then joined the University of Cincinnati in May, 2017.

At 195cms, Smith is considered to have the leg strength for an NFL roster.

"Ability will get you so far in life, the rest is made up of hard work," Andrew Smith suggested.

"Everybody sees the glory, but they don't see the hard work or hours critiquing the game.

IN OTHER NEWS:

"Certain plays are rehearsed, it's like an orchestra, the coach is a conductor and every play's tailor-made."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: