University of Kentucky football player Nic Smith exhibited worrying behavior in the days before his death by suicide at age 20.
A Fayette County Coroner’s Office report exclusively obtained by Us Weekly on Monday, June 15, determined that the defensive lineman from Loganville, Georgia — who redshirted his first season — took his own life on June 8, 2026. Investigators discovered his body in his dorm room at around 10:40 a.m local time.
Law enforcement’s subsequent investigation revealed that Smith had previously spoken to friends about suicide and allegedly crashed his car while driving drunk in the days before his death. According to friends, Smith struggled following the death of his sister, Keitlynn, in April 2026.
“I post this to let those who knew my son and loved him of the passing of our gentle giant,” Smith’s mother, Genedra Rountree, announced via Facebook on June 9, 2026. “I know there are more people that I can call or think who loved and cared about my son and was rooting for him.”
Police reports obtained by Us offered key details into Smith’s state of mind before his death and disclosed new information about the aftermath.
Keep scrolling for more information on the investigation into Smith’s death.
Police Detailed a Distressing Scene at Nic Smith’s Dorm Room
Officers were called to conduct a wellness check when a resident assistant in Smith’s dorm could not make contact with him. Once Smith’s locked bedroom door was opened, he was found unresponsive.
Firefighters on the scene tried to administer life-saving efforts but were not successful.
Police Reports Shed New Light on Nic Smith’s Final Days
A police report filed on June 9, 2026, documented an investigator speaking with someone who recalled a phone conversation with Smith from June 7, 2026. In that conversation, Smith allegedly told the friend that “he was not sure if he could continue.”
This friend initially asked Smith’s roommate to knock on his locked bedroom door on June 8, 2026, but there was no response. The roommate went off to a workout but shared his concerns with others.
Nic Smith Allegedly Crashed His Car While Drunk Days Before His Death
A friend relayed to University of Kentucky police on June 10, 2026, that he’d witnessed some distressing behavior from Smith during the last weekend of his life.
Smith drove the two to a party on June 5, 2026, but the football player “was drunk and accidentally wrecked his vehicle by hitting a curb,” his friend alleged.
“After Nicholas crashed his vehicle, [the friend] told me Nicholas said he wanted to off himself,” the officer wrote. “[The friend] believed Nicholas didn’t mean anything by it and was just drunk and pissed off that he wrecked his vehicle.”
Smith attributed his talk of ending his life from the previous night to frustration over crashing his car.
“[The friend] told Nicholas he should continue for his [late] sister [who died in April] and that Nicholas was crying at this point,” the report read. “[The friend] didn’t tell anyone else about this due to being afraid Nicholas might get in trouble with the coaches and that he didn’t want to look like a snitch.”
Nic Smith Allegedly Sent Alarming Social Media Messages Before His Death
The football star attended the Railbird Festival in Lexington, Kentucky, on June 7. His ticket was paid for by the friend who’d witnessed the drunk driving crash.
“At the concert after 1:00pm he saw Nicholas drink at least a few drinks, possibly Beatbox ones, and that he told Nicholas to not drink due to early morning workouts the next morning,” the friend recalled to police for a June 10, 2026, report.
The friend observed that Smith was “acting normal, happy, acting country and enjoying himself” all day at the festival, except for one moment where the friend group were all talking to girls.
“Nicholas didn’t have [a girl] to talk to and he started walking away, but that [the friend] pulled him back to the group and told him they were there to have a good time and not to worry about it,” police noted.
As the group left the festival, “Nicholas told them he was very thankful to him for taking him to the concert.”
“Nicholas continued to say he appreciated them and was thankful for them being good to him and eventually saying he loved them as well,” the police report specified. “[The friend] told me he asked Nicholas if he was alright, to which he told them he was good. [They] said they went to WG4 [Woodland Glen Four dorm at UKC] together and that was the last time he saw Nicholas Sunday night.”
However, while at the concert, Smith allegedly posted an Instagram Story at around 11:30 p.m. that read, “IDK if i should continue on.”
The friend explained to University of Kentucky police that he’d have reported any unusual behavior, but didn’t notice anything worrying at the festival.
Nic Smith’s Dorm Roommate Shared Key Details About Athlete’s Final Days
Smith’s roommate spoke to investigators on June 10, 2026. During their discussion, the roommate recalled having a brief conversation with Smith in their dorm the night before his death.
“Nicholas had told [the roommate] about wrecking his vehicle over the weekend, but that he didn’t know much information other than that he damaged his vehicle and seemed mad at himself over it,” the report read.
Smith and the roommate agreed to switch morning workout times for June 8, 2026. While heading out for his workout, the roommate received a call telling him Smith had not shown up on time for practice.
The roommate told police that he returned to the dorm to find Smith’s bedroom door was locked, which he described as “unusual.”
“[The roommate] banged on the door very loudly, even worrying about Nicholas getting mad, and even played alarm sounds through a small Bluetooth speaker to try and wake Nicholas up,” police wrote. “Nicholas never answered the door.”
Police Found Goodbye Messages on Nic Smith’s Phone
University of Kentucky police detailed an examination of Smith’s iPhone on June 11, 2026. They found multiple messages from the night of the Railbird concert, where he shared that he was “pissed.”
“And honestly I wanna say f*** everything … I’m tired of ts,” he wrote to a redacted person.
The device confirmed that Smith texted both his mother and father that he loved them on the morning of his death, though those messages were not delivered.
Nic Smith’s Wallet Was Missing at the Time Of His Death
Kentucky police noted on June 10, 2026, that they’d spoken with Smith’s mother and two sisters about his death. One key line of questioning involved Smith’s wallet being missing from his dorm bedroom.
“[His mother] did not know what kind of wallet it was, or exactly what was in it aside from ID cards and bank cards,” the officer noted.
The officer mentioned that Smith’s mother “expressed concerns” about his father and stepmother though the exact reasoning was redacted in the report.
A Friend Offered Insight on Nic Smith’s Family Dynamic
A second friend spoke to police on June 10, 2026, about having phone conversations with the athlete “up to 3 or 4 times a day.”
He described the Smith’s allegedly complicated family dynamic, claiming that “Nicholas’ mother only seemed to call him when she wanted money and always asked for money ‘constantly.’”
“One time recently Nicholas’ mother called Nicholas and told him it was her anniversary and that he should send her money for it, to which [the friend] believes Nicholas sent several thousand dollars,” the friend alleged. “This relationship would stress Nicholas out and put further stress on him regarding money.”
On the flipside, this friend said that “everything seemed fine” between Smith and his father.
This friend admitted “he didn’t understand why Nicholas didn’t call him if he was upset or going through something Sunday night.” Smith allegedly referenced suicide to this friend in the past, even claiming that he’d unsuccessfully tried to end his life once before.
“[That incident] served as a wake up call to Nicholas to never do something like that again, but that he would still call him if he was feeling depressed,” the friend insisted.
However, this same friend acknowledged that Smith had recently told him, “When I go, I want you to take all of my stuff.”
Smith was in contact with this friend after his alleged drunk driving crash on June 5, 2026.
“Nicholas told him he was drunk driving Friday night or Saturday morning and hit the curb on Sports Center Drive and damaging some of his tires,” police wrote in their report. “[The friend] said Nicholas was pissed at himself for damaging his vehicle. [The friend] told me he was working with Nicholas to get the vehicle towed and fixed and that he reassured him they would figure it out, but that Nicholas was stressed out and upset with himself.”
Nic Smith Was Recorded on UKC’s Security Cameras Before His Death
Security cameras in UKC’s Woodland Glen Four dorm building recorded Smith several times over the final two days of his life, yet police wrote in their June 10, 2026, report that “nothing suspicious or out of the ordinary” was observed.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
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