{"id":5143,"date":"2026-06-11T09:03:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T02:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143"},"modified":"2026-06-11T09:03:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T02:03:12","slug":"rest-in-peace-cowboys-rookie-dl-dies-at-20-after-emerging-as-rising-nfl-prospect-dt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143","title":{"rendered":"REST IN PEACE: Cowboys Rookie DL Dies at 20 After Emerging as Rising NFL Prospect!..DT"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5148\" src=\"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1.1-9.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"880\" height=\"1168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1.1-9.jpg 880w, https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1.1-9-768x1019.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\"><strong>DALLAS, TX \u2013 June 9, 2026<\/strong> \u2013 The football world is mourning a heartbreaking tragedy after a young defensive lineman who had just begun his NFL journey suddenly passed away at only 20 years old.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">According to reports, the <strong>Dallas Cowboys<\/strong> received devastating news Monday after rookie defensive lineman <strong>Nicholas \u201cNic\/Happy\u201d Smith<\/strong> was confirmed dead.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">The loss immediately sent shockwaves throughout multiple football communities, including coaches, teammates, Cowboys fans, and NFL evaluators who had closely followed his development.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">League scouts reportedly viewed Smith as one of the most intriguing young defensive linemen emerging after beginning his professional journey.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">Before beginning his NFL journey, Smith built a strong reputation at Oklahoma after arriving as part of the Sooners\u2019 2025 recruiting class.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">His high school production quickly caught the attention of football evaluators:<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\"><strong>40 tackles<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\"><strong>11 tackles for loss<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\"><strong>2 sacks<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\"><strong>16 quarterback hurries<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>We are deeply sadde\u043fed to a\u043f\u043fo\u03c5\u043fce the passi\u043fg of o\u03c5r beloved teammate Nic Smith. We exte\u043fd o\u03c5r tho\u03c5ghts a\u043fd prayers to Nic&#8217;s family, frie\u043fds a\u043fd the members of o\u03c5r program.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MojbQfBMme\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/MojbQfBMme<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\u2014 Ke\u043ft\u03c5cky Football (@UKFootball)\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/UKFootball\/status\/2064074529266168231?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">J\u03c5\u043fe 8, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p dir=\"auto\">While he had not yet played a major role on the national stage, many scouts believed his size, strength, energy, and defensive upside stood out immediately on film.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">One NFC evaluator reportedly described Smith earlier this offseason as: <em>\u201cHe already looked like a pro-built defensive lineman. Big, powerful, coachable, and constantly working to improve.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">Within several scouting circles, there was growing belief that Smith could eventually become one of the next overlooked defensive gems to rise through the league.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">Some evaluators even believed he possessed long-term high-level defensive line potential because of his frame, motor, discipline, and natural physical tools.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">After joining the <strong>Cowboys<\/strong> as a rookie defensive lineman, Smith was expected to compete, develop, and bring youthful energy to Dallas\u2019 defensive front.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">Known by the nicknames <strong>\u201cHappy\u201d<\/strong> and <strong>\u201cBig Happ,\u201d<\/strong> Smith was remembered not only for his football ability, but also for the joyful personality he brought into every locker room.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">Those memories now carry a far deeper emotional weight following the tragic news.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">Teammates and coaches consistently described Smith as humble, hardworking, respected, and deeply committed to improving both on and off the field.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">His passing leaves behind heartbreak throughout the <strong>Dallas Cowboys<\/strong> organization, the Oklahoma football community, his hometown in Texas, and many people who believed his football future was only beginning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DALLAS, TX \u2013 June 9, 2026 \u2013 The football world is mourning a heartbreaking tragedy after a young defensive lineman who had just begun his NFL journey&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5148,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>REST IN PEACE: Cowboys Rookie DL Dies at 20 After Emerging as Rising NFL Prospect!..DT - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"REST IN PEACE: Cowboys Rookie DL Dies at 20 After Emerging as Rising NFL Prospect!..DT - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"DALLAS, TX \u2013 June 9, 2026 \u2013 The football world is mourning a heartbreaking tragedy after a young defensive lineman who had just begun his NFL journey...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-11T02:03:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1.1-9.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"880\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1168\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrThoang\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrThoang\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/?p=5143#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/?p=5143\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"MrThoang\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8744c3c455a8543a9475f548a90ab4b1\"},\"headline\":\"REST IN PEACE: Cowboys Rookie DL Dies at 20 After Emerging as Rising NFL Prospect!..DT\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-11T02:03:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/?p=5143\"},\"wordCount\":409,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/?p=5143#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/1.1-9.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"NFL\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/?p=5143#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/?p=5143\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/?p=5143\",\"name\":\"REST IN PEACE: Cowboys Rookie DL Dies at 20 After Emerging as Rising NFL Prospect!..DT - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/?p=5143#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/?p=5143#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/1.1-9.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-11T02:03:12+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8744c3c455a8543a9475f548a90ab4b1\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/?p=5143#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/?p=5143\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/?p=5143#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/1.1-9.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/1.1-9.jpg\",\"width\":880,\"height\":1168,\"caption\":\"Signature: QN\\\/V3mbDGo3EZrt+OBoFWZboUB7+wIG2u4pBNZwhouMDqULOgidZb4fr+W7SoYfBBfhHkkp13w13WolfUiRxhc110sjtv+qQaCOSUrDWnPmQZWqaphU75JYvuqI\\\/6lQbCz76JOS9qGbrQ\\\/49JA0h4WugylOROWNbzRU60iYwABIfwmI\\\/Jyyrmll51DFAEi\\\/tSWy0HxHD4HIEND9OiQzLQguz1KmNn36CAtZ2OyKQRcixAkEk6byLVAKkklX9Oeza\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/?p=5143#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"REST IN PEACE: Cowboys Rookie DL Dies at 20 After Emerging as Rising NFL Prospect!..DT\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Breaking Stories, Smart Insights, Every Day\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8744c3c455a8543a9475f548a90ab4b1\",\"name\":\"MrThoang\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d84ceff2e61b1f6e91b0d106001a17b83281b38e31f8c327485d589c225c1cf0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d84ceff2e61b1f6e91b0d106001a17b83281b38e31f8c327485d589c225c1cf0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d84ceff2e61b1f6e91b0d106001a17b83281b38e31f8c327485d589c225c1cf0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrThoang\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\\\/?author=3\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"REST IN PEACE: Cowboys Rookie DL Dies at 20 After Emerging as Rising NFL Prospect!..DT - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"REST IN PEACE: Cowboys Rookie DL Dies at 20 After Emerging as Rising NFL Prospect!..DT - NEWS USA","og_description":"DALLAS, TX \u2013 June 9, 2026 \u2013 The football world is mourning a heartbreaking tragedy after a young defensive lineman who had just begun his NFL journey...","og_url":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2026-06-11T02:03:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":880,"height":1168,"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1.1-9.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MrThoang","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrThoang","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143"},"author":{"name":"MrThoang","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/#\/schema\/person\/8744c3c455a8543a9475f548a90ab4b1"},"headline":"REST IN PEACE: Cowboys Rookie DL Dies at 20 After Emerging as Rising NFL Prospect!..DT","datePublished":"2026-06-11T02:03:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143"},"wordCount":409,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1.1-9.jpg","articleSection":["NFL"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143","name":"REST IN PEACE: Cowboys Rookie DL Dies at 20 After Emerging as Rising NFL Prospect!..DT - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1.1-9.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-11T02:03:12+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/#\/schema\/person\/8744c3c455a8543a9475f548a90ab4b1"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1.1-9.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1.1-9.jpg","width":880,"height":1168,"caption":"Signature: QN\/V3mbDGo3EZrt+OBoFWZboUB7+wIG2u4pBNZwhouMDqULOgidZb4fr+W7SoYfBBfhHkkp13w13WolfUiRxhc110sjtv+qQaCOSUrDWnPmQZWqaphU75JYvuqI\/6lQbCz76JOS9qGbrQ\/49JA0h4WugylOROWNbzRU60iYwABIfwmI\/Jyyrmll51DFAEi\/tSWy0HxHD4HIEND9OiQzLQguz1KmNn36CAtZ2OyKQRcixAkEk6byLVAKkklX9Oeza"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5143#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"REST IN PEACE: Cowboys Rookie DL Dies at 20 After Emerging as Rising NFL Prospect!..DT"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/#website","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Breaking Stories, Smart Insights, Every Day","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/#\/schema\/person\/8744c3c455a8543a9475f548a90ab4b1","name":"MrThoang","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d84ceff2e61b1f6e91b0d106001a17b83281b38e31f8c327485d589c225c1cf0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d84ceff2e61b1f6e91b0d106001a17b83281b38e31f8c327485d589c225c1cf0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d84ceff2e61b1f6e91b0d106001a17b83281b38e31f8c327485d589c225c1cf0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrThoang"},"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?author=3"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5143"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5149,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5143\/revisions\/5149"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}