VMI’s young kicker with a live leg and room to climb
William Lees enters the 2026 season as a sophomore kicker for VMI, listed at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, with the program’s roster and ESPN both identifying him as a place kicker for the Keydets[1][2][8][12]. In the 2025 season, VMI’s cumulative stats show Lees handled punting work as well, logging 45 yards on one punt with a long of 45, while the team’s kicking numbers were extremely limited overall, which makes his upside more about trust and role growth than raw volume[9]. He looks like a developmental special-teams piece: compact frame, versatility, and a path to win bigger responsibilities if he keeps sharpening consistency and field-position value[1][9].
