2025 VMI Keydets football team

2025 VMI Keydets football
2025 VMI Keydets football
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	1–3 (0–0 SoCon)
Head coach	Danny Rocco (3rd season);
Offensive coordinator	A. J. Hampton (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Rich Yahner (3rd season)
Home stadium	Alumni Memorial Field
	Seasons ← 2024 2026 →

Last updated September 24, 2025

2025 Southern Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Mercer	2	–	0	2	–	1
Western Carolina	1	–	0	1	–	3
The Citadel	1	–	1	1	–	3
Furman	0	–	0	2	–	1
East Tennessee State	0	–	0	2	–	2
Chattanooga	0	–	0	1	–	3
VMI	0	–	0	1	–	3
Wofford	0	–	1	0	–	4
Samford	0	–	2	0	–	4

As of September 23, 2025 Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2025 VMI Keydets football team represent the Virginia Military Institute as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Keydets are led by third-year head coach Danny Rocco and play at the Alumni Memorial Field in Lexington, Virginia.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	12:00 p.m.	at Navy *	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	CBSSN	L 7–52	30,014
September 6	1:30 p.m.	Ferrum *	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	ESPN+	W 42–7	4,924
September 13	3:30 p.m.	at Bucknell *	Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	ESPN+	L 28–35	2,058
September 20	2:00 p.m.	at Richmond *	E. Claiborne Robins Stadium Richmond, VA (rivalry)	ESPN+	L 14–38	7,244
October 4	1:30 p.m.	Chattanooga	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	ESPN+
October 11	3:30 p.m.	at East Tennessee State	William B. Greene Jr. Stadium Johnson City, TN	ESPN+
October 18	1:30 p.m.	Samford	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	ESPN+
October 25	3:00 p.m.	at Mercer	Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+
November 1	2:00 p.m.	at The Citadel	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC (Military Classic of the South)	ESPN+
November 8	1:30 p.m.	Wofford	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	ESPN+
November 15	1:00 p.m.	at Furman	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC	ESPN+
November 22	12:00 p.m.	Western Carolina	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	ESPN+
*Non-conference game All times are in Eastern time

^[1]^[2]

Game summaries

at Navy (FBS)

VMI Keydets (0–0) at Navy Midshipmen (FBS) (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Keydets	0	0	7	0	7
Midshipmen (FBS)	7	21	10	14	52

at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, Maryland

Date: August 30
Game time: 12:00 PM EDT
Game attendance: 30,014
Referee: Matt Overton
TV announcers (CBSSN): Chris Lewis (analyst), Randy Cross (play-by-play), and Brandon Baylor (sideline reporter)

Game information

First quarter

NAVY – Michael Barrow 7-yard run (Nathan Kirkwood kick), 6:00. Midshipmen 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 5:45.

Second quarter

NAVY – Eli Heidenreich 18-yard pass from Blake Horvath (Nathan Kirkwood kick), 11:07. Midshipmen 14–0. Drive: 4 plays, 35 yards, 1:51.
NAVY – Alex Tezca 6-yard run (Nathan Kirkwood kick), 5:17. Midshipmen 21–0. Drive: 6 plays, 43 yards, 2:31.
NAVY – Eli Heidenreich 4-yard run (Nathan Kirkwood kick), 0:48. Midshipmen 28–0. Drive: 6 plays, 78 yards, 1:38.

Third quarter

NAVY – Nathan Kirkwood 28-yard field goal, 7:22. Midshipmen 31–0. Drive: 15 plays, 66 yards, 7:33.
VMI – Owen Sweeney 75-yard pass from Collin Shannon (Ben Shrewsbury kick), 7:13. Midshipmen 31–7. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:09.
NAVY – Braxton Woodson 74-yard run (Nathan Kirkwood kick), 0:50. Midshipmen 38–7. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:37.

Fourth quarter

NAVY – Braxton Woodson 68-yard run (Nathan Kirkwood kick), 9:39. Midshipmen 45–7. Drive: 4 plays, 94 yards, 1:54.
NAVY – Shane Reynolds 4-yard run (Nathan Kirkwood kick), 2:37. Midshipmen 52–7. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 5:57.

Statistics	VMI	NAVY
First downs	9	26
Plays–yards	50–212	68–560
Rushes–yards	22–15	54–468
Passing yards	197	92
Passing: comp–att–int	16–28–0	9–14–0
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	24:33	35:27

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
VMI	Passing	Collin Shannon	16/25, 197 yards, TD
	Rushing	Leo Boehling	8 carries, 21 yards
	Receiving	Owen Sweeney	5 receptions, 126 yards, TD
Navy	Passing	Blake Horvath	6/7, 66 yards, TD
	Rushing	Braxton Woodson	7 carries, 180 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Eli Heidenreich	6 receptions, 65 yards, TD

Ferrum (DII)

Ferrum Panthers (DII) (0-1) vs. VMI Keydets (0-1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers (DII)	0	7	0	0	7
Keydets	14	7	21	0	42

at Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, VA

Date: September 6
Game time: 1:30 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 4,924
Referee: Brian Hilpisch
TV: ESPN+

Game information

First Quarter

(9:07) VMI – Noah Grevious 78-yard run, Ben Shrewsbury kick (Drive: 3 plays, 78 yards, 0:27; VMI 7–0)
(7:02) VMI – Morgan McPhaul 5-yard pass from Collin Shannon, Ben Shrewsbury kick (Drive: 2 plays, 4 yards, 0:33; VMI 14–0)

Second Quarter

(7:25) VMI – Aslin Shipe 1-yard run, Ben Shrewsbury kick (Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:27; VMI 21–0)
(1:56) FER – Eli Foutz 4-yard run, Jon Davis kick (Drive: 4 plays, 22 yards, 1:33; VMI 21–7)

Third Quarter

(13:23) VMI – Owen Sweeney 52-yard pass from Collin Shannon, Ben Shrewsbury kick (Drive: 1 play, 52 yards, 0:08; VMI 28–7)
(10:56) VMI – Anthony Allen 10-yard fumble recovery, Ben Shrewsbury kick (VMI 35–7)
(4:57) VMI – Malik McNeely 31-yard pass from Collin Shannon, Ben Shrewsbury kick (Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 2:24; VMI 42–7)

Fourth Quarter

No scoring plays

Statistics	FER	VMI
First downs	12	19
Total yards	188	405
Rushing yards	94	179
Passing yards	94	226
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	13–21–0	16–32–1
Time of possession	34:07	25:53

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ferrum	Passing	Eli Foutz	9/15, 64 yards
	Rushing	Aiden Vaught	16 carries, 42 yards
	Receiving	Omarza Gray	3 receptions, 32 yards
VMI	Passing	Collin Shannon	15/27, 225 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Noah Grevious	1 carry, 78 yards, TD
	Receiving	Malik McNeely	4 receptions, 81 yards, TD

at Bucknell

VMI Keydets (1-1) vs. Bucknell Bison (1-1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Keydets	-	-	-	-	0
Bison	-	-	-	-	0

at Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium • Lewisburg, PA

Date: September 13
Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
TV announcers (ESPN+): Doug Birdsong (play-by-play) and Charlie Fisher (analyst)

Statistics	VMI	BUCK
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
VMI	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Bucknell	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Richmond (rivalry)

VMI Keydets (1–2) vs. Richmond Spiders (1–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Keydets	7	7	0	0	14
Spiders	14	10	7	7	38

at E. Claiborne Robins Stadium • Richmond, VA

Date: September 20
Game time: 2:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 87 °F (31 °C) • Wind: NE at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
Game attendance: 7,244
Referee: Jeremy DeAngulo
TV announcers (ESPN+/MSN): Bob Black (play-by-play), Chris Anderson (analyst) and Chip Tarkenton (sideline)

Game information

First Quarter

(10:17) RICH - Aziz Foster-Powell 2-yard run, Jayden Alsheskie kick (Drive: 10 Plays, 75 yards, 4:43; RICH 7–0)
(10:04) VMI - Collin Shannon 75-yard pass to Owen Sweeney, Ben Shrewsbury kick (Drive: 1 Play, 75 yards, 0:13; TIED 7–7)
(9:18) RICH - Kyle Wickersham 67-yard pass to Isaiah Dawson, Jayden Alsheskie kick (Drive: 2 Plays, 75 yards, 0:46; RICH 14–7)

Second Quarter

(6:51) VMI - Collin Shannon 20-yard pass to Owen Sweeney, Ben Shrewsbury kick (Drive: 14 Plays, 80 yards, 6:36; TIED 14–14)
(3:50) RICH - Kyle Wickersham 13-yard pass to Isaiah Dawson, Jayden Alsheskie kick (Drive: 8 Plays, 75 yards, 3:01; RICH 21–14)
(1:35) RICH - Jayden Alsheskie 41-yard field goal (Drive: 5 Plays, 14 yards, 0:48; RICH 24–14)

Third Quarter

(6:17) RICH - Andrew King 83-yard run, Jayden Alsheskie kick (Drive: 4 Plays, 93 yards, 2:35; RICH 31–14)

Fourth Quarter

(13:51) RICH - Kyle Wickersham 8-yard run, Jayden Alsheskie kick (Drive: 6 Plays, 52 yards, 3:01; RICH 38–14)

Statistics	VMI	RICH
First downs	13	22
Total yards	229	541
Rushing yards	34	353
Passing yards	195	188
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	17–35–1	11–14–0
Time of possession	26:28	33:32

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
VMI	Passing	Collin Shannon	16/34, 198 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Leo Boehling	10 carries, 37 yards
	Receiving	Owen Sweeney	4 receptions, 106 yards, 2 TD
Richmond	Passing	Kyle Wickersham	10/13, 166 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Jamaal Brown	14 carries, 153 yards
	Receiving	Isaiah Dawson	4 receptions, 99 yards, 2 TD

Chattanooga

Chattanooga Mocs (0-0) vs. VMI Keydets (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Mocs	-	-	-	-	0
Keydets	-	-	-	-	0

at Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, VA

Date: October 4
Game time: 1:30 PM EDT

Statistics	UTC	VMI
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Chattanooga	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
VMI	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at East Tennessee State

VMI Keydets (0-0) vs. East Tennessee State Buccaneers (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Keydets	-	-	-	-	0
Buccaneers	-	-	-	-	0

at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium • Johnson City, TN

Date: October 11

Statistics	VMI	ETSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
VMI	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
East Tennessee State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Samford

Samford Bulldogs (0-0) vs. VMI Keydets (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	-	-	-	-	0
Keydets	-	-	-	-	0

at Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, VA

Date: October 18
Game time: 12:30 PM EDT

Statistics	SAM	VMI
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Samford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
VMI	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Mercer

VMI Keydets (0-0) vs. Mercer Bears (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Keydets	-	-	-	-	0
Bears	-	-	-	-	0

at Five Star Stadium • Macon, GA

Date: October 25

Statistics	VMI	MER
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
VMI	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at The Citadel (Military Classic of the South)

VMI Keydets (0-0) vs. The Citadel Bulldogs (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Keydets	-	-	-	-	0
Bulldogs	-	-	-	-	0

at Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC

Date: November 1
Game time: 2:00 PM EDT

Statistics	VMI	CIT
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
VMI	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
The Citadel	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Wofford

Wofford Terriers (0-0) vs. VMI Keydets (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Terriers	-	-	-	-	0
Keydets	-	-	-	-	0

at Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, VA

Date: November 8

Statistics	WOF	VMI
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Wofford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
VMI	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Furman

VMI Keydets (0-0) vs. Furman Paladins (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Keydets	-	-	-	-	0
Paladins	-	-	-	-	0

at Paladin Stadium • Greenville, SC

Date: November 15

Statistics	VMI	FUR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
VMI	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Furman	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Western Carolina

Western Carolina Catamounts (0-0) vs. VMI Keydets (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Catamounts	-	-	-	-	0
Keydets	-	-	-	-	0

at Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, VA

Date: November 22

Statistics	WCU	VMI
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
VMI	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

↑ Kelley, Kevin (December 19, 2024). "VMI announces 2025 football schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
↑ Johnson, Eric (December 19, 2024). "VMI releases 2025 football schedule, promote Hampton as OC". WSLS-TV. Retrieved May 9, 2025.

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[1] Kelley, Kevin (December 19, 2024). "VMI announces 2025 football schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved May 9, 2025.

[2] Johnson, Eric (December 19, 2024). "VMI releases 2025 football schedule, promote Hampton as OC". WSLS-TV. Retrieved May 9, 2025.

[1]

[2]

v t e VMI Keydets football
Venues	Alumni Field (1921–1961) Alumni Memorial Field (1962–present)
Bowls & rivalries	The Citadel: Military Classic of the South Richmond William & Mary Virginia Tech
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2025 VMI Keydets football team

Contents

Schedule

Game summaries

at Navy (FBS)

Ferrum (DII)

at Bucknell

at Richmond (rivalry)

Chattanooga

at East Tennessee State

Samford

at Mercer

at The Citadel (Military Classic of the South)

Wofford

at Furman

Western Carolina

References