Will Ross: The Journey from Goalkeeper to Walk-On Kicker at Virginia Tech

Will Ross walked into a Dick’s Sporting Goods with his father, Bill. The two were in search of a birthday present for Myra, Will’s mother. Bill threw out a suggestion: how about they pick up a football, some PVC pipes and go to the football field and see how Will likes kicking?

Flash forward to 2022 where Ross is the starting place kicker for Virginia Tech football. Once a goalkeeper destined to play for a youth soccer academy in Valencia, Spain after graduation, a change of trajectory led him to Blacksburg, Va.

The Rock Hill, S.C. native grew up a Gamecocks fan, but football never really came up in conversation. It was all about soccer for Ross, especially after meeting Alex and Enzo Martinez, two brothers who emigrated from Uruguay. He met the family when he was young, and he credits them as the reason he played soccer all throughout elementary and middle school.

As a member of the U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy, Ross played at a high level throughout his teens. Joining a soccer academy on the east coast of Spain was a potential path after high school graduation. However, the majority of his club teammates were headed to Division I schools — he considered attending High Point — which made him question his future.

“I just kind of felt a little guilty, I guess, that I wasn’t just being a normal kid and going to college, living like a normal life,” Ross told reporters on Wednesday. “So I kind of changed my mind about moving to Spain, and my dad was like, ‘Well, if you just want to go to college, be a normal kid, why don’t you just try football? You play soccer, you’ve got the leg for it. Why don’t you just try kicking and see where it can take you?’”

The decision led him to Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C., where he spent the fall semester in 2019. COVID hit in March 2020, turning the world on its side; at the same time, Ross made the second stop on his journey to Blacksburg: Columbia, S.C. at the University of South Carolina.

He tried to walk-on to the team but when it didn’t work out, he kept working at his game during the pandemic. Dan Orner, his kicking coach, also mentored former Hokie and current Washington Commander Joey Slye, and he suggested Ross enter his name into the transfer portal.

Will Burnham, then a special teams graduate assistant for the Hokies, recruited Ross. The Slye connection helped, and soon Ross was at Virginia Tech, his third school in as many seasons.

Teammates took notice of his competitiveness, including current punter and team captain Peter Moore. Ross started as a kicker and punter, so Moore knew there might be a battle. But Ross quietly sat behind Moore and kicker John Parker Romo for the 2021 season, waiting for his turn.

All the time, he stayed composed. Ask anyone who knows Ross and they’ll mention that aspect of his personality. Special teams coordinator Stu Holt said “he just comes off as that kind of guy; he’s got that as his personality.”

“Nothing really bothers him,” Tech punter and holder Peter Moore said. “I didn’t even know that he didn’t play football until pretty late, but that doesn’t surprise me, it’s just kind of the way he is.”

Hokies head coach Brent Pry said Ross is very subtle and has a quiet demeanor, and he isn’t someone that jumps off the page. But he’s a confident player who has a good football IQ, especially for someone who doesn’t watch much football and didn’t start playing until he was 17.

The competitive edge Ross brings is also noticeable. Moore noticed it right off the bat when the two met in 2020, and it also stood out to Holt.

“My first impression of Will was that he was serious about the competition,” Holt said on Thursday. “He’s come with the right focus and attitude each day. Then as the days went, he’s just stacked a lot of days and became consistent through the whole camp.”

Ross beat out true freshman John Love for the kicking job, and he played in his first football game on Sept. 3 in Norfolk at Old Dominion.

Unfortunately, his first career attempt did not go as planned. Enzo Anthony snapped the ball over the hands of Moore and it rolled to the ODU 35-yard line before the Monarchs returned it for a touchdown. It happened in a blur for Ross, who Moore encouraged to stay calm and worry about the next play.

That’s exactly what he’s done, keeping a “next-kick mentality” all the while. Since that botched attempt, he’s 6-for-6, including a 44-yard field goal in that Old Dominion game, his first-ever points in a football game. 

Five of his six tries have come from beyond 40 yards. Moreover, he’s 9-for-9 on extra point attempts. What’s his range, one might ask?

“Pretty much as far as they need me to,” Ross said. “I think I hit a 58-yarder halfway up the pipes in pre-game against West Virginia.”

The transition from soccer to football wasn’t easy; in fact, Ross said it was the exact opposite. But he always felt the best part of his game as a goalkeeper was his distribution with his feet.

He became much stronger mentally and worked on replicating the same technique every time. When his moment came with nine minutes remaining in the third quarter in S.B. Ballard Stadium, he was cool, calm and collected.

“I was actually very surprised how easy it was,” Ross said. “Playing in the game, I think, is probably easier than practice, because in practice your coach is right behind you. In the game, you’re just out there, you’re just having fun with it.”

Sometimes, Ross can’t help but think about how his life would be different if he had ventured to Europe pursuing a soccer career. COVID would’ve undoubtedly had an impact. But he also wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be a normal college student. Or drill 50-yard field goals in front of 60,000 people.

“I’m very proud of him at this point,” Pry said of Ross. “He’s worked very hard to get to this. He knew what he wanted to do. It was a big mountain to climb, and here he is, 6-of-6 and helping us where he can.”