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Kicker Will Leyland showcases 'model of consistency' for USD football

VERMILLION — When Will Leyland packed up his vehicle in the summer of 2020 and made the 1,200-plus-mile drive from Souderton, Pennsylvania, to Vermillion, South Dakota, there were more question marks than guarantees.

College football was reeling from the uncertainty of a global pandemic, and Leyland was not arriving on scholarship.

He was betting on himself as a walk-on kicker, chasing the dream of playing at the collegiate level that had not fully taken shape yet.

That leap of faith — taken during one of the most unpredictable offseasons in college sports history — turned out to be the start of something real.

Six seasons later, Leyland has been a vital piece to the University of South Dakota football’s recent success.

Three years ago, Leyland earned his spot as the starting kicker for the Coyotes and has become a testament to persistence in a game where few guarantees exist for walk-on players.

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“I just really liked everything about this program,” Leyland said during his decision to walk-on at USD. “I kind of saw the future of not only the football team, but what I wanted to do as well."

Moving from the east coast to the Midwest region, has brought its own challenges for Leyland but has enjoyed the fresh lifestyle of living in a rural area like South Dakota.

“South Dakota just felt perfect,” Leyland said. “Obviously, the biggest thing that has been difficult is being so far away from family. It’s been hard, but in some ways it's been easier. The people in Vermillion are nothing like the people in Philadelphia, and it’s been such a blessing in disguise for me.”

In his sixth season — one COVID year as a true freshman in 2020 and a redshirt year in 2021 — Leyland has been a staple in USD’s kicking unit since the start of 2023 after being a backup the previous year.

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In 2023, Leyland was the only FCS kicker who did not miss a kick all season — going 13-for-13 on field-goal attempts and 38-for-38 on extra points. As a junior in 2024, he was 10-for-14 (71.4%) on field goals with a perfect 63-for-63 on extra points to sit third on the team in scoring (93 points).

As a senior, Leyland is fresh off tying South Dakota’s single-game record with four made field goals in the 19-14 win over Indiana State on Oct. 11. Due to his performance in that contest, he was named the MVFC special teams player of the week, the league announced on Monday, Oct. 13.

He also cracked USD’s top-10 for career field goals made against Lamar on Sept. 6. Through seven games, Leyland is 8-for-10 on field-goal attempts and 20-for-20 on extra points this season.

Leyland said he has been able to remain consistent by staying true to himself and not making any kick bigger than the next.

"I think I just really work hard on my craft, and I am blessed to be surrounded by so many people that give their all to this program," Leyland said. "We all just feed off each other and I think that confidence from the players and the coaching makes me feel confident come game time to be a reliable source for us when needed."

South Dakota head coach Travis Johansen said having a kicker like Leyland marks a reliable asset to depend on throughout tight contests when you need points in a crucial spot.

“Will has been the model of consistency for us,” Johansen said of Leyland’s ability to be consistent. “When you know you got Will sitting there, he’s gonna make the ones he needs to make. As a kicker, it’s a life of tens and zeros, you’re either the greatest guy in the world or the worst guy in the world, and his ability to process through all of that is the thing that stands out to me the most.”

Trey Houchin is a sports reporter for the Mitchell Republic. Trey graduated from Northwest Missouri State University in 2025 with a bachelor's degree in sports media and covers a wide variety of topics. A Missouri native, Houchin can be reached at thouchin@mitchellrepublic.com.