Will Faris kicks a field goal against Mesquite Poteet. Photo by Jeff Bargas.
Lake Highlands High School kicker Will Faris will head to the SEC after graduation in May to play for Vanderbilt University. He’ll compete with senior Pierson Cooke and Alabama graduate transfer Joseph Bulovas when he arrives this summer.
Faris was recruited by Texas Tech, Northwestern, Rice, Liberty and Stephen F. Austin, but he homed in on Vandy due to their educational reputation.
“The programs and the people who have gone to Vanderbilt and people who I know at Vanderbilt right now say it’s so great for them,” Faris told Vandy 247Sports. “They feel good that they know if they work hard in college they’ll have a good life set up for the rest of it.”
Faris also said he was attracted by the excitement of Nashville.
“I’ve only visited once, but I really loved Nashville as a city. It seems like a fun place,” said Faris. “My parents can come to a game if we play Ole Miss or LSU or even if we play Texas A&M.”
Vanderbilt’s kicking team made international news in 2020 and senior Sarah Fuller made history by becoming the first woman ever to play in a Power Five football game. She later became the first woman ever to score in a Power Five game when she kicked an extra point. Faris, too, is looking to make a lasting impact at Vandy.
“I have a really fast leg,” Faris told Vandy 247Sports. “I’m pretty long – I’m 6-foot-2 – and I’m high-waisted, so I have pretty long legs that have the ability to go through the ball. The big thing I’m working on is gaining weight…I think I have good acceleration – just the better mass I have, it should make things go better.”
Vanderbilt kicks off the 2021 season with a home game against East Tennessee State University on September 4.
