Shrewsbury named FCS Punter of the Year semifinalist

After an outstanding 2025 season ranked among the nation’s top punters, Ben Shrewsbury ’27, VMI punter, was selected by the Augusta Sports Council as one of 10 FCS Punter of the Year semifinalists Dec. 3, 2025.

The Jonesborough, Tennessee, native punted the ball 87 times throughout the season for a combined 4,122 yards, consistently ranking in the top five nationally in punt average, ending the season with a punt average of 47.9 yards per kick, which is good for third at the FCS level and first in the Southern Conference.

The All-SoCon First Team punter booted a career best 63-yarder at ETSU Oct. 11 and placed 22 punts within the opponent’s 20-yard line. Six of his punts went into the end zone for touchbacks, and 20 were fair catches from opposing punt returners.

Shrewsbury totaled 42 kicks of 50-plus yards, while nobody else in the SoCon had more than 20. The 3rd Class cadet’s total yardage of 4,075 set a new SoCon record, with the next closest kicker having 3,633 yards, despite kicking three more times than Shrewsbury this season.

He earned SoCon Player of the Week honors against Chattanooga and had four punts of 60 or more yards, including a season-best 63-yard kick against ETSU, in which he set a new program and SoCon record for most punts in a game with 14.

Shrewsbury’s single-season average of 47.9 is a new program and league record, breaking the mark of VMI’s own Brent Barth ’03 of 47.4, and his 85 punts are the third most in a single year. Shrewsbury now owns the two highest punt totals in a single game for the SoCon and VMI, with 657 against ETSU and 645 at Mercer.

FCS Punter of the Year Semifinalists

Adam Watford, North Alabama
Brady Clark, Princeton
Elliot Huether, St. Thomas
Gabriel Russo, Idaho State
James Platte, The Citadel
John McConnell, Mercer
Max Pelham, South Dakota State
Ryan Marks, Utah Tech
Thomas O’Hara, Murray State
Ben Shrewsbury, VMI

Editor’s Note: This article was first published on vmikeydets.com.