Lakeside’s Hamilton twin brothers take unique path to college football as kicker, snapper

After spending nearly every day together for 18 years, twin brothers Noah and Liam Hamilton are still yet to part.

They grew up in the kind of town where you go to school with the same group of kids from the time you learn the alphabet to the time you leave for college.

But after graduating from Lakeside High School this spring, they will not only leave the surrounding community, but they will leave the West Coast in its entirety. Following a lengthy and stressful recruiting period filled with online researching, contacting schools, posting on social media and visiting a variety of campuses, the twins finally found their dream opportunity.

In early April, Noah received an offer to kick for Bryant University, a school in Rhode Island. Not long after that, the coaches at Bryant came across Liam’s long-snapping footage, confirmed that he was Noah’s twin and also offered him a spot on the team.

Despite how rare it is for kickers and long snappers to sign in general, the stars aligned and gave these brothers the chance of a lifetime. That was their selling point. To be able to go to the same college and continue playing on a football team together was more than ideal.

“The East Coast is sweet,” Noah said. “Being able to go over there and experience a new place with my brother … being able to do all that and play football at a high level at the same time is something pretty special.”

Although the twins have been playing football since they were kids, they also participated in soccer and wrestling. Soccer is the main reason Noah became a kicker. He tried football in middle school but realized he didn’t have the type of athleticism required for the field positions. He did recognize how talented he was at kicking and decided to ride that path as far as he could.

Liam fell in love with long snapping at a young age when he first attempted it at a University of Michigan tailgate with his family. In high school, he played football and wrestled – at which he excelled his senior year, winning districts and placing second at regionals and fourth at state. Noah stopped wrestling because of concussions, but he was still Liam’s biggest supporter as a team manager and was down on the mats for all his matches.

“We’re able to hold each other accountable,” Liam said. “I feel like us together working as a duo makes each other better.”

Not only are they a fantastic duo on the field – as Noah depends on Liam for a good snap and Liam depends on Noah to make the kick – but they are the perfect pair in life. Most people, even some twins, eventually need their own space, their own experiences, a chance to be independent. Noah and Liam do not fall into that category. They easily bond over everything, from school to sports to hobbies. They worked at the same place when they had jobs. They even plan to room together in college.

“We do literally probably everything together,” Noah said.

Their mom always told them they have a built-in best friend in their twin, and they have proved that. The longest they’ve been apart is maybe a week. They couldn’t imagine being separated for four years.

They are with each other through it all – the trainings, the recruiting process, their move to Reardan High School during the COVID years, the challenge of balancing academics and athletics. On the field and off, Noah and Liam encourage each other and accept nothing less than their best effort in all that they do.

“It’s fun to see them hold each other accountable and push each other,” Lakeside football coach Devin Bauer said. “They’re each other’s biggest critics, but they depend on each other so much.”

Considering they could not have chosen a school farther from home, their parents, coaches, teammates and friends are still supportive of their decision and proud of their accomplishment. The boys are excited for a fresh start in a new place where they can gain an abundance of life experiences over the next four years.

“Even though we’re super far away from home, we’re kind of still home because we have each other,” Liam said.