LEXINGTON — For most football teams, the term “rebuilding” is a metaphor. Not VMI.

The Keydets are getting an extreme makeover. Within earshot of construction crews hammering away at major renovations to VMI’s Alumni Memorial Field, a youth-heavy team toiled through preseason two-a-days on a renovated practice field under the direction of a brand new coaching staff headed by coach Jim Reid.

“I’m excited,” said Reid. “This is a great group of young men. They are working extremely hard. ...

“And we’ve got a long way to go.”

The stadium renovations, which include new concessions stands and rest rooms, an expanded locker room and training room, a new weight room and a practice field with no undulations and covered with artificial turf, are expected to be ready by the home opener against Davidson on Saturday.

The team may be a different story.

The Keydets lost 25 lettermen from last season’s 3-8 team. Five starters return on offense and four on defense. Seven sophomores were penciled in as starters on offense and three more on defense after spring practice.

“We’re probably seven years behind where we need to be,” Reid said. “It’s building up the numbers, depth.”

Reid would like to build the program up enough that VMI does not have to play freshmen, but this year’s roster features 24 true freshmen and 15 redshirted freshmen.

“We wanted to bring in eight or nine freshmen this season because we started so late in recruiting,” Reid said. “We ended up with 18 or 19, and it’s a good thing because some of those guys can play.”

Next year’s class will certainly see playing time, too. If Reid has his way, it will be the class entering in 2008 that will be able to play as fifth-year seniors in seven years.

This doesn’t mean Reid’s first set of Keydets will wait around for that to day to dawn.

“It’s really, really intense,” said quarterback Jonathan Wilson, third in the preseason Big South player-of-the-year voting. “I like it.”

Wilson and running back Sean Mizzer are the true veterans on VMI’s offense.

Nat Jackson was last year’s top rusher and is “a great slot,” Wilson said.

Mizzer, the third-leading rusher in Keydets’ history with 2,711 yards, is back after missing most of last season rehabbing an injured knee.

“Mizzer is looking real good,” said preseason All-Big South defensive end Eric Hall. “He’s maybe the fastest I’ve ever seen him.”

Wilson will have a whole new cast of receivers, with Willie Bell and Chris Gilliland and freshman Tim Maypray standing out in the preseason.

“We’ve got some guys who can put it together,” Wilson said.

Hall is one of three returning starters on the defensive line. The rest of the first-team defense, save corner Jamaal Walton, is inexperienced. Two of the 13 defensive “returners” — Tommy Lloyd and Terrell Allen — played on the other side of the ball last year. Lloyd is slated to start at defensive end.

“We don’t have a lot of experience back there,” Hall said. “But I think they know what’s expected of them and they’ll work that much harder.

“We want it pretty bad.”