Does William & Mary Have A New Identity? (9-12-2025)
By: Joe Dillard Jr.
Headline Photo Credit: W&M Football
When you look back at the Mike London era at William and Mary, we have always seen an efficient running game that will ground and pound teams that were not disciplined or conditioned to last four quarters.
However, after a tough but close loss to Furman on the road, we look at the Tribe and see how things are shaping up. The makeup of this team might be slightly different, but the talent is still there. Defensively I believe they will need to find a defensive lineman who can draw double teams or have a team effort trying to stop the run. Luke Banbury and Harrison Johnson are everywhere on the field combining for 54 total tackles in two games. They seem not to get penetration past the line as they struggle with tackles for loss and only have 4 sacks. Jalen Jones, senior out of Chesapeake, might get 20 balls thrown his way all year, but it comes with great reasons as he has been amazing in his time and is a preseason All-American selection. He is also looking to raise his draft stock and chances to hear his name called.
Unfortunately, your quarterback who is nothing short of amazing can not be the leading rusher on the team. They seem to have some young studs on the offensive line but in time hopefully the coaching staff finds the right combination for the long run. However, on the optimistic side of things, I know that the Tribe can come back from down three or four scores. I know that if a drive needs to be done Tyler Hughes has made magic in two games and his presence in the pocket is nothing short of Power 5 work. With UVA up next we can only wonder if they have a few tricks up their sleeve to extend drives and stay in the game. This team should be exciting, and we watch them grow week after week. September 13 at noon they take on the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
