WILLIAMSBURG (WAVY) – William & Mary is hungry to get back on the field. The preseason pick to win the CAA, the Tribe’s 2022 campaign ended in disappointment with a 55-7 loss to Montana State in the FCS quarterfinals.
“We had one of the best seasons in school history and for us, that ruined it for us,” quarterback Darius Wilson said.
W&M won 11 games last season and in the preseason polls, the Tribe were picked to win the conference again.
Tribe coach Mike London has turned the offensive reins over to Christian Taylor. He’s the architect of the third-ranked rushing offense in the country. Nearly every player returns from that offense, which is quite unique in today’s day and age of the transfer portal.
“I love being here, it’s not about trying to get NIL money or going to a really big school,” Wilson said. “I want to be where I’m wanted.”
London doesn’t really dip into the portal much. He prefers to recruit and develop high school players. He’s also fortunate that the academic prestige of William & Mary entices players to stick around.
“You can make five, eight, ten thousand dollars somewhere else through NIL,” London said. “Or you can get a master’s here and get six figures because you are around a business school that is one of the tops in the country.”
While the goal of the Tribe is to win an FCS national title, they must first get through a tough CAA.
“I’ve been in this conference a long time, we were called the Yankee Conference,” London said. “Not to sound cliché, (but) any team is capable of beating you on a Saturday.”
William & Mary opens the season on the road at Campbell.
