By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
Its running game and defense in high gear, William & Mary had dominated the first half. Yet three minutes into the third quarter, Towson was on the move with a chance to make it a one-possession game.
Ryan Poole, the Tribe's junior cornerback, didn't let that happen. As Tigers' running back Jerry Howard came his way, Poole put his helmet square on the ball. It popped loose, and W&M linebacker
Trey Watkins recovered.
Five plays and 60 yards later,
Donavyn Lester's touchdown extended the Tribe's lead to 34-14. Nine minutes still remained in the third quarter, but the game was all but over.
"We kind of played on our heels after that," Towson coach Rob Ambrose said.
Poole's hit was a big reason why. The Tribe had six takeaways, its most since a 2012 game against Georgia State. Poole had a hand in two of them, including the one that put Towson on its heels.
"They were on the edge of the red zone and it was a 13-point game," said Poole, a business analytics major from Annapolis, Maryland. "I was like, dang, they score here and they'll be back in it. But once we got that turnover, the offense scored in five plays.
"We had four picks on the back end, and on top of that we recovered two fumbles. That goes to speak to our coaches trusting us to be there and make the plays. It was very nice seeing that. I've never been a part of a game when the defense forced six turnovers."
Poole also had his first career interception against Towson, which came in the first quarter with the Tigers again threatening to score. He finished with seven tackles, his fourth consecutive game with at least that many, along with a pass break-up.
For the season, Poole is second on the team with 42 tackles, an average of six per game. His nine PBUs are tied for third nationally at the Championship Subdivision.
"
Ryan Poole is the type of guy who will go the field and take their best receiver one-on-one," W&M coach
Mike London said. "He'll provide good leverage for the run game, be involved in tackles, cause a fumble and break up passes.
"He does it all for us. And he's been playing at a high level."
Poole was part of Jimmye Laycock's last full recruiting class as William & Mary's head coach. As a true freshman in 2018, he played on special teams in the final three games of the season, which preserved his redshirt status. In his debut, he blocked a punt at Rhode Island.
In 2019, London's first season, Poole played in all 12 games with one start at cornerback. His best day came in a season-ending win at Richmond, in which he had seven tackles, a PBU, and half a sack.
Then came the pandemic, which canceled the '20 season and limited the Tribe to three games the following spring. But Poole was determined to use that time to get better, especially at tackling. Defensive backs coach
Ras-I Dowling stressed the importance of that.
"For a corner, a lot more physical level of plays come on the boundary," Poole said. "You've got to be able to step up and tackle. So Coach was like, 'The big thing for you is to improve tackling.' It's definitely been huge."
It's also made a huge difference in all-around ability as a cornerback.
"His tackling has definitely improved his game to go with his coverage skills and his football IQ," said Dowling, a pretty fair tackler himself as a two-time All-ACC cornerback at Virginia. "It's a nice sight to see how he's developed over the years."
Off the field, with a major in business analytics and a minor in finance, Poole has made the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll in each of his three years. He is set to graduate in the spring of 2022 but has playing eligibility remaining through the '23 season.
Poole, who interned with Morgan Stanley in Baltimore last summer, said getting his M.B.A. would be "the ideal plan."
So would another couple of seasons on Cornerback Island with the Tribe. He's now mastering a position he originally wanted nothing to do with.
Growing up as one of the bigger kids in his class, Poole started out playing linebacker on defense. When others caught up to his size, Poole moved to safety. That was his position from sixth to eighth grade, and he expected it to be his future.
Instead, his father, Ronald, recommended he switch to cornerback. Dad had good reason. At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Ryan was more likely to be recruited as a corner than a safety.
Still, at least initially, it didn't go over well.
"I don't know if I cried, but they said I did," said Poole, referring to his father and mother, Gina.
'I don't want to be a corner! I'm a safety!'
"But I made the switch my freshman year of high school, and I fell in love with it my sophomore year. And there's been no looking back since."
