RICHMOND, Va. – After establishing themselves among the top players in the Colonial Athletic Association, seven William & Mary football standouts earned postseason all-conference honors on Tuesday.
 
Freshman quarterback Darius Wilson was selected as the Offensive Rookie of the Year, while senior left tackle Andrew Trainer and junior defensive end Nate Lynn garnered first-team honors.
 
Senior right tackle Colby Sorsdal, junior running back Bronson Yoder, senior defensive tackle Will Kiely and junior cornerback Ryan Poole all earned third-team distinction.
 
One of the nation's top freshman quarterbacks this season, Wilson broke W&M's true freshman record for passing yards (1,205) and total yards (1,591). A dual threat, he completed 106 of 177 passes with six touchdowns and rushed for 386 yards on 78 carries (4.9 yards/carry) with four scores. One of his best performances of the season came in the win at Elon when he was honored as the STATS Perform National Player of the Week and the CAA Offensive Player of the Week after he posted 293 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. The Bronx, N.Y. native was also selected as the CAA Rookie of the Week after leading W&M to a 40-14 win against Towson.
 
Lynn, who was selected as one of just 25 finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award (FCS National Defensive Player of the Year), finished the regular season ranked third nationally in sacks per game (1.2), tied for fifth in sacks (12) and tied for second in forced fumbles (6). Additionally, his 12 sacks, which he totaled in just 10 games, tied W&M's single-season record set by former All-Americans Adrian Tracy (2009, 14 games) and Luke Cullinane (1996, 12 games). In addition to his impressive sack total and ability to create turnovers, Lynn totaled 52 tackles and a pair of pass breakups this season.
 
Trainer earned all-conference honors for the second consecutive season after another tremendously productive year at left tackle. W&M led the CAA and ranked 16th nationally with 205.5 rushing yards per game, while it tied for the league's top rushing touchdowns total (19). Additionally, the Tribe averaged 5.0 yards per carry – nearly matching the program's single-season record (5.1) set in 1990. The offensive line was equally as effective in pass protection, as it ranked tied for eighth nationally in fewest sacks allowed per game (1.0) and 10th in fewest sacks allowed (11).
 
Yoder successfully transitioned to running back this season after playing safety last spring and led the team with 622 rushing yards on 114 carries with four touchdowns. Despite logging more than 11 carries in just three contests, he posted a pair of 100-yard efforts and ranked sixth in the CAA in rushing yards per game (69.2) and second in yards per carry (5.46). Highlighting his season was a 106-yard rushing performance in the win at Villanova and a 134-yard effort against Richmond. One of the league's top all-around players, he ranked fourth in the league in all-purpose yards per contest (111.8).
 
Sorsdal, a four-year starter at right tackle helped bookend the Tribe's dominant offensive line this fall. W&M led the CAA and ranked 16th nationally with 205.5 rushing yards per game, while it tied for the league's top rushing touchdowns total (19). Additionally, the Tribe averaged 5.0 yards per carry – nearly matching the program's single-season record (5.1) set in 1990. The offensive line was equally as effective in pass protection, as it ranked tied for eighth nationally in fewest sacks allowed per game (1.0) and 10th in fewest sacks allowed (11).
 
Kiely earned all-conference honors for the second consecutive season after another outstanding campaign in which he ranked tied for seventh in the CAA in sacks (7). A disruptive force, his season totals also included 35 tackles, 11.0 TFL and a PBU. In addition to recording at least one sack in six contests, his best effort came in the win against Lafayette when he posted a pair of sacks with 4.0 TFL. The Downingtown, Pa., native finishes his career ranked second in school history with 36.5 TFL.
 
Poole emerged as one of the league's top cornerbacks this season and ranked tied for seventh nationally in passes defended (14 PBU, INT). Additionally, he ranked tied for fourth in the conference in forced fumbles (3) and was second on the team in tackles (59). He also totaled 2.5 TFL, a fumble recovery and half sack. 
 
The all-conference teams were selected by the league's head coaches.

2021 CAA Football All-Conference Teams
Offensive Player of the Year: Cole Johnson, James Madison
Defensive Player of the Year: Forrest Rhyne, Villanova
Special Teams Player of the Year: Ethan Ratke, James Madison
Coach of the Year: Mark Ferrante, Villanova
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Darius Wilson, William & Mary
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Josiah Silver, New Hampshire
Chuck Boone Leadership Award: Davis Cheek, Elon
 
First Team – Offense
QB – Cole Johnson, James Madison
RB – Ty Son Lawton, Stony Brook
RB – Karl Mofor, UAlbany
FB – Joe Kenny, Rhode Island
WR – Jackson Parham, Elon
WR – Kris Thornton, James Madison
WR – Antwane Wells, Jr., James Madison
TE – Caleb Warren, Rhode Island
OL – Michael Corbi, Villanova
OL – Nick Kidwell, James Madison
OL – David Kroll, Delaware
OL – Clayton McConnell, Richmond
OL – Andrew Trainer, William & Mary
PK – Ethan Ratke, James Madison
KR – Aaron Dykes, Richmond
PR – Coby Tippett, Rhode Island
 
First Team – Defense
DL – Bryce Carter, James Madison
DL – Nate Lynn, William & Mary
DL – Jared Verse, UAlbany
DL – Josiah Silver, New Hampshire
DL – Kobie Turner, Richmond
LB – Tyler Dressler, Richmond
LB – Forrest Rhyne, Villanova
LB – Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey, James Madison
LB – Tristan Wheeler, Richmond
CB – Christian Benford, Villanova
CB – Greg Ross, James Madison
S – Cole Coleman, Elon
S – Kedrick Whitehead, Delaware
P – Tyler Pastula, Delaware
SPEC – Kyle Davis, James Madison
 
Second Team – Offense
QB – Davis Cheek, Elon
RB -  Justin Covington, Villanova
RB – Dejoun Lee, Delaware
FB – Luke Hamilton, Towson
WR – Andre Miller, Maine
WR – Thyrick Pitts, Delaware
WR – Rayjoun Pringle, Villanova
TE – Todd Summers, Villanova
OL – Nick Correia, Rhode Island
OL – Colin Gamroth, Villanova
OL – Mike Gerace, Maine
OL – Aaron Grzymkowski, Towson
OL – Kyle Nunez, Stony Brook
PK – Cole Bunce, Villanova
KR – Devin Young, Maine
PR – Jourdan Townsend, Delaware
 
Second Team – Defense
DL – Malik Fisher, Villanova
DL – Mike Greene, James Madison
DL – Darius Reynolds, Richmond
DL – Isaac Ukwu, James Madison
LB – Johnny Buchanan, Delaware
LB – Tyler King, Stony Brook
LB – L.B. Mack III, Rhode Island
LB – Ray Miller, Maine
CB – Nijuel Hill, Delaware
CB – Jordan Jones, Rhode Island
S – SJ Brown, Towson
S – Noah Plack, Delaware
P – Shane McDonough, Towson
SPEC – Bryce Colee, Maine
 
Third Team – Offense
QB – Daniel Smith, Villanova
RB – Jerry Howard, Jr., Towson
RB – Bronson Yoder, William & Mary
FB – Steve Petrick, Maine
WR – Jaaron Hayek, Villanova
WR – Caleb Smith, Towson
WR – Devin Young, Maine
TE – Shawn Bowman, Maine
OL – PJ Barr, Maine
OL – Tim Coleman, Richmond
OL – Patrick Flynn, New Hampshire
OL – Evan Lovell, Rhode Island
OL – Colby Sorsdal, William & Mary
PK – Ryan Coe, Delaware
KR – Solomon Vanhorse, James Madison
PR – D'Ago Hunter, Towson
 
Third Team – Defense
DL – Gunner Gibson, New Hampshire
DL – Artis Hemmingway, Delaware
DL – Will Kiely, William & Mary
DL – Chase McGowan, Delaware
LB – Jackson Ambush, UAlbany
LB – Kelvin Azanama, James Madison
LB – Amin Black, Villanova
LB – Christian Dixon, Towson
LB – Colby Reeder, Delaware
CB – Tre'Von Jones, Elon
CB – Ryan Poole, William & Mary
S – Evan Horn, New Hampshire
S – Coby Tippett, Rhode Island
P – Harry O'Kelly, James Madison
SPEC – TD Ayo-Durojaiye, Villanova