By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics

Like many his age, Tyler Crist is rapidly approaching a crossroads.

He's already a college graduate, having earned his B.S. in kinesiology and health services from William & Mary in December. His goal is to play in the National Football League and work in federal law enforcement — in that order.

But because the NCAA is granting athletes an additional year of eligibility due to the pandemic, Crist has a big decision on his mind.

Should he play this spring's six-game season at outside linebacker and declare for the NFL Draft? Or should he play the spring, enroll in graduate school, and return for the traditional 11-game schedule in the fall?

For now, Crist knows one thing for certain: He'll do one or the other.

"A big determinant is what happens in the spring," said Crist, who began his W&M career at fullback but switched to defense midway through the 2019 season. "It really comes down to whether we play a full season.

"If we don't play in the spring, or if we have a shortened season, my plan is to come back in the fall and do the MSBA (Master of Science in Business Analytics). If we do play a full season, there's still a lot that would weigh on my mind. Would coming back for another year improve my chances?"

There is much to consider.

Outside linebacker is Crist's present and future, but for three and a half seasons, he was the Tribe's starting fullback. After moving over, he had 18 tackles and three sacks in five games.

Taking the average and multiplying by 12 — the number of games W&M played that season — that would be 43 tackles and seven sacks.

"You could just tell it was something he did naturally," said Darryl Blackstock, who was defensive assistant in 2019 before being elevated to outside linebackers coach. "Tyler is a great football player. What he does defensively is special.

"Once he got back in his groove, all those natural pass rushing tangibles just showed up. Now, he's perfecting his skills, and hopefully he can make some more noise."

What Crist showed in those five games has Tribe coach Mike London excited.

"He has a chance to be really, really good," London said. "He's so athletic. He's quick off the edge, he's strong, and he's mature. He's developed his football IQ to be able to take advantage of his skillset."

It's not like Crist never played defense before. At Kecoughtan High in Hampton, he had 22 sacks as a senior defensive end. But listed at 5-foot-11 and 220 pounds, he didn't have ideal size for a college pass rusher.

Crist came to William & Mary as a preferred walk-on, just as many eventual starters and even team captains had before. He began fall camp in 2016 as a linebacker, but there was a pressing need at fullback. Crist had played H-back at Kecoughtan, so he was asked to switch.

As a redshirt freshman in 2017, Crist was the Tribe's sixth-leading receiver with 12 catches for 89 yards. His two touchdown receptions lead the team.

The summer before the '18 season, Crist was put on scholarship. He played in every game but had only seven touches. One was a 27-yard run on a fake punt against James Madison.

As a junior, he had a career day at East Carolina with 52 rushing yards, 20 coming on a second-quarter touchdown. But with the development of sophomore Owen Wright and true freshmen Donavyn Lester and Bronson Yoder, Crist saw fewer snaps.

Following the season's sixth game, Crist asked Brown about switching from fullback to outside linebacker. He remained on offense for another week and had three catches against JMU. He had a few snaps at linebacker at Maine and made two tackles.

Then came Crist's breakthrough performance with four tackles, two and a half behind the line of scrimmage, at Elon. His first career sack came in the second overtime and took the Phoenix out of field goal range in a game the Tribe eventually won 31-29.

"In my first two years (at fullback), I worked on the scout team as a defensive player doing exactly what I do now when we didn't have bodies," Crist said. "So it's not like when I made the transition I was walking into deep water."

A week later in a win over Rhode Island, Crist had five tackles, a strip sack, and a fumble recovery. At Towson, he had four stops and returned a fumble for his team's only touchdown. That made him the program's first player in a decade to score a touchdown on offense and defense in the same season.

"Tyler can play a multitude of roles," London said. "But he's really good at rushing the passer, so we're going to try to put him in position to show what he can do."

Crist plans to apply for the MSBA program in case he does chose to return in the fall. Whether he does or not, his ultimate goal is the NFL — at whatever position a team wants him.

After football will come law enforcement.

"That's my goal, whether that be FBI, DEA, CIA or Secret Service," he said. "A Master's Degree would obviously help with whatever I apply for. I have to keep that in the back of my head."