By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics

In an abbreviated football season with a pandemic still raging, the only certainty was that there would be few certainties. William & Mary coach Mike London understood that from the start, and he certainly lived it.

Three of the Tribe's six scheduled games were canceled due to COVID-19 protocols — two on the opposition's end, one on W&M's. That's right around the Colonial Athletic Association average with no team having played more than four conference games.

But for the Tribe, especially after losing its fall season, something was better than nothing.

"Young players were able to play in a competitive environment," said London, whose team went  1-2 this spring. "You were able to lift and train. And you were able to put in your systems and schemes and evaluate your players.

"There were some good evaluation tools we were able to access, which sometimes you wouldn't be able to if you just had spring practice. It allowed us to play true freshmen and redshirt freshmen who hadn't played a college football game. That was a positive."

The Tribe ended up playing at least 19 true freshmen, several of whom saw a significant amount of snaps. That included Malachi Imoh, who rushed for 137 yards and three touchdowns against Elon, and linebacker Alex Washington, who had the team's lone interception this spring.

Approximately 10 redshirt freshmen also made their college debuts. That included linebacker Brayden Staib, the team's leading tackler with 17, and safety Marcus Barnes, who played 198 snaps.

"I'm excited about their opportunities," London said.

There were problems that surfaced, however, none worse than W&M's injury situation. London prefers not to get into specifics, but it's safe to say at least two dozen players missed time with injuries, some more concerning than others.

The most talked about was sophomore quarterback Hollis Mathis, who apparently injured his right (throwing) shoulder in the Tribe's win over Elon. He didn't play a week later against James Madison, and London said he "most likely" wouldn't have gone in the scheduled game against Richmond last Saturday.

London wasn't about to take any chances, especially with August — when fall preseason practice begins — only four months away.

"We had some shoulders and some knees and things like that, which you don't want," he said. "You don't want the surgeries to extend into months in terms of rehabilitation and being ready to play in the fall season. We did experience our share of those type of injuries.

"You get to a situation where it's like, is it in the player's best interest or no? You look at the longevity of him being able to play a productive 2021 (fall) schedule and you weigh all those things. And we err on the side of caution."

London was asked if he expects any of the injuries to linger into fall camp.

"Some guys will be cleared toward the latter part of the summer, and some will be right on the edge there," he said. "Getting the surgeries, getting those things done from the standpoint of medical clearance, time is of the essence."

Because of the pandemic, which wiped out the traditional FCS fall season, players have been granted an extra year of eligibility. The Tribe had 13 seniors on its spring roster, at least eight of whom are expected to start in the fall.

Wide receiver Jordan Lowery probably would have made it nine, but decided not to return. For a pretty good reason, it turns out.

"He got accepted into Howard's pharmacy school," London said. "He sees an opportunity like that and he's like, 'Coach, I appreciate it, but I'm going to take this opportunity to move on with my life's goal.'"

Lowery was one of five seniors scheduled to be honored before the home finale last week against Richmond along with quarterback Ted Hefter, linebackers Davis Call and Riley Fox, and fullback Will Barney.

All told, the Tribe got in three games — the last of which, a 38-10 loss to James Madison, with several players unavailable. W&M could have tried to schedule another, but risk was far greater than any potential reward.

"The dynamics of the season were interesting," London said. "Ultimately, we had to make the decision that was best for our players' health and safety. We did so, and now we're looking forward."