By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics

On Signing Day 2020, inconceivable as it now seems, John Pius had only three scholarship offers to play college football. Most saw him as a late bloomer who needed to add at least 25 pounds to be an edge defender at the Championship Subdivision level.

William & Mary was one of the three programs that believed Pius was worth an offer. Which, putting it mildly, was a wise move.

These days, carrying 230 pounds on his 6-foot-2 frame, Pius is tied for third nationally with 11.5 sacks and for fifth in tackles for loss with 19. So it came as no surprise last week when he was named the Colonial Athletic Association's Defensive Player of the Year.

"You have to remember, he was a hand-in-the-dirt guy coming out of high school," said Tribe outside linebackers coach Darryl Blackstock, meaning Pius had played defensive end. "It's a process to learn how to become a total outside linebacker.

"He's taken his football IQ to another level. He's seeing the game better. And the sky's the limit."

As a 2020 high school graduate, Pius (PIE-us) entered college during a crazy time. COVID canceled the fall football season, and the Tribe played three games (half its schedule) in the spring of '21. Pius saw time in all three, but it wasn't much of an introduction to college football.

In the fall of '21, with the Tribe back to a full schedule, Pius was relied on mostly as a pass rusher. Then came the offseason, his first normal one with COVID under some degree of control. Like many of his teammates, Pius made the most of it.

"Being down here with my teammates in June and July and conditioning with Coach (Kenny) O'Mary really helped me to get stronger and faster," Pius said. "And I knew there were a lot of things I could improve on technique-wise."

Pius came into the '22 season in peak physical condition and with a better understanding of his position. In the Tribe's first three games, he had 25 tackles and seven sacks. Instead of focusing their attention on defensive end Nate Lynn, who set a school record with 12 sacks last season, opponents now have two major problems on their hands.

Pius' best game of the season might be his most recent. In a 37-26 win over Richmond to clinch the conference championship, he had a career-high 10 tackles and a sack.

"He's bought into the coaching and the process," Blackstock said. "Every little thing I was telling him to do in the offseason he bought into. And when we got to training camp, he put it all together."

Until his freshman year at Yorktown High in Arlington, Pius' only exposure to football was pick-up games with his friends. He played two seasons on the Patriots' JV team before making varsity as a junior.

In two seasons, Pius had 23 sacks and 40 TFLs. As a senior, he was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Liberty District and 6A North Region.

He showed the potential. And he didn't take long to deliver it.

"Like every player with growth and maturity, there are stages," W&M coach Mike London said. "And he's grown and matured a lot. If he keeps doing that, he'll just get better and better.

"He's special. He's a very good football player."

With seven seniors and two juniors among its starters, William & Mary's defense is a veteran group. As a sophomore, Pius has listened and followed.

"I've been playing alongside these dudes for two and a half years now," he said. "They're smart and savvy, and they've got experience. They know what the defense needs to look like and what we need to do to play to the best of our ability.

"They know how to play the game. When you have a lot of players who have those two main abilities, that really helps a lot."

In Blackstock, Pius has a coach who played the position at the University of Virginia and for five seasons in the NFL.

"With his experience," Pius said, "I've picked up a lot of stuff from him."

That includes being more than just a pass rusher.

"That was one of my main goals coming into the season," Pius said. "I had to be a complete linebacker in this defense to help our team. I want to put a lot of stress on stopping the run, and I pride myself as a linebacker to be able to do that and drop back in coverage."

While Pius has enjoyed individual success, he's more proud of what the team has accomplished. Never before had the Tribe won 10 games in the regular season. At No. 5, W&M has its highest seeding since 2010 going into Saturday's second-round FCS playoff game against Gardner-Webb at Zable Stadium.

"This has been big for all of us," Pius said. "There are a lot of guys on the team who haven't been in this position before.

"To be in the postseason, we can't take that for granted. We're trying to make the most of it."