WILLIAMSBURG— As William & Mary gets ready for the 2025 football season, WYDaily caught up with some of the Tribe’s players and coaches ahead of Saturday afternoon’s kickoff.
Coach Mike London enters his seventh year at the helm of Tribe football.
“We were competitive last year and lost some games there that cost us an opportunity to extend our play. The past couple of years, we’ve had a winning season, but the goal in mind is to win the conference championship and get into the playoffs. That’s become our standard,” London said of the 2024 season.
With road contests this season at Furman, University of Virginia, Villanova, New Hampshire, Campbell and Hampton, Coach London knows that the 2025 schedule will be competitive.
“As a competitor and as a coach, every game is a challenge. Our first game is on the road, in South Carolina, at 2 p.m. That’s probably when it’s going to be as hot as it could ever be in South Carolina. Getting acclimated to the opportunities, one to be in shape and two to be competitive during that time, we’re going to have to simulate some of those situations while we’re here in training camp,” London said.
The Tribe’s home slate includes visits from Maine, Charleston Southern, North Carolina A&T, Elon, UAlbany and Richmond.
London is especially excited to see what Tribe quarterback Tyler Hughes can do.
“A guy like Tyler Hughes has been sitting and waiting for his turn. Darius Wilson was a four-year starter and that’s rare and uncommon nowadays. He’s got a tremendous amount of poise, his football IQ has increased exponentially,” London said. “One of the best things that happened to him is having Bryan Randall as his position coach. Bryan has achieved at the highest level, earning 2004 ACC Player of the Year. That part of wisdom has really helped Tyler. The kid eats, sleeps, and breathes football.”
“He’s one of the fastest guys on the team. He loves football, he beats me to the office some days. Our team loves him for it,” London adds. “When you see a guy like that, that’s out there, wants to throw 7v7, brings players over to watch film, he’s going to be a tremendous leader. I think our fans have a chance to see an unheralded player that is really going to shock people.”
He says the entire football program, from coaching staff to players, has rallied around the mantra ‘Mission Possible.’
“There are a lot of things you can say that you can’t do. We’ve had some tough things that have happened with some players and some coaches that we’ve experienced in the last year. With man, a lot of things are impossible, but with Him, all things are possible. We’re all wrapping ourselves around not only being a coach, but a mentor, a role model, and a brother,” London said.
Ultimately, London hopes to capture the CAA Championship in 2025.
“We’ve tasted the brass ring and we want it. We’ve added key pieces to the team via the transfer portal. We’ve been strategic in finding guys that are like-minded in terms of what they wanted for their academic career, but they are the same type of guys that want to chase championships. The expectations are to be competitive and to be competitive enough to vie for the championship,” London said.
For more on all things William & Mary football, visit tribeathletics.com.