RICHMOND — William & Mary standout linebacker John Pius has been selected as a finalist for the 2022 Dudley Award.
Presented annually by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the award is given each year to the best college football player in Virginia.
An elite playmaker, Pius was honored as the 2022 Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year and is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is annually presented to the national defensive player of the year in college football’s Division I subdivision.
The Arlington, Va., native currently ranks fourth nationally among all FCS players in sacks (11.5) and fifth in TFL (19). He needs just a half sack to equal W&M’s single-season school record.
A two-time CAA Defensive Player of the Week, Pius leads W&M in tackles (71) and quarterback hurries (12).
Pius has been instrumental in helping W&M establish itself among the country’s top teams defensively this season, as it ranks eighth nationally in scoring defense (19.8) and seventh in forced turnovers (24).
Having already claimed a share of the CAA title and posting the program’s best regular-season record in school history, fifth-seeded W&M will continue its quest for a national championship when it plays in a quarterfinal matchup at fourth-seeded Montana State on Friday at 10:15 p.m. (ET). The contest will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
Joining Pius as a finalist for the award is Richmond quarterback Reece Udinski and James Madison quarterback Todd Centeio.
Voted on by a panel of media members, the Dudley Award will be presented on CBS 6 after Saturday’s Army-Navy game, with the broadcast beginning at approximately 6:30 p.m.
