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| Furman and William & Mary to battle for a second-straight season for the first time to open a season since 1972 (photo courtesy of Furman Athletics) |
At one time, William & Mary and Furman were big rivals in the Southern Conference, as the Tribe were members of the SoCon from 1936-76 before leaving to join the then Yankee Conference, which is now known as the Coastal Athletic Association.
After serving loyally as a member through different conference membership changes throughout the years, including four name changes, going from the Yankee Conference-Atlantic 10-Colonial Athletic Association-Coastal Athletic Association--it's now time for the Tribe to bid farewell to the only league affiliation they've known since leaving the SoCon some five decades ago. The 2025 season will mark the final one for the Tribe as a league member.
The CAA as it is currently known, was founded in 2005, with several of those members having departed in recent seasons. Richmond, Delaware, James Madison, and Hofstra (no longer has a football program) are just a sample size of the teams Furman has faced from the prestigious league under its current distinction.
The Paladins own a 5-4 record against CAA members 2005 and prior to that, when the league was played under the banner of both the Atlantic 10 Conference and before that, the Yankee Conference, the Paladins sport an all-time mark of 14-9 against the league.
The Tribe and Paladins will be meeting for the 17th time in series history, including meeting in a season opener for the first time since 1972, as the Paladins dropped a 31-7 contest to the Tribe in Williamsburg.
The series between William & Mary and Furman is all tied 8-8 after last season's 10-point triumph by the Tribe. Both William & Mary and Villanova announced this past spring that both will be leaving to join Richmond in the Patriot league following the 2025 season.
The Tribe boasted a perfect 3-0 mark against the Southern Conference last season and included in that run through the Southern Conference was a 34-24 win over the Paladins.
Despite taking an early 14-0 lead in the game, the Tribe would eventually score 24 unanswered points to take control of the game and held off a good effort from a young Paladin team for a 34-24 win in Williamsburg.
Furman's inability to stop the Tribe's ground game throughout the course of the evening was evident from the outset, as the Tribe amassed 384 yards on the ground.
The Paladins return 14 starters from a team that finished 3-8 last season and did most of its work when it comes to the transfer portal at defensive back.
Much the same as it was for Furman entering the contest against William & Mary last season in Williamsburg last season, the Tribe have a lot of questions to answer, losing all of the 384 yards of ground production the Tribe rolled up against the Paladins last fall.
Though William & Mary was in and out of the rankings for much of the 2025 season, the Tribe underwhelmed for the most part, and what was supposed to be a season that saw William & Mary challenge for a CAA title saw them fall woefully short, completing the season with just a 7-5 overall mark and just a 4-4 mark in what has been a declining CAA for the past couple of seasons.
Though the past couple of seasons have left something to be desired for the Tribe's loyal fanbase, the fact remains that coach London has the program on some pretty level footing, as William & Mary has posted four-consecutive winning seasons for the first time in 25 years.
With that performance a year ago, there were bound to be some changes made by head coach Mike London, and there were. There is a change at
Offensive Coordinator for the Tribe, as former Mario Acitelli left to take an offensive line coaching position at an FBS program and that led coach London to someone he knew well, in former Tribe and Richmond offensive assistant coach Winston October. October wasn't the only change within the offensive staff, however, as Bryan Randall was hired to coach quarterbacks.
Many of the same tempo elements will not change under October, but there will be some minor philosophical changes without anything major. After all, we are in an era of what has become pretty much one that sees programs run the version of the same thing, As long as London is in charge though, you can pretty much guarantee there will be a strong emphasis on the ground game.
From having guys like Tim Hightower (2004-08) at Richmond to shape the offense around, to having a guy like Bronson Yoder last season as the head coach of the Tribe.
One of the veterans that has worked while he has waited for his time is quarterback Tyler Hughes. In an era that encourages the student-athlete to transfer at the first hint of adversity, it's refreshing to see a story like that of Hughes, as he has finally seen the fruits of his hard work to pay off with an opportunity to finally lead the Tribe offense.
Hughes comes off a season which saw him much more effective as a runner than as a passer last season, and that probably is somewhat concerning for a Paladin defensive staff that had trouble limiting the mobility of Darius Wilson last season, as he spearheaded that ground attack that posted 384 yards on the ground against the Paladins last season. Hughes is faster and more athletic than even Wilson was a year ago.
There's not much tape on Hughes, but what there is to see reveals his ability as a running threat, Look no further than Hughes' performance against Hampton last season, as Hughes rushed for 130 of his 201 yards on the season against the Pirates, as he finished that contest with 130 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just three carries in the 49-7 win against the Tribe's tidewater rival. Hughes finished the season connecting on 12-of-23 passes for 132 yards.
While Hughes brings the most experience into the fold and will likely start for the Tribe on Saturday, he's not the only one that might see action under center for William & Mary. The Tribe will also have some talented underclassmen in the running to see time if things should go south for Hughes at any point, with William & Mary also returning sophomore Noah Brannock and redshirt freshman Joey Tomasso.
While Yoder leaves big hole to be filled at running back, the loss of Charles Grant to graduation and the NFL leaves a bigger one across the offensive line for the Tribe.
Grant, who started 41 games over the course of his career with the Tribe at offensive tackle, including his final 36 games in Williamsburg, was a consensus All-American as a senior, parlaying his outstanding career into being the No. 99 pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Grant wasn't the lone loss along the offensive front either, which was experienced and huge last season, wearing on Furman's younger defensive front as the game wore on last season, as the Tribe were able to ground out a win. Ryan McKenna and Bart Francois, who started at both at the center and right guard positions last season have also moved on.
The good news for the Tribe is that starters Kadin Lynch (LG) and Greg Klingensmith (RT) both return to help stabilize the front that must replace three talented starters. Lynch started all 12 games for the Tribe at left guard last season for the Tribe, while Klingensmith started all six games in which he appeared last season, with each of those starts coming at right tackle. Other reserves like offensive tackle Elijah Booth and offensive guard Hayden Raley will likely compete for starting jobs along the offensive front for the Green and Gold this fall.
As far as total rushing yards is concerned, the answers for losing a combined 2,406 rushing yards and 28 rushing TDs among the top three rushers from last season is a little tougher to predict than the holes to fill along the offensive line. In fact, the in Yoder (1,115 rushing yds, 10 rushing TDs), backup running back Malachi Imoh (686 rushing yds, 9 rushing TDs) and starting quarterback Darius Wilson (605 rushing yds, 9 rushing TDs), the Tribe must replace 86.3% of their 2,785 net yards gained on the ground last season in just three players.
Yoder wasn't the only one to terrorize the Paladin defense in the late September clash last season either, as quarterback Darius Wilson rushed for 155 yards and a touchdown, while Imoh finished with 50 yards on the ground against the 'Dins, as the three players combined to rush for 371 of the 384 yards totaled against the Paladin defense in last season's win by the Tribe.
One of those answers at running back is a somewhat familiar face to Furman fans, as Rashad Raymond (1,326-career rushing yards), who spent three years at VMI (2020-23) as well as one at UT-Martin (2024) before transferring to William & Mary where he will play his final season and have a chance to compete for the starting spot.
During his one season with the Skyhawks last season, Raymond finished out the rushing for 48 yards on 25 carries, including a pair of TDs. In 40 games at VMI over the course of three seasons, Raymond rushed for 1,315 yards and four scores on 301 rush attempts.
Set to team with Raymond in the Tribe backfield Saturday is Old Dominion transfer Tariq Sims will spend his final season of eligibility trying to win that starting job in the Tribe's backfield. In 24 games with the Monarchs, Sims ran it 66 times for 193 yards and a pair of TDs.
Among the top pass-catching options for the Tribe this fall will be Isaiah Lemmond, who is a wideout that Paladin fans will recognize from his time spent at VMI prior to moving via transfer to Williamsburg following the 2023 season,
However, Lemmond didn't contribute all that much to the Tribe offense last season, hauling in just two passes for 15 yards for the season. During the 2022 and '23 seasons with the Keydets, Lemmond was able to haul in 59 passes for 738 yards in a couple of seasons spent at VMI.
Furman is a team that values tradition and is a little bit old school when it comes to valuing the tight end as more than an asset as a blocker offensively, as the Tribe under head coach Mike London have turned that position into a real and primary offensive weapon.
William & Mary's leading returning receiver for the 2025 season is tight end Sean McElwain. All he did in 2024 was haul in lead the Tribe with five receiving touchdowns, while also hauling in 20 passes for 361 yards, garnering Honorable Mention All-CAA honors in the process. McElwain was very effective in the game against the Paladins last season, as he was able to haul in two passes for 50 yards and a score against the Paladins.
William & Mary's defenses under London have been rugged and physical, and since London took the helm of the Tribe's football program in 2018, the Tribe might enter a season with more questions on the defensive side of the football than they have in recent memory.
On the defensive side of the football, the Tribe are normally always solid under veteran head coach Mike London, who is an excellent defensive tactician. The former national champion winning head coach at Richmond (2008). The Tribe comes off a 2024 campaign which saw them complete the campaign ranked 61st nationally in total defense (361.5 YPG) and 41st nationally in scoring defense (23.5 PPG).
Two veteran leaders return to lead the unit this season, in preseason All-America and all-CAA selection Jalen Jones at cornerback, as well as defensive end Dzidienyo. Jones is coming off an outstanding 2024 season, which saw him post 48 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 20 PBUs, two INTs and forced a pair of fumbles.
As for Dzidiezienyo, he finished the 2024 campaign posting 50 tackles, 5.5 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 sacks, two PBUs and a fumble recovery. One of the biggest losses on the defensive side of the football for the Tribe entering the 2025 season is at linebacker, where leading tackler Alex Washington (85 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 1.0 sack), who has graduated.
All told, seven starters must be replaced on the defensive side of the football for the 2025 season. Other returnees aside from Jones and Dzidiezienyo include linebacker Elijah Rainer (18 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 0.5 sack) and defensive tackle Gerald Williams (19 tackles, 2.0 TFL) are also back to provide veteran leadership on the defensive side of the football for the 2025 season.
Furman's offense will have both knowns and unknowns, but the best news is that it will have continuity after going into nearly every game last season with some degree of uncertainty.
Trey Hedden (151-of-248 passing, 1,767 yds, 13 TDs, 9 INTs) and Carson Jones (69-of-107 passing, 642 yds, 2 TDs, 4 INTs) give the Paladins a pair of reliable and experienced signal-callers, and if there is a reason to throw your hat on the side of Furman in a game where there is little if any decisive talent disparity at any position, the biggest reason to give the Paladins a slight advantage in the season opener is due precisely to the fact that the experienced depth resides squarely on the side of the Paladins.
Both Hedden and Jones saw meaningful action under center for the Paladins last season. Hedden's 1,767 passing yards as a freshman last season are second to only Reese Hannon's Furman freshman record 1,896 passing yards, which he established back in 2012 after taking over as Furman's starter for an injured Dakota Derrick early on in that particular campaign.
The running game is the big question offensively coming into the season for the Paladin offense, and so much because of the offense but more because of an unproven running back to call upon. It isn't a recent issue for the Paladin offense, either, as it really started in the middle of the 2023 season when an inordinate amount of injuries, with Dominic Roberto spending most of the latter half of the campaign less than 100% at running back.
That led to the Paladins having to rely on a combination of former running backs Myion Hicks, Wayne Anderson, and Grant Robinson, as well as then quarterback Tyler Huff to help manage some of the rushing load and taking full responsibility off of Roberto, who played the final six games of the season with a groin injury that eventually needed surgery following the season.
Last season, with Huff and Anderson gone, and with Hicks and Robinson running behind an offensive line group that, though it had players that had logged some good career experience, had never actually played together as one starting unit. It led to a season full of woes when the Paladins tried to run the football, as Furman ended the season averaging less on the ground (89.8 YPG) than it ever has in its storied football history,
Things should be much better this season, and the ground attack will be led by Jay'Quan Smith and Gavin Hall. Smith missed the last year-and-a-half with a leg injury, and his health will be key for the Paladin running game this fall.
So too will the progression of Hall at running back, who comes off a season, which saw him garner SoCon All-Freshman team honors following a season that saw him finish off the campaign with 321 rushing yards and one TD on 64 attempts (3.6 YPC). The Paladins even finished below that 90 YPG rushing average for the season against the Tribe last season, finishing off the campaign with just 82 yards in the 34-24 last season. Another back that had a good preseason camp and has a chance to see some early action in the lineup for the Paladins is true freshman CJ Nettles.
The Paladin offensive front should also be in a lot better shape this fall than it was a year ago, and it is highlighted by the return of preseason STATS Perform All-America selection Luke Petit at left guard and preseason First-Team All-SoCon pick Eli Brasher at left tackle. That duo is among a quartet along the OL that returns to the fold as starters this season.
Look for Wake Forest transfer Jaydon Collins to fill out the final starting spot along the offensive front heading into 2025, which will likely be right tackle to take the position that was previously occupied by Blake Hundley last season.
As far as the tight ends go, like the Tribe, the Paladins have one of the very best in the nation, in sophomore Jackson Pryor, who really turned in his breakout performance against William & Mary last season. The Boone, N.C., native ended up hauling in a pair of aerials from Hedden for 88 yards.
He would go on to garner SoCon All-Freshman Team honors and enters the 2025 season as a first-team All-SoCon pick after managing to haul in 16 passes for 239 yards and a pair of scores last fall. He would end up catching a 6-yard, game-winning touchdown with 1:01 left in Furman's SoCon-opening, 17-16, comeback win at The Citadel.
Pryor is part of a deep tight end pool of talent for the Paladins entering the 2025 season, which also includes both Newberry transfer Luke Clyburn, and Joshua Burrell, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Furman's week two, 24-20, loss to Charleston Southern in its 2024 home opener.
Furman's most-reliable target at receiver is Ben Ferguson (24 rec, 349 yds, 3 TDs, 14.5 YPR), and though the Tribe won't have to worry about Colton Hinton hauling in another 84-yard strike from Hedden, as he has since moved on to Coastal Carolina, they might have to concern themselves with another young Paladin speedster, in Evan James. The true freshman will likely play a lot this year at some point, and potentially even in the opener at slot receiver.
Furman's defense was young last season, and it didn't help the secondary suffered injuries to not only starters but second and third stringers in the same spot, and that even started before the season started. By the time the Paladins hit the stretch run of conference play, a lot of defensive backs were either having to play out of position, while others were getting their first reps.
It was always going to be a recipe for disaster; however, a lot of learning went on in some of those tough moments, and what was a season like no other for the Paladin secondary in terms of both injuries and record yardage totals given up. the Paladins come into 2025 with being one of the deepest and strongest units at all three levels on the defensive side of the ball.
Safeties Caleb Williams (53 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 5 PBUs, 2 INTs, 1 FF in '24), AK Burrell (missed entire 2024 season with injury) and Billy Lewis (37 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 4 PBUs, 1 FR, 1 FF in '24) are all all-league caliber players, while Tre McCleod returns as the team’s leading tackler from a year ago, having posted 53 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, an INT and two pass breakups. SPUR safety/linebacker will have Justin Hartwell back this fall after having to miss the entire 2024 season, suffering a season-ending injury similar to AK Burrell in the preseason.
However, what question marks in the secondary there might be for Furman at the third level are mostly at the cornerback position, where guys like Jaylan Moson, Hysan Dalton, Charles Ingram V, and Maurice Perkins have either moved on via the transfer portal or graduated.
With that said, plenty of help was brought in via the transfer portal, with the Paladin coaching staff bringing in a solid portal haul that includes corners Keon Jones (Prairie View A&M), Eddie Jackson III (Bryant), and AJ Seay (North Alabama), and both should have a chance to start right away. Lindenwood transfer Taylen Blalock was another excellent addition that could pay off in the immediate future for the Paladins in 2024. What was a problem area for this Furman defense last season will be a strength this season.
Darren "Daco" Coleman (3 tackles, 0.5 TFL) was among the younger players to get experience on the defensive side of the ball due to injury issues at cornerback and defensive back last season, and he could make a valuable impact this fall as being part of the depth chart, thanks to that on-the-job learning he got late last season.
Another strength should be linebacker, as preseason first-team All-SoCon LB Ryan Earl (50 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 FF in '24) will try and fill a major void left by Evan DiMaggio in the middle of the Furman defense. It was DiMaggio that ended up with 12 stops in Furman's loss to the Tribe last season.
Raleigh Herbert (30 tackles in '24) and Jordan Burrell, who is the brother of Joshua Burrell and transferred into Furman from Lenoir-Rhyne during the off-season, is another player to keep an eye on this season as a key difference-maker in the middle of the Paladin defense, although Herbert won the starting job in the preseason and will be yet another key piece for Duane Vaughn's defensive unit this fall.
The other missing piece will be edge rusher/bandit Luke Clark, who posted four tackles and an early INT against the Tribe to get Furman started off on good footing last season. Clark's replacement at bandit could be Dylan Chiedo (6 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack in '24), who is athletic and spent much of last season recovering from an injury.
The defensive front will feature a unit that grew up right before our eyes last season, with guys like Demetrius Baldwin and Ty Kauserud (11 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 1 QBH in '24) getting valuable reps last fall, while others like Caldwell Bussey (15 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 3 QBHs, 1 FR in '24), Malachi Harrison (13 tackles, 1.0 TFL in '24) and Joshua Stoneking (13 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 PBUs, 2 QBHs in '24) will look to entrench themselves as starters along the front.
One key addition that could contribute immediately is Joseph Perez-Garibay, who transferred into the Furman program from Idaho State. Marc Hernandez (12 tackles, 1 PBU in '24) is another big body at nose tackle that could be a big asset at nose tackle in terms of depth this season.
Perez-Garibay could give the Paladins a similar type of dominance in closing out running lanes that the Paladins got from former nose tackle Cameron Coleman back in 2022. If you’re looking for a wildcard that comes in and has a big season in 2025 as a redshirt freshman newcomer this fall, look no further than defensive tackle Demetrius Baldwin. The 6-1, 271-lb is quick and powerful and was impressive throughout the spring.
The game between the Tribe and Paladins shapes up to be one of the better ones of the afternoon, however, there is a slight lean to the Paladins here because the Tribe comes in with so many questions on the offensive side of the ball, especially at quarterback.
Final Score Prediction: Furman 27, William & Mary 23
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