As William & Mary struggled with its running game last fall, Noah Giles watched helplessly in the role of a spectator. Thanks to a torn ACL, he could offer no help.
Missing a valuable contributor, and with constant injuries up front, the Tribe ranked next-to-last nationally in rushing offense at 55.3 yards per game. The return of Giles, who averaged 6.2 yards a carry as a redshirt freshman, can only help.
“We have a very talented and diverse group,” said Giles, a fourth-year junior from Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. “We all get along really well, and we all push each other to our maximum. That’s the best thing to come out of this, is that we all compete and make each other better.
“I’m definitely looking forward to being back out there. I’m already enjoying it as far as not having to do the rehab stuff and be able to lift with the team. That’s really nice.”
In 2017, Giles was W&M’s third-leading rusher, with 339 yards on 55 carries. He had two touchdowns, including a 66-yard run against James Madison.
“He’s demonstrated a whole lot of speed,” W&M coach Mike London said. “We’re happy where he is now.”
Giles tore his ACL during a non-contact drill in March 2018. It’s been since Nov. 18, 2017, the season finale against Richmond, since he’s taken any contact.
“When we go full contact, thud days, I’ll be in the (knee) brace,” he said. “But they’re trying to work me out of that. … I’m ready to go.”
In addition to Giles, W&M returns tailbacks Albert Funderburke, Owen Wright and Jaret Anderson.
Position switches
Last spring, London and his offensive staff juggled five quarterbacks competing for the starting position. With the fall, two more would arrive.
But the list of candidates never officially reached seven. Three returning quarterbacks were asked to switch positions — senior Brandon Battle and junior Dean Rotger to wide receiver, and redshirt freshman Kevin Jarrell to linebacker.
That leaves juniors Shon Mitchell and Ted Hefter, along with grad transfer Kilton Anderson and true freshman Hollis Mathis, in the mix. Battle, Rotger and Jarrell swallowed their pride for the good of the team.
“This season for me is all about having fun and contributing to the team in any way possible,” Battle said. “The last few seasons haven’t been favorable. This season, I just want to have fun and help this team win a lot of games.
“The transition hasn’t been that hard. I know about the offense and how to read defenses. I know what to do. It’s just a matter of me getting acclimated to the position.”
Jarrell, who played safety along with quarterback in high school, had an idea it was coming.
“It wasn’t an out-of-the-blue thing,” he said. “I knew it was going to come at some point. My initial reaction was that I was excited to get to play another position. Not a lot of guys can say that, especially at this level.”
London appreciates how they’ve handled it.
“They’ve been selfless,” he said. “They wanted to help the team in some sort of capacity.”
Well-traveled QB
Now in his fifth season of college football, Kilton Anderson is with his fourth team. That is if you count New Mexico Military Institute, which is located along with the UFO wreckage in Roswell.
Now a grad transfer at William & Mary, Anderson brings a deep résumé that includes 14 starts — five for Fresno State, nine for Coastal Carolina. Between those stops, he spent time at NMMI rehabbing a shoulder injury.
After graduating with an MBA at Coastal Carolina last spring, Anderson spent the summer in Williamsburg. It was about getting to know his teammates more than anything.
“A lot of being a great quarterback is having guys trust you,” he said. “If you’re not here working with them, it’s hard for guys to buy in and know what you’re truly about. We did some fun things together and built relationships that will carry into the season.
“Having competition at the position always brings out the best in everyone. Not only are we getting a starter ready, I think the next guy is going to be just as good if not better.”
Other notes
London on how quickly he hopes to name a starting quarterback: “Every practice for us is critical in terms of the evaluation. (We) had a short spring, and literally in three weeks we’re talking about game time. We’ll make those dedicated decisions as we move forward.”
Mitchell on W&M’s new offense, which is called the “Go-Go”: “It’s a lot more explosive than what Tribe football fans have seen in the past. We’re going to go out there and score a lot of points and be more flashy with how we run the offense this year.”
Jordan Riley, a 6-foot defensive back from Forestville, Md., committed to William & Mary over the weekend.
