Black athletes and coaches are making a strong football statement at William & Mary.

When the Tribe hosts Gardner-Webb, N.C., 2 p.m. Saturday at Zable Stadium, there will be 43 Black players on Coach Mike London’s roster.

To name a few, that includes CAA Defensive Player of the Year John Pius, dynamic dual-threat quarterback Darius Wilson, and receiver/punt returner Caylin Newton, younger brother of ex-NFL star Cam Newton.

Also, six of the assistant coaches are Black, including London’s son, Mike Jr., who tutors the wide receivers and coordinates video.

Near perfection: Following a bye, the Tribe enters the playoffs with a 10-1 record, the CAA championship, a seven-game winning streak, and No. 5 national ranking.

The only loss was 35-31 at Elon on Sept. 24. W&M wrapped up the CAA crown Nov. 19 with a 37-26 win over the University of Richmond at sold out Robins Stadium.

RVA connection: Coach London, 62, was a star defensive back at UR from 1979 to 1982, and later played with the Dallas Cowboys. Before entering coaching, he was a detective in the street-crime unit of the Richmond Police Department.

Coach London coached UR to the 2008 national FCS title. He then was head coach at University of Virginia and Howard University before coming to W&M in 2019.

Sack attack: Few get to the QB better than John Pius, the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Buck Buchanon award (for the nation’s best defensive player).

The 230-pound Pius, who is from Arlington, has posted 11.5 sacks this season with 19 tackles for losses. He had 10 solo tackles, including two for losses at UR.

Lil’ Brother: Out of Atlanta, Newton was W&M’s top receiver and CAA Special Teams Player of the Year.

The fleet 6-footer has caught 31 passes for a 16-yard average with 13 TDS, while also returning 18 punts for 137 yards.

Newton first signed with London at Howard. He played a season at Auburn in between Howard and W&M.

Bronx Bomber: From New York, Darius Wilson has been among the nation’s top pass-run weapons.

The 6-foot-3 Wilson has passed for 1,950 yards and 13 touchdowns, while running for another 433 yards and four TDs.

Track record: It’s not like W&M football has come out of nowhere. The Tribe has made 10 previous playoff appearances, with 2015 the most recent.

The program has gone 5-7, 1-2, 6-5 and now 10-1 under London.

Blazing a trail: In 1968, Richmonder Warren Winston, a defensive back who came out of John Marshall High School, became W&M’s first Black football player and scholarship athlete.