From a program-high 10-win regular season to a tournament fifth seed in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs, the 2022-2023 William and Mary football season was one to remember.
Senior offensive lineman and team captain Colby Sorsdal played a pivotal role in the team’s success last season. Throughout the year, his play not only garnered attention from teammates, coaches and fans, but from USFL and NFL draft scouts, too.
After the end of the season, Sorsdal was named a member of the All-CAA First Team, a consensus All-American selection and selected for five All-American First Teams. Above the rest, Sorsdal was also an Associated Press First Team All-American and the Walter-Camp First Team All-American.
Sorsdal was a key contributor to the Tribe’s offensive success as a whole, leading an offensive line unit that ranked fourth nationwide in sacks allowed (.77 per game) and third in rushing yards, with 265.8 per game.
Before discovering a love for football in middle school, Sorsdal spent his time on the rink playing hockey. Looking back, he credits his dad for pushing him in the right direction towards the football field.
“I was massive on skates,” Sorsdal said. “My dad was like, you know, you can really be physical here. You can use your talents on the football field and just kind of let it all out.”
After a successful high school career, Sorsdal chose to play college football at the College in 2018, becoming just the second true freshman since 1983 to start at offensive line for the Tribe.
For Sorsdal, his most memorable moment on the field came last fall when the team beat Richmond to secure a bid to the FCS playoffs. However, above any on-field accomplishment, Sorsdal’s favorite part of William and Mary is the people.
“You meet some of the greatest people you could ever meet,” Sorsdal said. “People that will lead the world one day and people that are so smart and brilliant. It was a great time, and it was because of the people down there.”
In his final season with the Tribe, Sorsdal credits much of the team’s success to veteran leadership that worked to create the right mentality.
“That veteran leadership really brought everybody else along,” he said. “There was no expectation that we would lose. We would win and anything short of that was just kind of not accepted.”
Sorsdal’s mindset has helped him succeed where others have failed, which he credits to a moment in a 2019 game against James Madison University. After playing a mediocre game against future NFL talents, Sorsdal understood that he had to focus on refining his technique.
“Some people settle for good when you can be great,” Sorsdal said. “I needed to get elite, not just good.”
In preparation for the draft, Sorsdal maintains the same mentality. His NFL dreams don’t stem from fame or money — he trains because he wants to be the best player he can be.
“I have this fire in my system that’s like, you need to do this and you need to be the best at it,” Sorsdal said. “When I go train at 6 a.m, I’m in there and I’m just like, ‘Okay, this is the path to greatness.’”
Sophomore inside linebacker Alex Washington specifically mentioned the power of Sorsdal’s first step, patience and inside punch as parts of his game that make it difficult to beat him.
“We would go pass rush against Colby and he would teach us how to beat it,” Washington said. “He knew he could win, but if he could help us beat him, then we’re going to be better as a team.”
Sorsdal’s commitment to the team and his leadership did not wane when he stepped off the field.
“The same energy he was giving in the locker room would be the same energy he was giving on a Saturday night,” Washington said.
On Tuesday, Feb. 21, Sorsdal was drafted in the sixth round by the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL. According to Sorsdal, he is both honored and excited for the opportunity to play in the USFL, but he is still set on a future in the NFL.
Since January, Sorsdal has been in Dallas training for his Pro Day on March 23rd, where he hopes to further impress and prove himself to NFL draft scouts.
“Colby is one of the best talents I’ve seen,” Washington said. “He’s an NFL guy. He’s going to be an NFL guy.”