TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Will Anderson Jr. took a chance and committed Alabama. He didn’t grow up as a Crimson Tide fan and was from the state of Georgia. But after watching Alabama and Nick Saban win five national championships and send countless players to the NFL, he wanted to know what made Alabama so good.
He quickly learned his first semester as a freshly enrolled spring freshman after graduating from the infamous Alabama fourth quarter program.
“It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Anderson said. “And I got on my knees when Coach Saban called us and said, ‘Damn, that’s why Alabama is so good. That’s why they’re so great. That’s why the players are where they are in life, the stuff they do.’ And it changed my whole mindset when I came on campus.”
This shift in mindset has produced one of the most unstoppable players in Crimson Tide history, playing what will likely be his last game at Bryant-Denny Stadium and possibly his last game in an Alabama uniform in Saturday night’s Iron Bowl victory.
The outside linebacker is just a junior but sits atop the NFL draft boards and is expected to be drafted in the first round in April, and if this was his last game with the Crimson Tide, he left with a perfect 3-0 record against him of maroon.
It took a while for his number to get into the stat books on Saturday night, but his presence was felt from the moment Alabama stepped off the bus for the Walk of Champions. The day ended as it had begun for Anderson, with a big smile. Anderson and Saban embraced with a hug as the two left the field and entered the tunnel to cheers from Alabama worshipers at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
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Overall, it wasn’t a great night for the Alabama defense. It gave up the most frenzied yards of any team in the Saban era. It was the first time the Crimson Tide allowed more than 300 yards on the ground since the 2011 Georgia Southern game. But Anderson and Alabama kept the pressure constant throughout the night.
He finally broke through in the fourth quarter with two sacks from Auburn’s Robby Ashford. Ashford was giving the Crimson Tide all sorts of problems with his legs, but Anderson was patient.
“They always say you never know when the sacks are coming, but when the time comes, be ready,” Anderson said. “And right at that moment, it was spot on and you get the sack.”
The two sacks were something of an exclamation mark on the night and Anderson’s career in Bryant-Denny.
The outside linebacker’s performance in the fourth quarter has 10 sacks and 18 tackles for the season. He’ll fall well short of the record numbers he produced a season ago, but part of that is the way other teams have tried to equalize him.
Last year, Anderson finished fifth in the Heisman poll after posting monster numbers. He had a total of 102 tackles, 17.5 sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss. When you come into a season as the reigning Nagurski champion and national leader in Sacks and Tackles for Loss, you’re going to draw a little more attention. And that’s exactly what happened this season.
Competing against doubles and trebles teams all year has opened up opportunities for other players on the Alabama defense. Also, he’s still near the top of the SEC and the country in both sacks and tackles for loss. Instead of letting it frustrate him, he just used it as another opportunity to lead his team and contribute.
“It was different,” Anderson said earlier in the week. “The blocking was the same, mostly the doubles team or the triples. Sometimes I’ve even noticed that they don’t even run to my side, but I just have to go out there with what the coach asks and just do my job as best I can and help my teammates and help them with their work . So it was good. It was fun. It was a big challenge and I learned to embrace it instead of letting it frustrate me.
Despite what some fans thought was a bad year for Anderson, he’s still either a finalist or semifinalist for the Lott, Lombardi, Walter Camp and Nagurski awards.
Senior safety DeMarcco Hellams called Anderson a “match-me” guy.
“When you play with him on defense you always feel like you have to match his energy because he’s going to give it his all every time he’s out there,” Hellams said. “He gives everything on the sidelines, pushes the boys and makes sure the boys stay in the game whether they play or not. Will did a great job and was a great leader for this team. We appreciate him very much.”
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This energy was evident during the Iron Bowl warm-up exercises. The captains for each game lead the team through the initial warm-up drills before the team splits into position groups. Visibly pumped up before kick-off, Anderson ripped off his helmet to lead the team into the BAMA jumping jack as the team’s final warm-up activity before falling apart.
“Will helps other players play better,” said Saban. “It’s not just about what you do. He does his job very well. If they focus on him a little bit more, I think it gives other players the opportunity to make plays. But I think he competes, he plays hard, “He tries very hard, he leads by example, he prepares well. We can’t ask for more from Will Anderson than what he’s doing and I think he’s helping our team as much as any other player on our team.”
Anderson ended Saturday night with five tackles, three for losses and the two sacks against Auburn. The three tackles for loss put Anderson past Wallace Gilberry for second on the Alabama career tackle for loss list. He is now behind only the legendary Derrick Thomas on the career list for sacks and tackles for loss.
Earlier in the week, Anderson took a moment to reflect on what it means to play football for the Alabama Crimson Tide with veteran linebacker Henry To’oTo’o.
“Me and Henry had a chance to sit down and look at the whole stadium and we just laughed about it because that’s what you dream of as a kid, playing football with your friends in the backyard and you get moments like that,” he said Anderson “It’s just a dream come true. It was a blessing. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and develop a relationship with many great people and I hope it lasts forever.”
Anderson won’t match the same record stats he set a season ago. He won’t be a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, and Alabama probably won’t be in the College Football Playoffs again this season, but his impact on this Alabama team and program is immeasurable, and not just because of his play on the field. but the leadership qualities off the pitch.
He is well respected by his teammates with the words they say about him and the way they track his actions. Alabama senior defensive tackle DJ Dale said it’s hard to even describe Anderson.
“Will first and foremost is just a great guy in general, how he carries himself and how he’s really managed his team since he was a freshman,” said Dale. “We are not what we are without Will and I am very grateful to him.”
Anderson and Bryce Young were named permanent team captains as true runners-up last season and will no doubt repeat that honor this year as both were selected as game captains for all 12 regular-season games.
Saban has coached many players, seen many talents and sent many people into the NFL, but there are few players he has praised as much as Anderson and Young.
“These two guys were not only great players for the University of Alabama, they were great leaders for our team,” said Saban after the game. “They were great ambassadors for our university in the way they represented themselves. And they have been a wonderful example for any aspiring young person who takes up sport to emulate them in terms of their approach, the class and character they have.
“And I couldn’t be prouder of two guys for what they accomplished, but also how they represented our program and the university.”
Anderson has his name engraved all over Alabama’s record books, and his hands and feet are literally cemented in front of Denny Chimes as the permanent team captain of the 2021 team. He hasn’t made any public announcement about what his future might hold, but if this was his last game, it’s Bryant-Denny, Anderson certainly wrote his name in red flames.
“If it was like that, that was it,” Anderson said after the game. “It means a lot to me. Not even growing up as an Alabama fan, but coming here to a culture and adapting to it. To be able to learn so much as a man, to have learned so much from Coach Saban and applied it to my life. It has helped me become a better man, better brother, better teammate It was my pleasure and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
See also:
Alabama’s playoff path continues to strengthen and take shape
Notebook: Saban leaves iron bowl with bloody cheek
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