Before players go onto the NFL, the most watched sport in America, they tend to play in the NCAAF first, which is essentially the college version, or the stepping stone to getting into professional NFL play.
Among some of the players who play in the NCAAF, there are a few greats, ones who you would anticipate to be top picks in the NFL draft, players who would change NFL history when they get their foot in the door.
That being said, it is not all about their future in the NFL, as the NCAAF is also very popular, and it is insanely popular when it comes to betting action too, as plenty of bettors tend to enjoy betting on NCAAF spreads.
It is these star players who can not only change the future of NFL betting, but change NCAAF betting too. This is why it is always well worth ensuring that we know who the big stars are and what to expect of them every season.
One of these players is Will Anderson Jr, who has racked up quite the reputation already in his career.
Andersons Early & High School Life
Anderson was born in 2001, making him 21 now, born in Georgia, he went to Dutchtown High School where he started playing football. He managed to record a total of 22 sacks with 15 tackles to lose as a senior when he played in 2019.
Then, he was named to the ‘Super 11’ in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and he ended up playing in the All-American Bowl in 2020.
Eventually Anderson decided he would commit to playing college football in Alabama. Where he ended up going to College.
His Career In College
In Anderson’s college career he was named a starter outside linebacker when he was a freshman in 2020. Later he was also named as being the second-team All-SEC when he finished with 7 total quarterback sacks, and an impressive 10.5 tackles for loss.
The Crimson Tide won the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2021.
Then as he became a sophomore in 2021, he amazingly won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and was then named as being the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and was then voted as being unanimous All-American.
He got this vote as he recorded 17.5 sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss. Both of these stats are leading the nation and were therefore quite the outstanding feat.
What We Know About Anderson
Anderson is 21 years old and stands at 6 foot and 4 inches, weighing in at 243 lbs.
One interesting thing we know about him is that he led FBS tackles for loss and sacks last season at record highs.
His College Stats
Anderson has 3 college years on his statistics for play thus far, and his numbers are quite impressive.
In his first year, in 2020, he played 13 games, in 2021 it was 15 games, and 2022 has seen 8 recorded on his stats thus far.
Let’s take a look at his stats for each year.
|
Year |
Games played |
Tackles made |
Sacks |
TFLS |
FF |
PD |
INT |
TD |
|
2020 |
13 |
52 |
7.0 |
19.5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
2021 |
15 |
102 |
17.5 |
34.5 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
2022 |
8 |
36 |
6.0 |
12.0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
His Honors
Anderson has received quite a few honors in his college career. While we have listed a few of them so far, let’s take a deeper look into the honors that he has accumulated in his college career so far, as he is one of the most impressive in the NCAAF.
- Second-team All-SEC: 2020 (Associated Press).
- SEC All-Freshman Team: 2020.
- Freshman All-America: 2020 (FWAA, 247Sports & The Athletic).
- National Freshman of the Year: 2020 (Football Writers Association of America).
- All-SEC first-team: 2021.
- SEC Defensive Player of the Year: 2021.
- Unanimous first-team All-America: 2021.
- Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner: 2021 (Nation’s top defensive player).
The Influence Of Great Players On The Team
There have been football experts and reporters who have looked into the recent successes of the Crimson Tide, and have related it to Will Anderson and his junior quarterback- Bryce Young.
Their team, the Crimson Tide, managed to return 12 of their total 22 starters on the defense and offense from last year’s squad, with Alabama capping off their season at 13-2, with a 33 to 18 loss to their rival, Georgia in the Championship game.
However, the two starters who are making a difference are Will Anderson Jr, who has won the Nagurski Trophy, and the quarterback Bruce Young who has won the Heisman Trophy.
These two young footballers are noted to both be the best players at their level, and both of them are due to play at the next level and are on the short-list to receive the Heisman.
What makes them even more powerful, however, is how they are great, but they are not alone in their greatness, they are also surrounded by greatness, making them absolutely formidable out on the field.
We are sure to see more of Anderson’s’ skill in years to come, but we have to wonder what his future holds!