Will Anderson Jr. had one of the greatest college careers from an Alabama defender in the storied program’s history. After starting from day one as a true freshman, Anderson became one of the most dominant players in college football his sophomore year, earning a multitude of honors.
Here’s everything you need to know about Will Anderson Jr.’s college career.
The vitals on Will Anderson Jr.
School: Alabama
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6-4
Weight: 243 pounds
Years active: 2020-2022
Per 247Sports, Anderson, a native of Hampton, Ga., signed with Alabama over a litany of offers that included Georgia Tech, LSU and more.
Here are Will Anderson Jr.’s college statistics:
| YEAR | GAMES | SOLO TKL | AST TKL | TOTAL | TFL | SACKS | PD | FF | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 13 | 33 | 19 | 52 | 10.5 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 15 | 58 | 44 | 102 | 34.5 | 17.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 13 | 24 | 27 | 51 | 17 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Career | 41 | 115 | 90 | 205 | 62 | 34.5 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
What kind of prospect was Will Anderson Jr. in high school?
Anderson was a five-star defensive end at Duchtown high school in Hampton, Ga. Anderson ranked as high as the fifth-best player in the country, the top player in Georgia and the top weakside defensive end in the class of 2020. Anderson finished his senior season with 22 sacks and 15 tackles for loss, earning First-Team All-State honors from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Anderson was named Henry Herald’s 2018 All-County Defensive Player of the Year during his junior season.
What was Will Anderson Jr.’s record in college?
Anderson played in all of the available 41 games during his Alabama career, finishing with a 37-4 record. Anderson’s Tide won the 2020 College Football Playoff national championship game and the 2020 and 2021 SEC titles.
Records set by Will Anderson Jr.
Here are some of the notable records and statistical rankings set by Young in college:
- 2nd in Alabama career sacks (34.5)
- 2nd in Alabama career tackles for loss (62)
- 2nd in Alabama single-season tackles for loss (34.5, 2021)
- 3rd in Alabama single-season sacks (17.5, 2021)
What awards did Will Anderson Jr win in college?
Here are the awards and honors Young won in college:
- Bednarik Award (2022)
- Rotary Lombardi (2022)
- Lott IMPACT Trophy (2022)
- Nagurski Trophy (2021-22)
- Unanimous All-American (2022)
- First-Team All-SEC (2022)
- Unanimous First-Team All-American (2021)
- First-Team All-SEC (2021)
- Shaun Alexander-FWAA Freshman of the Year (2020)
- Freshman All-American by FWAA, 247 Sports and The Athletic (2020)
- SEC All-Freshman Team (2020)
- 2nd-Team All-SEC by AP (2020)
