BamaInsider is unveiling its annual top-40 list for the Alabama football team. Players were rated based on their projected impact for the Crimson Tide this season. Today we move on to No. 2.
2020 highlights: Started all 13 games at the Jack linebacker position. … Named Shaun Alexander-FWAA Freshman of the Year after leading the nation’s freshmen with seven sacks as part of 52 total tackles, including 10.5 stops for a loss with eight quarterback hurries… Also forced a fumble against Florida in the SEC Championship Game and blocked a field-goal attempt against Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl Game… Named to the SEC All-Freshman Team while also earning second-team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press… Picked up defensive player of the week honors from the Alabama coaching staff for his play against Mississippi State, LSU, Florida and Notre Dame … Also earned special teams player of the week accolades for his play against Notre Dame.
Most memorable performance: After failing to bring down a quarterback over his first seven games, Will Anderson Jr. caught fire, tallying all seven of his sacks over a four-week span against Auburn, LSU, Arkansas and Florida. The most productive outing of that bunch came during the SEC Championship Game when he sacked Gators quarterback Kyle Trask twice, including one that forced a fumble in the fourth quarter.
The timely turnover occurred as Florida was looking to answer back following a touchdown run from Najee Harris which extended Alabama’s lead to 42-31. During the play, Anderson shot off the line, getting past offensive tackle Jean Delance on the edge before making a beeline toward Trask in the backfield. After pump-faking a throw, the Florida quarterback was blindsided by the Alabama defender, coughing up the football which was later fallen on by defensive lineman Tim Smith. The Tide took over at the Gators’ 10-yard line before adding a field goal in an eventual 52-46 victory. Anderson ended the game as Alabama’s highest-graded defender, earning an 81.8 mark from Pro Football Focus.
Why he’s here: Alabama hasn’t had a player record 10 or more sacks in a season since defensive lineman Johnathan Allen recorded 10.5 in 2016 on his way to earning the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award. Anderson is easily the Tide’s best chance of ending that drought as he is arguably the most talented pass rusher of the Nick Saban era.
After arriving at Alabama as the No. 22 overall player in last year’s recruiting class, Anderson instantly made his presence felt during practice, earning the “Terminator” nickname from former offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian due to his tendency to destroy his teammates on the other side of the ball. While the five-star edge rusher showed flashes of that disruption early during his freshman year, he didn’t record his first sack until the Tide’s eighth game of the season against Auburn. From there, Anderson unleashed hell on opposing offenses, ripping off seven sacks over his next four games.
Earlier this offseason, we predicted Anderson’s sack total this season by considering a few key factors. While it’s unrealistic to project the starting linebacker to maintain his roughly two-sack-per-game average from last year’s late-season spurt, an uptick in performance is very much in the picture considering the support he’ll have around him. Alabama returns Christopher Allen, who led the SEC with 13 tackles for a loss last season, and will also feature a deadly inside duo of Christian Harris and Tennessee transfer Henry To’o To’o. That should keep opposing offenses busy while limiting their ability to double team Anderson.
After losing the majority of last season’s record-setting offense, Alabama will likely need to lean on its defense early in the year. No one on the Tide’s defense has the ability to disrupt opposing offenses as much as Anderson. That’s why he’s so high on this list.
Possible achievements: As mentioned earlier in this series, the majority of Alabama’s defensive records are out of reach.
Regardless of Anderson’s ability, he’s unlikely to come close to touching Derrick Thomas’ single-season record of 27 sacks set in 1988. In fact, the sophomore will be hard-pressed to match the 18 sacks Thomas recorded the year before which ranks second on the Tide’s single-season list. Those types of numbers are seldom seen with today’s quick-strike offenses. Still, a 13-sack season would see Anderson become the most productive pass rusher in the Saban era, topping the 12 sacks Allen recorded in the 2015 season.
Anderson has already been included in several preseason All-American lists. If the sophomore is able to carry over his success from last season, he’ll be a contender for every defensive accolade available to his position.
Key quote: “My confidence clicked for me,” Anderson said when reflecting back on his freshman season this spring. “I always knew my job, but I was always trying to play it safe a little bit. And I think when I just took the game for what it was and grew into myself and said, ‘OK, this is your job, now let’s play football, let’s be Will Anderson.’ My confidence grew, and I think that’s what helped me midway through the end of the season.”