Will Anderson Jr. is Only Scratching Surface Of His Potential Ahead of College Football Playoff

Linebacker Will Anderson Jr.'s seven sacks, which leads the SEC, all came in the Crimson Tide's final four games of the regular season

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — At the conclusion of the 2020 Southeastern Conference season, Will Anderson Jr. led the league in sacks with seven. 

Now that's impressive, but what's even more remarkable is that the standout University of Alabama freshman linebacker didn't record his first one until the eighth game of the season against Auburn. 

Across the final four contests of the year, Anderson, who has been dubbed the 'Black Hulk' by director of sports science Dr. Matt Rhea and the 'Terminator' by quarterback Mac Jones, averaged nearly two each time out. 

When @will_anderson28 showed up I told him I wanted to call him the Black Panther but he’s too big so I’d have to call him the Hulk. Or he could really impress and I’d invent a new superhero just for him. He has...so let me introduce you to THE BLACK HULK! Great guy, big future! pic.twitter.com/03XMdL4mEH

— Matt Rhea, PhD (@MattRheaPhD) December 21, 2020

He also led tied for the team lead in total tackles against Florida in the SEC Championship Game last weekend with six, put Gators quarterback Kyle Trask on his back twice and forced a fumble that Alabama recovered and ended up getting three points off of.

"I like calling him the Terminator cause he’s always by the ball just destroying whoever has the ball," Jones said laughing. "So he’s done a great job all year. I saw it early. I remember early on he can pass rush really well. He can run run-stop really well. So he just does his job. And for a freshman to do that and come in and just work his tail off, it’s a lot of respect to a guy like that. He’s a quiet guy, just puts his head down and goes to work. And he brings a lot of energy when makes plays, you can see him celebrating. 

"Obviously, the defensive guys love him, the offensive guys love him. So he’s definitely a great addition to our team this year, and I’m just looking forward to watching him get even better as time goes on."

The 6-foot-4, 235 pound freak finished the regular season with 43 total tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss, and 52 quarterback hurries to go along with the aforementioned sacks and forced fumble.

Those 52 hurries are twice as many as any other freshman in the country according to Pro Football Focus.

"Will Anderson is a great listener, great learner," Alabama safety Jordan Battle said after the SEC title game win over Florida. "He comes in every day, hard work. One of the first guys at the facility in practice, goes hard every play, kills the scout guys, like they're one of the other teams. He works hard every day. We love him. He's progressively getting better each game."

Needless to say, he is only getting better and more violent with each and every snap and that's frightening for opponents. 

Anderson was named to the Freshman All-SEC team earlier this week and his and the rest of the Crimson Tide's front seven biggest challenge is still in front of them -- facing off against Notre Dame's elite offensive line that has been named a finalist for the Joe Moore Award in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 for a chance to play in the CFP National Championship Game.

The Fighting Irish have only given up 23 sacks through 11 games and rank top ten in the nation in third-down conversions with a success rate of 49.3. 

"He made a tremendous impact, being a freshman stepping in in big-time games, and making plays, it goes to show you that the future's bright for him," Crimson Tide cornerback Patrick Surtain II said. "You know he's still raw, you know, even though that sounds crazy right now but you know he's still going through his game but right now, you know he's a beast right now.”

Alongside Anderson in helping lead the Alabama pass rush is redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who has six sacks which is tied for second in the league, and redshirt junior linebacker Christopher Allen, who is tied for ninth in the SEC with five sacks.

Barmore was named to All-SEC First Team defense, while Allen earned second-team honors. 

Allen also leads the Crimson Tide in tackles for loss with 12, which is tied for 12th in the country. Jones says that the Baton Rouge, La. native is one of the unsung heroes this season for the Alabama defense.

"Chris is a guy who came in with our class, like you said," Jones, who was a part of the 2017 recruiting class with Allen, said . "I love Chris, man. Everyone loves Chris. He has a great personality. I mean, he’s hilarious. He brings a lot of energy. He’s a big, strong guy. And something I noticed like halfway through the season or something, he’s way up there in production points for doing his job on defense. 

"Chris is a guy that people don’t even really talk about as much as they probably should, and he’s a great leader on our team because he just lines up and does what he’s supposed to do. He has fun and celebrates with his teammates like every good player on our team does."

As Alabama gears up for a three-day break for the Christmas holiday, the defense is coming off of its second-worst showing of the season, giving up 46 points to Florida, which actually may not have as been a bad thing as what many fans are making it out to be.  

"I believe we needed a game like that," Surtain said. "Games like that, it builds character, and put the team in, you know, makes us better going on for though we had to do to eliminate those dog fight matchups. But you know that's the type of game we knew we expected going into the game. So, I believe what [Saban] was saying is that we needed those type of games to get prepared for these games coming up.”