Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. and John Metchie III have been named to the 2021 Walter Camp Award Watch List, announced by the Walter Camp Foundation today.
The two players are among 35 total student-athletes from around the country named to the preseason watch list recognizing college football’s top player. Alabama’s most recent winner came in 2020 when DeVonta Smith added the Walter Camp to his collection of postseason accolades. Smith joined Tua Tagovailoa (2018) and Derrick Henry (2015) as the Crimson Tide’s three recipients of the award.
WILL ANDERSON JR.
Linebacker, Sophomore
- An elite edge defender who made his presence known across college football in 2020
- Returns for his second season with the Crimson Tide after being selected as the Shaun Alexander-FWAA Freshman of the Year and earning multiple Freshman All-America honors a season ago
- Started every game as a freshman, totaling 52 tackles including 10.5 for loss (-52 yards) and seven sacks (-39 yards), to go with a forced fumble and team-high eight quarterback hurries
- Ranked third in the SEC in sacks and tackles for loss at season’s end
- Applied 60 pressures (according to Pro Football Focus) through his 13 starts to lead the nation and more than double the next-closest freshman defender
JOHN METCHIE III
Wide Receiver, Junior
- Steps into the Tide’s No. 1 receiver role for his junior season after a solid 2020 campaign
- Totaled 916 yards and six touchdowns on 55 catches as a sophomore
- Averaged 16.7 yards per catch to rank seventh in the SEC
- Converted a first down or found his way into the end zone on 35 of his receptions in 2020
- Played in 13 games as a freshman, accumulating 23 yards on his four receptions that season
The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award has been presented annually since 1967 by the Walter Camp Foundation to recognize the nation’s most outstanding player in college football. The award is named in honor of Walter Camp, “The Founder of American Football,” who is credited with numerous innovations in the game. The 2021 winner will be announced on SportsCenter prior to the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show in December and is recognized during an on-air segment later in the evening.
This information was acquired via a recent press release.
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
