Nick Saban has produced 25 Unanimous First-Team All-Americans in his tenure as Alabama’s head football coach.
Will Anderson Jr., an outside linebacker, became the first player to achieve Unanimous All-American recognition twice.
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He earned it last season after producing eye-popping numbers with 34.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks. Anderson did not record the same statistics this year; however, he won every major defensive award. The 6-foot-4, 243-pounder snatched first-team All-American honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Wednesday morning. He has first-team honors from all five major selectors — Associated Press, Sporting News, Football Writers Association of America, AFCA, and Walter Camp Football Foundation — for a second straight year. Anderson is also the Bronko Nagurski Award winner, Chuck Bednarik Award winner, Rotary Lombardi Award winner, Lott IMPACT Trophy winner, and SEC Defensive Player of the Year (AP, SEC coaches).
Anderson also became the first player in Crimson Tide school history to be a two-time Unanimous All-American.
He collected 51 total tackles — including 17 tackles for loss and 10 sacks — 12 quarterback pressures, a pass breakup, a blocked field goal, and an interception returned 25 yards for a touchdown. Anderson has dominated college football since his arrival as a five-star from Dutchtown High School (Hampton, Ga.) in 2020. He has a chance to finish his career with a Sugar Bowl ring.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
