Alabama linebacker Will Anderson wins prestigious college football award
Alabama linebacker Will Anderson was awarded the Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Monday. The award is given annually to the best defensive player in all of college football.
The announcement comes after Anderson was snubbed as one of the four finalists for the Heisman Trophy the same evening. Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was the only defensive player named a finalist.
Anderson is two tackles for a loss away from breaking the NCAA record, currently sitting at 31.5. He will have at least the College Football Playoff semifinal against Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl to break the record. Add on 91 tackles, 52 of which have been solo, and 15.5 sacks, and Anderson has been one of the top players in the country this season.
He continued his outstanding play this past week in an SEC Championship Game victory against the Georgia Bulldogs. The linebacker finished that game with six tackles (two for loss), one sack and one quarterback hurry.
With the win, the Crimson Tide jumped to No. 1 in the nation and earned a College Football Playoff berth. They face undefeated Cincinnati at 3:30 p.m. ET on New Year’s Eve in the Cotton Bowl.
It marks Alabama’s seventh appearance in the Playoff since its inception in 2014, the most of any school. The only time the Crimson Tide missed came in 2019 when fellow SEC school LSU claimed the national title.
Only in his second season with Alabama, Anderson joined the Tide as one of the most coveted recruits in the country. He was the No. 18 overall player in the 2020 class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is likely the first of many award to come for Will Anderson. The talented linebacker will look to continue his on-field success in the Cotton Bowl and into his junior season, where he should have another shot at the Heisman.