Christian Harris illustrates Will Anderson's intensity day-in, day-out

Linebackers Christian Harris and Will Anderson are both vital parts of Alabama’s strong defense. Anderson has made his mark on college football this year, really establishing himself as one of the best defensive players in the nation. Harris said that Anderson’s intensity is on display every single day.

“I said something to Will yesterday actually, because you could just see him in the facility. His face is the same as he is on the field,” Harris said of Anderson. “He was just saying that he’s locked in. That’s just his mentality all the time and a lot of people feed off of that and want to stay locked in as well. It kind of helps us with performance when it comes to practice because you know what we are working for.”

In addition to his dominating play on the field, Harris said that Anderson is extremely valuable to Alabama off the field. Whether it’s during a game, at practice, or away from the field, Anderson plays a massive role on this Alabama team.

“Will being Will,” Harris said when asked about what makes Anderson so good. “Who God created him to be. I mean, he’s a great player. He has a great attitude, great energy, and he positively affects everybody around him. Which I think is a really big thing as far as being a leader on our team and being able to positively affect your teammates. And when moments get tough, to pick those guys back up or just lead by example by going out there and dominating the next man. It makes you want to do the same things. So he leads in many different ways.”

Harris, Anderson both had good years for Alabama

Anderson is talked about a lot, and he was viewed as a huge snub for this year’s Heisman Trophy, which went to Crimson Tide teammate Bryce Young. Alabama credits Anderson with 92 tackles, 32.5 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, nine quarterback hits, and two pass breakups this season. He finished fifth in Heisman voting.

Harris had a solid season as well on Alabama’s defense. He had 68 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks, three pass breakups, three quarterback hits, and one forced fumble.

Alabama had a top four rushing defense this season, allowing just 82.8 yards on the ground per game. Harris and Anderson are two of many valuable contributors on Alabama’s defense. But Harris knows the true value that Anderson brings, and it doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet.