Alabama Football: Will Anderson Jr should be receiving Heisman attention

Now over halfway through the 2021 college football season, one thing has become crystal clear – there are multiple candidates to win the 2021 Heisman Trophy. However, how many of those candidates come from Alabama Football?

One candidate is obvious in Alabama Football quarterback Bryce Young, arguably the favorite to win the 2021 Heisman Trophy over other notable candidates such as Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral, Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett, Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III, and Texas running back Bijan Robinson.

When looking at another potential candidate from the Crimson Tide however, you could certainly begin to make a strong argument that Will Anderson Jr deserves to be in that conversation as well.

Alabama Football outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr should be getting Heisman Trophy attention.

Arguably the most-impactful player on the Alabama defense, Anderson has collected a combined 53 tackles and 8.5 sacks so far this season, which has already surpassed his total of 52 tackles and seven sacks from a year ago as a freshman.

The difference between the two? Anderson has done that in only eight games, five fewer than last season.

When looking at Anderson compared to other defensive players across the country as well, the sophomore is currently tied-91st in the country in total tackles, but is also tied for tops in the nation in sacks. With a phenomenal 2021 season evident up to this point, how does Anderson factor into this year’s Heisman picture?

Now when looking at the previous history of the Heisman Trophy, you could certainly make an argument that the accolade has become a pure offensive award in recent memory, in-particular with quarterbacks, as nine of the last 11 winners dating back to 2010 have been signal callers.

In fact, when looking at the overall history of the award, the Heisman has only been awarded to one player on the defensive side of the ball ever, as that came in 1997 with Michigan cornerback/wide receiver Charles Woodson. Now obviously Anderson plays a different position than Woodson, as well as the most-recent defensive Heisman finalist in Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o back in 2012, so it is hard to compare just how the two players’ resumes stack-up.

However, you could certainly take a look at how Anderson potentially compares to 2009 Heisman finalist Ndamukong Suh. A dominant defensive tackle at Nebraska, Suh was undoubtedly one of the top overall players in the country regardless of position, and was certainly worthy of the Heisman Trophy back in 2009, an award that went to former Alabama Football running back Mark Ingram.

When stacking up the resumes of Anderson and Suh from then to now, there are certainly some similarities leaving reason to believe that Anderson is worthy of Heisman attention.

• Suh (2009 – 14 games) – 85 tackles, 12 sacks, 20.5 TFL
• Anderson Jr (2021 – 8 games) – 53 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 13 TFL

In fact, when looking at Suh’s first eight games during the 2009 season, the-then senior had collected 49 tackles, 5 sacks, and 11 TFL during that span, with Anderson having already surpassed Suh’s production in the same sample-size.

Already having a phenomenal season, Anderson also has plenty of room to add to his season-total as the Crimson Tide will play a minimum of five more games, with three coming against opponents the sophomore saw success against a year ago (14 tackles, 5 sacks combined last season vs LSU, Arkansas, and Auburn).

With the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner being announced on Saturday, December 11, there is obviously room for Anderson to continue to build to his phenomenal sophomore season resume to become a potential finalist for the award. In the process, could his numbers possibly mirror, and even surpass, the-then Heisman finalist Suh? The opportunity is certainly there, making it a legit possibility to eventually happen.

While he will likely continue to collect sacks and tackles over the coming weeks, is it likely however that Anderson will eventually be named the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner in mid-December? Based on the overall history of the award, the answer is likely no.

However, it is becoming more-likely week-by-week that the Crimson Tide will become only the sixth school to win back-to-back Heisman Trophies in the history of college football. While it is more-likely that Young is the player that receives the honor, there is no-denying that what Anderson is doing this season is truly-special, and is 100% worthy of consideration for the Heisman Trophy.