Henry To'o To'o backs fellow Alabama defender Will Anderson's Heisman Trophy campaign

For the first time in quite a while, a defensive candidate is attracting some Heisman buzz. Since Charles Woodson won the award in 1997, former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o (2012) is the only defensive player to finish in the top three in voting.

With the lack of a true quarterback candidate this season, Alabama’s Will Anderson has begun to raise eyebrows. He is dominating the SEC on a weekly basis, recording 10 sacks and 17 tackles for a loss on the season.

The latest performance against LSU was truly special, sacking quarterback Max Johnson 1.5 times and getting four tackles for a loss.

Alabama linebacker Henry To’o To’o said it’s just more than Saturday, as Anderson has been doing it on a weekly basis. He thinks the edge rusher deserves every bit of Heisman consideration.

“You guys see it every single Saturday,” To’o To’o said. “Will [Anderson] is all over the place, making plays. You know, I think Will should be up there, I really do.”

To’o To’o went on to talk about how Anderson and fellow defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis make things easier for him as a linebacker.

“It definitely gives us more time, more space to be able to read and react. Our front line does a tremendous job of keeping us clean back there and having us less time to cover.”

Anderson not in latest Heisman Trophy odds

In the latest Heisman Trophy odds provided by Vegas Insider, Anderson was not even mentioned. For now, his teammates will have to be his biggest advocate.

Fellow teammate and quarterback Bryce Young is the favorite, with his running back, Brian Robinson Jr. getting put under the “underdogs” category. Check out the full odds:

Heisman Favorites

Bryce Young, Alabama (+185)

Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State (+300)

Matt Corral, Ole Miss (+450)

C.J. Stroud, Ohio State (+450)

Caleb Williams, Oklahoma (+850)

The Odds Underdogs

Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh (+2000)

Sam Hartman, Wake Forest (+2500)

TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State (+3500)

Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati (+4000)

Brian Robinson, Alabama (+6600)

Jordan Davis, Georgia (+8000)

Cade McNamara, Michigan (+10000)

Stetson Bennett, Georgia (+10000)

Will Anderson on Nick Saban’s message

After a close game against LSU, Nick Saban decided to keep a positive outlook on the result. Anderson revealed what the head coach’s message was to the team after the game.

“We went out there, we played tough,” Anderson said. “We played until the last time of the clock. We don’t look at the scoreboard, we don’t look at the clock, we don’t look at any of that. We just play until we get a whistle blow and that’s one of the biggest things [Saban] stressed. Loved that we went out there and fought, we had each other’s back and we were just relentless.”