Will Anderson 'super excited' for future of Alabama's pass rush

Alabama star edge rusher Will Anderson played in his final game for the Crimson Tide on Saturday as they defeated Kansas State 45-20 in the Sugar Bowl. Anderson declared for the 2023 NFL Draft following the Sugar Bowl, but made sure to make the most of his last collegiate game and have the most fun possible with his pass-rushing teammates.

“Oh yeah I’m super excited, I was happy, I think this game was just one of the games where you just go out there and have fun for real, just smile all the time,” Anderson said. “That’s the thing, we just wanted to go out there and rush and have fun.”

It’s no secret the Crimson Tide will be missing Anderson next season, as he’s been one of the most dominant defensive players in all of college football in the last two seasons. But per usual, the Crimson Tide have and are bringing in various talented players at the edge position, all of which Anderson is excited to watch perform next year and has high hopes for.

“Dallas Turner, Chris Braswell, Keon (Keeley), the dude that they just recruited, Quandarrius Robinson, Jeremiah (Alexander), all of those guys are super talented, super good, I’m super excited to see what the future holds for all of them,” Anderson. “They’re all gonna be really good and I can’t wait to see what they do next year.”

Anderson’s production off of the edge and resume will be hard to match in the future for the Crimson Tide, recording 204 tackles, 58.5 tackles for loss, and 34.5 sacks in his career, which ranks second all time in school history behind Derrick Thomas. He’s also one of the most decorated players in school history, winning the Chuck Bednarik award this season along with the Bronko Nagurski award for the second straight season, becoming just the second the second two-time winner of one of college football most coveted individual awards.

Anderson’s production will be difficult to replace but not impossible, with players like Turner and Braswell playing well in increased roles in their second seasons playing for the Crimson Tide, combining for seven sacks this season. Keeley, who signed with Alabama in December, is also ranked the No. 1 edge in the country and the No. 11 overall prospect in the 2023 class according to On3 Consensus. And if he can have an immediate impact combined with an increase in production of Alabama’s already blossoming edge talent, then Anderson as an alumni will have a lot to look forward to watching next season.