Nick Saban provides very latest on Will Anderson ahead of Alabama vs. Florida

No. 1 Alabama heads to Gainesville tomorrow to take on No. 11 Florida, and it sounds like they will have preseason All-American linebacker Will Anderson back from injury, at least in some capacity. 

Anderson took a helmet to his knee in last Saturday’s win over Mercer but has been practicing since Tuesday. 

In Alabama head coach Nick Saban’s “Hey Coach & The Nick Saban Show” appearance this week, Saban discussed if Crimson Tide fans will see Anderson on Saturday. 

“Will’s doing good,” Saban said. “He was good today. He practiced today, and we’ll see how it goes. When a guy has an injury like he has, it’s pretty much you do a little bit more each day but then you’re always evaluating how do you feel the next day? Do you continue to make progress or do you get sore and is it a setback? So it’s sort of a day-to-day thing, but he did more today than he has all week.

“Hopefully, if that doesn’t create an issue for him, he’ll be ok in the game.”

It sounds like he will see the field, but it is likely he will not be 100%.

Anderson was the No. 17 player in the country per 247Sports and was named the FWAA Freshman of the Year last season. One of the best pass rushers in the country, Anderson was named to the Butkus Award Watch List (nation’s best linebacker) and could be a Heisman Trophy dark horse. 

Both Florida quarterbacks, Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson are dual-threat guys and the team’s leading rushers. Richardson has 11 carries for 275 yards and two touchdowns while Jones has 23 carriers for 155 yards and a score. 

Alabama sacked dual-threat D’Eriq King four times showing they have the ability to handle a mobile passer, but as On3’s Ivan Maisel noted, Saban’s defenses have had issues with mobile quarterbacks in the past.

Saban has been impressed with young linebackers in absence of Anderson, Chris Allen

In addition to losing Anderson last week, Alabama has been without other star linebacker Chris Allen since the first half of the Miami game. He is likely out for the rest of the season. Like Alabama does at so many other positions, the Crimson Tide are able to plug in elite talent at linebacker when starters go down. 

Over the last three halves, sophomore and former five-star recruit Drew Sanders has stepped up to fill the void left by Allen, even earning player of the week honors from his coaches last week. Chris Braswell and Dallas Turner, both outside linebackers and both former five-star recruits, were pass rush threats from day one.

The trio has 16 tackles on the year, but none of them have notched a sack. They are not as good in pass rush as Anderson and Allen, but they will look to change that Saturday.