Despite some well-deserved offseason support, Will Anderson still won't win the Heisman in 2022

Bryce Young wasn’t the best player in Tuscaloosa in 2021, yet Alabama’s fantastic quarterback took home the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s “most outstanding player” over his teammate Will Anderson, who wasn’t even a finalist. 

It was a ridiculous but completely predictable snub for the Crimson Tide outside linebacker, as college football’s most prestigious award has historically only gone to quarterbacks and running backs, with a few receivers sprinkled in. Charles Woodson is famously the lone defensive player to ever win the Heisman Trophy, but the former Michigan star was also a dynamic returner and spot-duty receiver in 1997.

Woodson scored a few touchdowns, which is the only thing Heisman voters really care about. 

But while Young faces the tall task of becoming just the second player ever to win back-to-back awards, Anderson — AGAIN: The best football player in America — faces even longer odds of actually winning the award this fall. 

Last season, Anderson posted a stat line that most 12-year-olds can’t replicate on Madden in rookie mode: 102 tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss, 17 sacks and three pass breakups. The 6-4, 240-pound outside linebacker had more sacks individually than a dozen teams across the country — including TCU, Stanford and Vandy. He set the NCAA record for tackles for loss in a single season.

Yet it wasn’t enough for Anderson to even warrant a seat in New York City. The public backlash was swift among college football diehards, though, which has led to a groundswell of sympathy for Anderson this offseason. 

Essentially: Anderson was robbed of the Heisman Trophy in 2021, and we can’t let that happen again in 2022. 

It’s a nice sentiment, but it won’t change the results come December. Particularly because it’s coming from a vocal minority.

“I want to just give a big shoutout to all the people that supported me – they thought I should have been there, and of course, I thought I should have been there, for them recognizing my play and my hard work,” Will Anderson said on a recent appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show. 

“Like I told many people, it was quite a blessing because when I sat down and wrote my goals for the offseason, the Heisman was not even in my mind. It was nowhere to be found. But when the train got rolling and everything and the Heisman hype started, I thought it was pretty cool, I thought it very dope for a defensive player to get that hype. I started thinking I did have a chance.”

Will Anderson Jr. says the Heisman wasn't something he put on his goals list last season, but he ended up making a case to be a finalist.

This year, he's putting the trophy on that goals list. pic.twitter.com/Ra2Hso1epS

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) June 17, 2022

He never had a chance, and sadly he won’t again this fall, either. 

The last two Heisman Trophy awards have gone to an Alabama player — Young and wideout DeVonta Smith in 2020. So not only must Anderson overcome the fact he plays defense, but also voter fatigue. Is is realistic to expect him to really break multiple historic precedents?  

Also working against Anderson: Alabama’s overall team success. That may seem counterintuitive, but the Crimson Tide pass rusher is going to be watching from the sidelines in a lot of fourth quarters this fall. He may be just as dominant as he was as a sophomore, yet his stat line might not reflect his impact since he has more help. Alabama’s overall pass rush should be elite with the continued development of guys like Will Turner, Chris Braswell and a several interior linemen.

Anderson told Finebaum that the Heisman Trophy “is most definitely on my goal list this year coming up,” so kudos to him for dreaming big. Because while it’s been nice to see Anderson get some well-deserved shine this offseason, voters will not be shamed into changing their hearts and minds.

I will gladly eat crow if I’m wrong.