Will Anderson creates havoc for Alabama defense

Will Anderson is living up to his nickname at Alabama camp, as ‘The Terminator’ is wreaking havoc. Nick Saban raved about the linebacker in his press conference on Saturday.

“He’s been really good. Will is probably the guy that creates more havoc for our defense in terms of his ability to pass rush,” said Saban, via the team’s YouTube channel. “He’s a more complete player now and understands the whole scheme, is very diverse as a player in terms of what he can do. 

“He’s had a really good camp, and it’s gonna be important that we continue to develop some other guys off the edge so they can’t just feature, worry about him.”

It’s high praise for the linebacker who showed great promise last season. Now entering his second season with the Crimson Tide, Anderson seems to be improving as he spends more time in Tuscaloosa.

Last year, he accumulated seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss as a freshman. Furthermore, his seven sacks ranked him second on the team in the category, one behind former Alabama defensive star, Christian Barmore.

Moreover, the lionshare of Anderson’s sacks came in the last month of the season. He played his best when the lights were the brightest, leaving games against LSU and Florida with two sacks in each contest.

“My confidence grew.”

Surprisingly, Anderson mentioned that the biggest factor in the change was growing more confident.

“I would most definitely say my confidence,” Anderson said, per Michael Casagrande of AL.com. “My confidence clicked for me. Me being confident in myself, knowing — I always knew my job, but I was always trying to play it safe a little bit. And I think when I just took the game for what it was and grew into myself and said, ‘OK, this is your job, now let’s play football, let’s be Will Anderson.’ My confidence grew, and I think that’s what helped me midway through the end of the season.”

Evidently, his confidence carried over into his sophomore season. If Saban is willing to heap praise on you in a press conference, you must be catching his eye.

“I’m kind of ashamed because I’ve never even watched the movie.”

While he may possess one of the best nicknames in all of college football, Anderson has never even seen the classic featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

“I’m kind of ashamed because I’ve never even watched the movie ‘The Terminator,’” said Anderson, per Casagrande. “But I like the name, it’s a good name. I guess when I looked it up and people were telling me what the meaning of it, I said, ‘OK, it can stay.’ But it’s great. I like it.”

While Saban may have to ensure that his linebacker watches the movie this season, everything will be fine if Will Anderson continues to catch eyes on film in 2021.