#31

Will Anderson Jr.

Former linebacker at Alabama. 2022: 51 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 10 sacks.

LB · Alabama · Jr. · #31

6′4″ · 243 lb · Hampton, GA

CFB Index 94 · #6 of 548 LBsHigh confidenceConsensus AAHouston — drafted 2023, Rd 1, Pick 3, #3 overall

Recruiting

5★

WDE recruit

No. 17 nationally · Signed with Alabama

Statement game6 tackles · 4 TFL · 4 sacksat Mississippi State (FBS) · W 49-9

Top 0.1% sacks game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former linebacker at Alabama. 2022: 51 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 10 sacks.

Signed as a 5-star recruit to Alabama in 2020.
Drafted round 1 by the Houston in 2023.
Named All-America (AP) in 2022.

His career, year by year

Career, closed

Gone at #3 overall.

How it ended

Three seasons at Alabama, 202 tackles, a Consensus All-American season (2021) — drafted at #3 overall by Houston.

His career

He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.

202010 games

Signed with Alabama5-star out of Dutchtown
All-SECsecond

202113 games

All-Americafirst · 11 selectors
All-SECfirst
Nagurskiwinner

202212 games

All-Americafirst · 11 selectors
All-SECfirst
Nagurskiwinner
Bednarikwinner
Lombardiwinner
Lott IMPACTwinner
SEC Defensive Player of the Yearwinner

2023

Drafted by Houstonround 1, pick 3

Career arc

Recruit

★★★★★

#17 national

CFB

College

Alabama

2020–2022

NFL

NFL Draft

R1 · #3

Houston · 2023

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

29 honors · 2 categories

🏆

ALL-AMERICA · CONSENSUS

Consensus AA (2022)

9 first-team selectors

🥈

ALL-SEC · 1ST TEAM

All-SEC 1st team (2022)

Featured in The Canon

#10

The 100 Best Players of the CFP Era

Coaching lineage · 2020–2022

1 coach

2020–2022

Nick Saban

Alabama

Played his entire career under Nick Saban.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

HoustonEntering 4th NFL season

#3Rd 1 · Pick 3

HoustonEntering 4th NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2022 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

3 seasons under Nick Saban — 37-4 over that span.

2020Alabama13-0HC: Nick Saban · Balanced, fast tempo

2021Alabama13-2HC: Nick Saban · Balanced, fast tempo

2022Alabama11-2HC: Nick Saban · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

94All-America level #6 of 548?

High confidence7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: qb hurries (100th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (100th percentile).

Box-score production (7)

QB hurries#4 / 2755 · 100th pct

Tackles for loss#10 / 2755 · 100th pct

17.0

Sacks#10 / 2755 · 100th pct

10.0

Tackles#528 / 2755 · 80th pct

Solo tackles#797 / 2755 · 70th pct

Passes defended#1116 / 2755 · 48th pct

Interceptions#321 / 811 · 30th pct

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2022 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home7g	4.3	1.6	0.9	0.1
Road5g	4.2	1.2	0.7	0.0

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	4.6	1.5	0.7	0.0
Weeks 8+5g	3.8	1.3	1.0	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Kalen DeBoer

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2022

Consensus All-American

First team on a majority of the recognized selector lists.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

94 · #6 of 548 LBs

Former five-star. Now #6 at the position.

Selector Grid · 2022

AP—

FWAA1st

AFCA1st

WCFF1st

SN1st

SI—

Named Consensus All-American — recognized on 3+ of the 5 NCAA-recognized selector lists.

Career stats

Season	Team
2022	Alabama	51	24	17.0	10.0	1	1	--
2021	Alabama	101	57	32.0	17.5	3	--	--
2020	Alabama	50	32	8.5	5.0	--	--	--
Career		202	113	57.5	32.5	4	1	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2022

W 20–19

at Texas

2 TFL · 1 SACKS · 2 SOLO

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 1 on the road.

With B. Young — 213 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 79.1 · 38 rush yds (7 car) · J. Burnip — 41 AVG · 3 IN 20 · 50 LONG

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2022 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 55-0vs Utah State	5	3	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	W 20-19@ Texas	5	2	2.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 3	W 63-7vs UL Monroe	5	2	1.5	1.0	1	0
Wk 4	W 55-3vs Vanderbilt	5	3	3.0	2.5	—	0	2.5 sacks
Wk 5	W 49-26@ Arkansas	7	2	1.5	0.5	—	0	Season-high 7 tackles
Wk 6	W 24-20vs Texas A&M	2	1	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 7	L 49-52@ Tennessee	3	1	0.5	0.0	—	0
Wk 8	W 30-6vs Mississippi State	4	2	1.5	1.0	—	0
Wk 10	L 31-32@ LSU	2	0	1.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 11	W 30-24@ Ole Miss	4	2	1.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 12	W 34-0vs Austin Peay	4	2	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 13	W 49-27vs Auburn	5	4	3.0	2.0	—	0	2 sacks
Total		51	24	17.0	10.0	1	1