Will Anderson, Bryce Young's Impact Felt Beyond the Field
In the wee hours of the morning on Jan. 11 in the consolation press conference room somewhere at Lucas Oil Stadium, the player portion of Alabama's media availability after the national championship loss to Georgia was wrapping up.
In a now viral moment, Alabama head coach Nick Saban asked the moderator if he could hold up the press conference and went on to heap praise on his two sophomore captains Will Anderson Jr. and Bryce Young. He already knew then what he knows now and reiterated at SEC Media Days on Tuesday: Anderson and Young are indispensable to this team.
And while that may seem obvious with Young winning the Heisman trophy in 2021 and Anderson winning the Bronko Nagurski trophy for the best defensive player in college football, it's not just their talent Saban knew he would need to rely on this season.
"We've had some great impact players, but never one on offense, one on defense, of the caliber that these guys have been able to play on a consistent basis," Saban said.
"But I think probably bigger than that is the impact that they have on the players around them. These guys set a great example. They're players that other people on our team can emulate in a positive way because of the example that they set. These guys are very serving to their teammates in terms of they really do care about helping other people for their benefit."
Last year, leadership, or the lack thereof, was a repeated them in Saban press conferences and media availabilities throughout the season. That doesn't appear like it will be a problem this year. Along with Anderson and Young, Jordan Battle was also one of Alabama's representatives at SEC Media Days, and Saban said all three are scheduled to graduate in December and are the right kind of people and leaders for the Crimson Tide.
They are all members of Alabama's leadership council which the players talked about during spring football. Young and Anderson were hesitant early on in the season to step up as leaders last year because of their age, but that is no longer a problem.
Now entering their junior seasons, both players are championship-minded. Despite the individual accolades and SEC championship, last season was a "failure" because it did not end with a national championship win. And now they are locked in on getting the rest of the team to buy into that standard.
"The leadership role is important, but who you’re leading— the whole team— them buying into that and being willing to work, makes it easier or harder," Young said. "But we’ve been lucky to have the team we have. They’ve been super receptive. They’re guys that are super hungry and eager to play to that standard, to be held accountable, to be pushed."
Young said being able to lead this team is an honor for him.
While Young is more subdued and quiet, Anderson has always appeared to be more of a vocal leader, and that's what he wants to be remembered as for his time at Alabama.
"I just what to show that I am a great leader," Anderson said.
"I love my teammates. I am very supportive. I am very positive, very energized, and always have a smile on my face. I want to leave a great legacy at The University of Alabama."
And he's well on his way to that. Anderson led the nations in sacks last season and finished fifth in Heisman voting, just outside of a finalist spot to earn a trip to New York with Young. The Alabama quarterback was asked about his teammate's deservedness for a Heisman trophy, and Young said he wished Anderson got to experience all that he did in NYC.
But first, he took it as an opportunity to address the type of person Anderson is for the team.
"Everyone sees the output he has on Saturdays and how amazing he is on the field, but people don't always get to see how hard of a worker he is, how much he means for us from a leadership standpoint, how he can bring along the younger guys, and how much of a vocal leader he is for us as a team," Young said about Anderson. "But also how good of a human he is."
Anderson and Young were chosen by their teammates as team captains as true sophomores and are now fully embracing that leadership role as they move into likely their last season's with the Crimson Tide.
Saban doesn't like comparison, but he was sure to pile more admiration on his two best players, saying they've contributed as much from a leadership standpoint as any player ever in his program.
"And we've had some really good leaders in our program and organization," Saban said. "You couldn't ask for two better people. I've always said that when the best players on your team are really good people with great attitude and great mindset, it's really helpful to developing the type of team chemistry you need to have a successful team."
