Will Anderson Jr. on Alabama Leadership: "There's not a lot of knuckleheads in the locker room"
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It might be a new year, but it's the same approach as usual for Alabama football.
On Monday morning, the USA Today/AFCA Coaches Poll was released. As expected, the Crimson Tide were ranked in the No. 1 spot in the poll's first rankings of the 2022 season.
When Alabama's preseason rank was brought up to outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr., the ranking was news to him.
"I didn't even know nothing about that until you just told me, so I'm pretty sure the team doesn't know," Anderson said to the reporter who asked the question. "So we don't even probably know anything about that, so it is rat poison."
This offseason, Alabama players have revealed that last season's loss to Georgia is serving as a primary means of motivation for the team. The team might have finished the 2021 season with a 13-2 record, an SEC Championship title and a victory in the Cotton Bowl, but all of it meant nothing to the team for the heartbreaking final 15 minutes that separated the Crimson Tide from its 19th national title.
That loss serves as motivation, but positive news surrounding the team does not. As is typical with the Crimson Tide under head coach Nick Saban, the term 'rat poison' has been applied to the preseason ranking — along with any other news distributed by reporters that positively previews what this year's team is capable of.
"Well you know for us, I don't — we don't — really know anything about the polls," Anderson said. "That's not something that's talked about in the locker room, that's not something that's put up on the board or 'We're here,' so that's like — we don't know anything about that stuff. And the motivation in the locker room is everything that we did last year. All the bad things that we did last year, that's the only motivation we need that we get to get our end goal. That we have our participation trophy sitting in the cafeteria that we have to look at every day."
When speaking with Anderson during spring practices as well as July's SEC Media Days, he has repeatedly reiterated the emphasis on leadership and discipline that is this year's approach for the team. The emphasis doesn't just stem from Anderson, though.
Last week, linebacker Henry To'oTo'o and offensive lineman Emil Ekiyor Jr. both brought up that players tucking in their shirts — both on the field as well as off — are just a small part of the personal disciplines that players are doing to improve their standing.
In short, this team's focus is coming from its leaders. With the whole team behind the leadership, there is a lot of momentum heading in the right direction compared to last season. This year's team is focused, with not even polls distracting the team from its ultimate goal.
"Leadership has been great," Anderson said. "We had a leadership meeting with Coach Saban yesterday. D.J. Dale has been doing a fantastic job, Jordan Battle has been doing a fantastic job, Henry To'oTo'o has been doing a fantastic job and Bryce, so right now all of us on leadership and everybody's been good. Everybody's been very receptive of what we've been trying to get across, to the messages that we've been trying to get across to the team and it's been good.
"There's not a lot of knuckleheads in the locker room, no negativity in the locker room and everybody's been bought in and committed and all in to what we've got going on this year."
