2023 NFL Draft: Holy Cross has Dynamic Playmaker
Over the course of Liam Anderson’s high school career, he became a dynamic playmaker for Mount Olive High School in Flanders, New Jersey.
A dual-threat quarterback, he amassed 3,220 yards passing and another 1,686 yards from scrimmage. He combined for over 50 offensive touchdowns (27 passing and 25 from scrimmage) during his high school career. That helped earn him the coveted North Jersey Freedom Division Player of the Year in 2017.
Learning the terminology of his new college offensive scheme was going to become a second language as Anderson embarked on his collegiate career under center.
Spoiler alert!
That is not how Anderson’s college career at Holy Cross began or ended.
“In college, I really played everything,” Anderson said. “I played corner. I played free safety at some point and at overhang. I played inside linebacker. This last season I played a lot at defensive end.”
Truth be told. Anderson never attempted a pass in college.
“Peppering them would be putting it lightly,” Anderson laughed when talking about trying to convince the Crusaders coaching staff to let him sling it again. “I was always asking. I always wanted to play offense, but it was no dice on that. I definitely was always asking.”
Anderson had a couple of schools looking at him to play quarterback. Small FCS Division II schools. Offers from the Pioneer League that included Marist and Davidson.
“I also just loved playing football in general, Anderson said. “I wasn’t really looking to play any particular position in college as long as it was the right school for me. I just wanted to go play ball no matter what position. Holy Cross, for me, was the best decision and best available option that I had in terms of things I was prioritizing at the time.”
Anderson took to defense like a duck to water.
He saw action in 11 games as a true freshman, playing linebacker and earning his stripes on special teams, but that wasn’t the original plan.
“I went in there as a free safety, Anderson said. “A hybrid overhang safety. Shortly into my freshman year, they moved me over to linebacker. When I was still a short and skinny buck. A two-hundred-pound guy. There was a lot of time putting on weight. Plenty of peanut butter sandwiches late at night but I was able to put on that weight.”
Hard to fathom a high school quarterback never throwing a pass in college and eating an abundance of peanut butter sandwiches would receive an elusive Hula Bowl invitation.
That is exactly what happened.
Each year at Holy Cross, regardless of what was being asked by the Crusaders, Anderson kept making an impact.
It wasn’t until his junior year when experience and adding on muscle allowed Anderson to feel competent enough to begin thinking about possibly playing in the National Football League.
“I’d probably say about my junior year is when it really started to become a serious reality,” said Anderson about playing in the NFL. That was the time I got my strength to where I wanted it to be and felt confident taking on offensive linemen. As well as just playing inside linebacker. I was probably around 225 going into my junior year. I was coming off a pretty good season in my terms.”
Anderson currently stands at 6-foot-2, weighing 232-pounds, and likes to model his game after San Francisco 49ers two-time first-team All-Pro Fred Warner. Anderson admires the way Warner plays the game and aims to adopt as much of Warner’s game into his own repertoire.
The NFL trending toward a more versatile athlete only enhances the possibilities of this two-time All-Patriot League first team selection and a two-time Academic All-Patriot League honoree to get noticed by the powers that be.
His personal accolades and familiarity in a winning culture boast well for Anderson when NFL scouts begin to dissect his game. The Crusaders won the conference title in the Patriot League the last four seasons (2019-22).
NFL personnel got a full dose of Anderson in Orlando, Florida. The opportunity to play in the Hula Bowl was a big boost for a small school prospect trying to get noticed.
“It was a great week of competition,” Anderson said. I think coming from a small FCS school, one of the biggest things for me as a prospect is the quality of competition that I went against throughout my career at Holy Cross. So, that game gave me the opportunity to go against some bigger FCS and FBS program. Power 5 school players. It was a great experience for me to see how it was at that level. Also, for me to realize football is football no matter what the level is. If you can play, then you can play. It was kind of a great realization for me. Great building relationships out there and just playing football.”
While the feasibility never materialized for Anderson to play quarterback in college, it doesn’t mean the high school position that eluded him in college hasn’t paid dividends in paying his game forward.
“I tell people that in terms of diagnosing offensive route concepts that are going on behind me,” Anderson explains. “I kind of have an idea of what the quarterback is looking for. Obviously, in high school it can only get so complicated with what you’re running offensively. I’d say I have a better understanding than most linebackers in terms of pass concepts and coverages.”
Another intricate layer to Anderson’s knowledge of the game that allows him to react faster and make plays.
That also coincides with what Anderson thinks scouts might be attracted to most about his game.
“My range as a long, lanky, speedy linebacker,” Anderson says is one of the first things that might get their attention. “As well as that overhang position. My ability to drop back and cover and play man on some slot receivers, tight ends and running backs type guys. My versatility. I really don’t know what position I’ll be playing at the next level. A Mike or Will linebacker position. Open between the two and open to any package a team would have for me.”
That’s while it’s so fun evaluating Anderson.
Call him a poor man’s Fred Warner or, as Anderson says, “Mr. Fred Warner.”
He respects him that much.
