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| Texans Edge Rusher Will Anderson Jr. Was Very Involved In His Second Annual Football Camp In Georgia |
Approaching the football stadium at Dutchtown High School, located in Hampton, Georgia, it had a nostalgic, small-town feel with enormous energy.
If you closed your eyes, you could almost imagine being in a scene from the movie “Friday Night Lights” where an excited home crowd cheers as the star quarterback throws a game-winning touchdown or a defensive lineman makes a spectacular play on fourth down to stop the opponent’s scoring drive.
Houston Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. experienced all those scenarios during his time playing for the Bulldogs, where he became a high school All-American in 2019 before committing to the University of Alabama.
He looked very comfortable on the field with nearly 100 young kids from the community at his second annual Will Anderson Jr. Football Camp.
As he motivated the kids to complete their drills by offering words of encouragement and involving himself in the competition, one of his biggest supporters stood off to the side in amazement at what “Little Will” had become.
“I used to walk up and down that fence line near the stands and talk to him when he was on and off the field,” said Will Anderson Sr. as he pointed towards the home stands. “I know I got on his nerves sometimes, but I also know that hearing my voice let him know that we were there for him no matter what the outcome of the game was.”
Coach Dwight Banks Helped Anderson On His Path Towards The NFL
Connecting The Dots
“Big Will,” as many call him when his son his present wasn’t the only one who remembers watching the younger Anderson dominate throughout his Pop Warner and high school days in Georgia.
“I got Will when he was five years old, and the unique thing about Will is what you see now is the product of just sheer determination,” said Coach Dwight Banks from the Riverdale Blackhawks, who was Anderson’s first-ever football coach.
The game wasn’t easy for Anderson at such a young age, and he often cried during practice. Still, it wasn’t because he was afraid of playing against older players, as he competed in an age group above his own throughout his entire Pop Warner career.
It was a characteristic trait that he possesses and has demonstrated many times during his first two years in the NFL. The need to be skillful, tactful, and complete every play perfectly.
“I can coach X’s and O’s, but what I can’t coach is that motor and that has been with him since he was five years old,” said Banks. “I would tell his dad all the time that when those dots line up, he is going to be a whole problem, and the world has seen those dots line up, and he is a whole problem. He never stopped and never quit because that motor was always there.”
That pure grit and determination carried Anderson through his college days at the University of Alabama, where he became a two-time unanimous All-American and two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, leading to his selection as the third overall pick by the Houston Texans in the 2023 NFL Draft. He also won the NFL Rookie Defensive Player of the Year award and was selected for the Pro Bowl during his first season.
Anderson And Dutchtown High School Head Football Coach Kevon Glenn
A Never-Ending Bond
Will Anderson Jr.’s first youth football camp in 2024 was special because it took place at the very spot where he started his football journey at age five, Warren Holder Park in Locust Grove, Georgia, alongside his childhood friend, neighbor, and high school teammate Kevon Glenn, who played linebacker for the Bulldogs.
This year’s camp had a nostalgic feeling as Anderson and Glenn were back on the same high school football field together for the first time since their playing days, giving back to the community as both continued to be involved in the sport they love—Anderson in the NFL and Glenn, 24, as the youngest high school head football coach in Georgia history at his alma mater, Dutchtown.
“What makes Will the most special is that he has been the same humble, playful kid,” said Glenn about Anderson’s demeanor along his path to the NFL. “I don’t know too many guys who win NFL Rookie Defensive Player of the Year, all the awards he won in college, and still gets out here, always smiling, and walks up to each and everybody the same.”
Anderson, 23, echoed the friendly sentiments Glenn shared during a break from the camp when asked about his friend and teammate coaching his high school alma mater.
“I have to give a real big shoutout to Kevon, he is a big part of my success,” Anderson said. “He helped me learn a lot about football, and he taught me everything I know about football. He helped me, made me cry, snot running down my nose. I knew that he was the right person for this job.”
Evolution
With Anderson’s arrival to the Houston Texans in 2023, along with quarterback C.J. Stroud and head coach DeMeco Ryans, the team has enjoyed success as back-to-back AFC South Division Champions, securing consecutive AFC Wild-Card playoff wins and reaching the AFC Divisional round. In those first two seasons, he has posted some awe-inspiring numbers, setting a new franchise record for most sacks within a player’s first 25 career games with 16.5, surpassing former Texans defensive end J.J. Watt’s record of 16.0 (2011-12).
As the Texans approach training camp in late July, Anderson is aware of the challenges ahead in his third year. He has taken a proactive approach to reaching his goals by adjusting his diet and working out with other defensive players, such as Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett. This maturity has caught the attention of his parents, although they are not surprised by it.
Anderson Was All Smiles With His Family AT His Second Annual Football Camp
“This is your year of evolvement,” said Tereon Anderson, Will’s mother, to her son about heading into his third NFL season. “You are going to evolve like never before. What has come to Will is a sense of adult maturity. In year three, you are going to see Will the man and the greatness of who he is.
“He loves the team so much, and he loves Houston. The biggest part for me is watching him go from the kid wondering if I’m going to do well in Houston, to knowing it’s like, ‘Hey, this is my team, me my brothers and I are about to lock up and go do this.’ That has been like a blessing for me to watch.”