:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71266976/1357212170.0.jpg "Will Anderson Jr. Heisman Trophy odds: Latest projections, stats, for Alabama linebacker, more")
The 2022 college football season is quickly approaching and we have preseason Heisman Trophy odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. Today we'll look at Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr., who may very well be the best player in the entire country.
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Anderson currently has +1500 odds to win the award. He has the fourth-highest odds on the board, sitting only behind Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, and USC quarterback Caleb Williams.
2021 Stats
The former five-star edge rusher out of Hampton, GA, emerged as the most dominant defensive player in the country last season. He compiled 101 total tackles, 31 TFLs, 17.5 sacks, and three passes defensed last year as the Crimson Tide once again made the College Football Playoff final. The long list of accolades he picked up included 2021 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, the Bronco Nagurski Trophy, and unanimous All-American honors.
Anderson is already being projected as the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and some have stated that he would've been the easy No. 1 choice in this past draft had he been eligibile.
What does Will Anderson Jr. need to do to win the Heisman Trophy?
It seems silly that the award that is supposedly dedicated to the most outstanding player in college football has almost exclusively gone to offensive players but here we are. Charles Woodson remains the only primary defensive player to win the award and that kind of history is what Anderson is up against.
The Crimson Tide wrecking ball will have to continue to be a cheat code for the Alabama defense this season while leading them to another SEC Championship and College Football Playoff appearance. He'll also need a large media apparatus to take up his cause for the Heisman as certain voters will see the overall success for Alabama and automatically default to last year's winner Bryce Young at quarterback. An encouraging sign for Anderson here is that Michigan defensive Aidan Hutchinson finished second in voting last year. He just has to hope that voters will be willing to make history and consider an edge rusher for the award.