Just one full-time defensive player has won the Heisman Trophy — University of Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997, when he beat out Peyton Manning. Could history repeat itself this college football season? For the first time in the history of Caesars Sportsbook, a defensive player is taking the most bets to win the award: Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr., who is a +2200 fifth favorite.
Anderson might have been the nation's best overall player last season when he finished fifth in the Heisman voting. He won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, presented annually to the nation's top defensive player. Anderson was also the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous first-team All-American.
The Georgia native led the nation in tackles for loss with 34.5, which was second in the Alabama single-season ranks. His 17.5 sacks led Division I and ranked third in school history. Anderson totaled 102 tackles, good for second on the team, while adding a team-high nine quarterback hurries to go with three pass breakups.
“Last year, [former LSU cornerback Derek] Stingley [Jr.] got a good amount of action for Heisman before the season,” said Adam Pullen, Assistant Director of Trading at Caesars Sportsbook. “[Former Michigan defensive lineman Aidan] Hutchinson made the final cut last year, so defensive players will get respect from voters if they put up incredible seasons. Anderson is as good of a defensive player as there is in college football. But it takes a lot for a defensive player to win over an offensive player, especially against quarterbacks that put up monster numbers.”