Will Anderson Jr.

Defensive End, Houston Texans · #51.

Player facts

Team: Houston Texans
Position: Defensive End
Number: 51
Born: Sep 2, 2001 (age 25)
Birthplace: Hampton, GA, USA
Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 243 lbs
College: Alabama
Experience: 4 seasons
Status: Active

Stats

Among the NFL leaders, 2026 Regular Season:

1st in sacks 8

2026 Defense

	TOT	SOLO	AST	SACK	FF	FR	YDS	PD	STF	STFYDS	KB
Regular Season	27	16	11	7.5	1	1	0	1	4.5	13	1
Last 5 Games	27	16	11	7.5	1	1	2	1	4.5	0	1
Career	163	107	56	37.5	5	4	0	7	36.5	77	2

Recent games

			Tackles				Fumbles		Interceptions
Date	Opponent	Result	TOT	SOLO	AST	SACK	FF	FR	INT	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG	PD	KB
Sun, Oct 11	@ TEN	W 26-3	4	3	1	3	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Sun, Oct 4	vs DAL	L 34-30	5	3	2	0.5	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	1
Sun, Sep 27	@ IND	L 19-17	7	5	2	2.5	1	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Sun, Sep 20	vs CIN	L 20-6	8	4	4	1	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	1	0
Sun, Sep 13	vs BUF	L 36-31	3	1	2	0.5	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0

Last 5 games. Click a game for its box score.

About

William Anderson Jr. (born September 2, 2001) is an American professional football defensive end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he won several awards, such as the Bronko Nagurski Trophy twice, and was a part of Alabama's national championship in 2020.

Anderson was selected by the Texans third overall in the 2023 NFL draft, who traded up to get him after selecting Ohio State quarterback C. J. Stroud with the previous pick. He won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023.

From Wikipedia’s article on Will Anderson Jr., shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.¹

Background

Early life

Anderson was born on September 2, 2001, in Hampton, Georgia. He attended Dutchtown High School, where he recorded 22 sacks with 15 tackles for loss as a senior in 2019. Anderson was named to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's "Super 11" team and played in the 2020 All-American Bowl. Anderson committed to play college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

College career

Anderson was named a starter at outside linebacker as a freshman in 2020. He was named second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) after finishing with seven quarterback sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss as the Crimson Tide won the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship. As a sophomore in 2021, Anderson won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and was voted a unanimous All-American after recording 17.5 sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss, both of which led the nation. He finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting.

On September 17, 2022, Anderson recorded a 25-yard interception return for a touchdown against Louisiana-Monroe. In the 2022 season, Anderson had 51 total tackles (24 solo), ten sacks, and one interception in 13 games. His ten sacks led the SEC for the 2022 season. He won the Bronko Nagurski Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, Lott Impact Trophy, and the Lombardi Award, in addition to being named a consensus All-American and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year.