Anderson: 'At the end of the day, I just want to get after the quarterback'
Anderson: 'At the end of the day, I just want to get after the quarterback'
Georgia senior defensive back Adam Anderson is confident that he will have a very productive senior campaign.
The former five-star prospect has proven to be a useful weapon for the Bulldogs’ defense in the past. However, he will now get more opportunities to see the field as Azeez Ojulari has moved on to the NFL. His numbers could easily skyrocket as he takes over the top position for Georgia on the depth chart at the outside linebacker position.
Ojulari highlighted back in the spring that No. 19 would have a double-digit number of sacks in 2021.
“Azeez said 10,” Anderson told reporters last Thursday. “I don’t know if my goal is unrealistic, but I’m going to say 20. If you go for something smaller, then you’re really not getting anything out of it.”
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound edge rusher totaled 6.5 sacks last season behind Ojulari, who led the Southeastern Conference with 12.5.
Anderson pointed out that he expects to get more snaps this season, but understands that he is also a leader on the defense, and remains humble about helping out the next player down the depth chart.
"So far, not getting as many snaps, it keeps you hungry," Anderson said. "Going into being a leader, it teaches you to encourage the players that are in. At the end of the day, we're trying to win, and honestly, if I don't help the next person behind me -- Robert Beal, or MJ Sherman, then I'm not helping myself out either."
The Rome, Georgia, native said that he learned a lot from Ojulari. Nevertheless, the now New York Giant also learned some technique from Anderson.
“Just being here with Azeez for so long, we really connected and understood there’s more the football than pass rushing,” Anderson said. “When you’re an athlete and you have the ability to rush, learning your assignment is important as well. Having Azeez on the other side of me, I learned some of his techniques, and he learned some of mine.”
Georgia has proven in the past that it can produce pass rushers and put them into the NFL.
So, Anderson learned has a lot from watching former standouts Lorenzo Carter and Leonard Floyd. Both of whom have laid out the blueprint of how to be successful in the NFL, which is what Anderson is hoping to accomplish.
“I watched them quite a lot,” Anderson said. “When I first came here, they were like my role models. A lot of people have made those comparisons. If you want to be the best, you’ve got to see how the best does it. A lot of the things I do are off things I’ve seen Lorenzo and Leonard do.”
Anderson, who’s a little bit more versatile than those two former Bulldogs, admitted that he’s been playing with his hand on the ground as a defensive end, while also standing up and acting as a linebacker that rushes the passer.
“When you come to the University of Georgia, they're going to teach you and put you in the best prediction of where you can play,” he said. “Honestly, I play from outside linebacker to putting my hand in the ground, to coverage when it comes to the STAR position.”
Regardless of where he plays, Anderson just wants to help teammates and coaches in whatever way he can.
“It just all depends on different game situations, but I’m more comfortable putting my hand in the ground,” he said. “At the end of the day, I just want to get after the quarterback.”
Here is the interview from Bulldawg Illustrated: