University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Adam Anderson
August 27, 2021 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Adam Anderson is aware of the expectations around him this season. But the Georgia senior outside linebacker's goals for himself are loftier than anyone else's for him.
A 6-foot-5 and 230-pound quarterback menace, Anderson, from Rome, Ga., said during an interview session with the media Thursday that, "I don't know if my goal is unrealistic, but I'm going for 20" sacks this season. Anderson was speaking in response to a question about former Georgia star linebacker Azeez Ojulari predicting that Anderson would get 10 sacks this season.
The school record for sacks in a season is 14.5, set by Jarvis Jones in 2012. In 2020, Anderson had 6.5 sacks (second on the team behind Ojulari's 8.5), 14 tackles, 24 QB pressures and he caused two fumbles — all while playing a supporting role. In 2021, Anderson is expected to step into the spotlight and become a star.
Through his first three seasons, Anderson has never started a game, yet he's on the preseason Butkus Award watch list. And for good reason. When Anderson has played, he's produced. In 38 career games, he has come off the bench and delivered 9.0 sacks, 11.0 tackles for loss, 46 QB pressures and 36 total tackles.
During a Quick Chat after practice Thursday, Anderson talked about expectations, home, the benefits of playing a bunch of sports when you're young, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: How much better do you handle the grind of football now versus when you first got to Georgia?
Anderson: I feel like it's a different approach on a lot of things. Football can be really tough on a player so it's more of a mindset thing. Coming in as a freshman to now, I feel like the biggest thing would be the word adapt. You've got to learn how to adapt to anything. That's life in general. If you can't really adapt, that's a living skill. Just having the right people around me helped me with that.
Frierson: After a hard practice on a hot day, like today, or on most any other day, what do you do to treat yourself? Is there a snack or a cold drink or anything that you'll go get as a small reward?
Anderson: I'm more of a fruit guy. It's rare that I go get a grapefruit or something, so when I do I know that I'm treating myself a little. Some people don't like the bitter taste of grapefruit but for me it's like a reminder of old things, really.
Frierson: You're from Rome, a town I know well because my mom's from there, so what was it like growing up there? When you think of home what comes to mind?
Anderson: Being from Rome, it teaches you a lot about a lot of people. You know everybody around you and everybody's so encouraging. Everybody wants to see you succeed. I appreciate everybody there because they made me into the person I am now.
Frierson: Speaking of the person you are now, you've been getting a lot of attention this preseason. What is it like being on the receiving end of that attention and going into this season with people on the outside having high expectations for you?
Anderson: It doesn't change me, who I am. I only say that because I do this for a certain reason, and my certain reason would be for my sister. I never want to get over myself or feel like I'm doing it for some other reason. It's just a love for the game, and I don't care so much what comes with it, like what other people are saying. I just want to ball — that's what I like and love.
Frierson: What sports did you play growing up?
Anderson: [Laughs] I was more of an outside dude. I was one of those kids that you had to go looking for every night. I did multiple sports, I played basketball, baseball, football, track, tennis, wrestling.
I like learning things from other sports. There are a lot of tools that you can use in other sports, like learning how to box somebody out in basketball and now I can put that into football. In wrestling, it's learning how to use my hands or aggressively move. In track, it's learning how to move in general or learn how to throw something.
Frierson: I've been an avid tennis player my whole life and now I'm wondering, is there anything from playing tennis that has helped you on the football field?
Anderson: There actually is. Tennis helped me with my lateral footsteps, going left and right quickly. It helped me also because I didn't know that I couldn't see that far at one point and tennis made me realize my eye coordination, as well.
Frierson: When was the last time you played tennis?
Anderson: It was my freshman year when I got here. My mom was helping me move into the dorm here and we just thought to play some tennis because we found some tennis courts when we were driving by here.
Frierson: I bet you have a great serve.
Anderson: [Laughs] I actually do.
Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?
Anderson: I would want to see what it would be like to be the best at real estate for a day. That's something that I feel like I want to go into, and to see how it is, the process, to see and be the best at that would be a great experience.
Frierson: I saw where you were majoring in Housing Management & Policy, how did you get interested in that?
Anderson: When I first came in, I tried to take an easier route, but then I started thinking more about my future. Freshman year, and most of the time when you come to college, you don't really know what you want to do. Close to the end of my freshman year, I was sitting there in my room one day, just tired and thinking, so what am I really going to do after college? Football only lasts for so long, so what is your plan after that?
My uncle is in real estate and I had met him in Tennessee one time, sitting with him while he was doing that. Seeing the excitement and seeing how he made other people excited as well, I felt like that was one of his superpowers. I wanted real estate to be my superpower as well.
Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on the team?
Anderson: Oh, easily Jordan Davis. A lot of people see him on the field or in the locker room, but when I first came in, that was my roommate. Just seeing Jordan progress and see him as he's grown up, that's who he is. He's goofy and funny. Being around him and Channing Tindall, Tommy Bush, just being around them and being roommates with them, I don't see anybody as goofy as them.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Adam Anderson is aware of the expectations around him this season. But the Georgia senior outside linebacker's goals for himself are loftier than anyone else's for him.
A 6-foot-5 and 230-pound quarterback menace, Anderson, from Rome, Ga., said during an interview session with the media Thursday that, "I don't know if my goal is unrealistic, but I'm going for 20" sacks this season. Anderson was speaking in response to a question about former Georgia star linebacker Azeez Ojulari predicting that Anderson would get 10 sacks this season.
The school record for sacks in a season is 14.5, set by Jarvis Jones in 2012. In 2020, Anderson had 6.5 sacks (second on the team behind Ojulari's 8.5), 14 tackles, 24 QB pressures and he caused two fumbles — all while playing a supporting role. In 2021, Anderson is expected to step into the spotlight and become a star.
Through his first three seasons, Anderson has never started a game, yet he's on the preseason Butkus Award watch list. And for good reason. When Anderson has played, he's produced. In 38 career games, he has come off the bench and delivered 9.0 sacks, 11.0 tackles for loss, 46 QB pressures and 36 total tackles.
During a Quick Chat after practice Thursday, Anderson talked about expectations, home, the benefits of playing a bunch of sports when you're young, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: How much better do you handle the grind of football now versus when you first got to Georgia?
Anderson: I feel like it's a different approach on a lot of things. Football can be really tough on a player so it's more of a mindset thing. Coming in as a freshman to now, I feel like the biggest thing would be the word adapt. You've got to learn how to adapt to anything. That's life in general. If you can't really adapt, that's a living skill. Just having the right people around me helped me with that.
Frierson: After a hard practice on a hot day, like today, or on most any other day, what do you do to treat yourself? Is there a snack or a cold drink or anything that you'll go get as a small reward?
Anderson: I'm more of a fruit guy. It's rare that I go get a grapefruit or something, so when I do I know that I'm treating myself a little. Some people don't like the bitter taste of grapefruit but for me it's like a reminder of old things, really.
Frierson: You're from Rome, a town I know well because my mom's from there, so what was it like growing up there? When you think of home what comes to mind?
Anderson: Being from Rome, it teaches you a lot about a lot of people. You know everybody around you and everybody's so encouraging. Everybody wants to see you succeed. I appreciate everybody there because they made me into the person I am now.
Frierson: Speaking of the person you are now, you've been getting a lot of attention this preseason. What is it like being on the receiving end of that attention and going into this season with people on the outside having high expectations for you?
Anderson: It doesn't change me, who I am. I only say that because I do this for a certain reason, and my certain reason would be for my sister. I never want to get over myself or feel like I'm doing it for some other reason. It's just a love for the game, and I don't care so much what comes with it, like what other people are saying. I just want to ball — that's what I like and love.
Frierson: What sports did you play growing up?
Anderson: [Laughs] I was more of an outside dude. I was one of those kids that you had to go looking for every night. I did multiple sports, I played basketball, baseball, football, track, tennis, wrestling.
I like learning things from other sports. There are a lot of tools that you can use in other sports, like learning how to box somebody out in basketball and now I can put that into football. In wrestling, it's learning how to use my hands or aggressively move. In track, it's learning how to move in general or learn how to throw something.
Frierson: I've been an avid tennis player my whole life and now I'm wondering, is there anything from playing tennis that has helped you on the football field?
Anderson: There actually is. Tennis helped me with my lateral footsteps, going left and right quickly. It helped me also because I didn't know that I couldn't see that far at one point and tennis made me realize my eye coordination, as well.
Frierson: When was the last time you played tennis?
Anderson: It was my freshman year when I got here. My mom was helping me move into the dorm here and we just thought to play some tennis because we found some tennis courts when we were driving by here.
Frierson: I bet you have a great serve.
Anderson: [Laughs] I actually do.
Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?
Anderson: I would want to see what it would be like to be the best at real estate for a day. That's something that I feel like I want to go into, and to see how it is, the process, to see and be the best at that would be a great experience.
Frierson: I saw where you were majoring in Housing Management & Policy, how did you get interested in that?
Anderson: When I first came in, I tried to take an easier route, but then I started thinking more about my future. Freshman year, and most of the time when you come to college, you don't really know what you want to do. Close to the end of my freshman year, I was sitting there in my room one day, just tired and thinking, so what am I really going to do after college? Football only lasts for so long, so what is your plan after that?
My uncle is in real estate and I had met him in Tennessee one time, sitting with him while he was doing that. Seeing the excitement and seeing how he made other people excited as well, I felt like that was one of his superpowers. I wanted real estate to be my superpower as well.
Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on the team?
Anderson: Oh, easily Jordan Davis. A lot of people see him on the field or in the locker room, but when I first came in, that was my roommate. Just seeing Jordan progress and see him as he's grown up, that's who he is. He's goofy and funny. Being around him and Channing Tindall, Tommy Bush, just being around them and being roommates with them, I don't see anybody as goofy as them.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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