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.
Contents
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.
Professional career
2023
Anderson was selected third overall by the Houston Texans in the 2023 NFL draft, in which, they traded with the Arizona Cardinals from the 12th overall pick that they acquired from the Cleveland Browns in the Deshaun Watson trade to move up to third overall. On June 23, 2023, Anderson signed a four-year deal worth $35.2 million featuring a $22.6 million signing bonus. In his NFL debut against the Ravens in week 1, Anderson recorded one sack and six total tackles. In week 13, against the Broncos, he recorded his first multi-sack game with two. As a rookie, he started in 13 games and appeared in 15. He finished with seven sacks, 45 total tackles (29 solo), and one pass defended. He was named to the PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team. He was named Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Anderson was named to the 2023 Pro Bowl following an injury to American Football Conference starter Maxx Crosby.
In his postseason debut, Anderson had a sack in the 45–14 victory over the Browns in the Wild Card Round.
2024
In week 6 of the 2024 season, Anderson recorded three sacks, eight tackles and four tackles for loss in a 41–21 win over the New England Patriots, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Month for October. He finished the 2024 season with 11 sacks, 37 tackles, two passes defended, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He had 1.5 sacks and two passes defended in the 32–12 win over the Chargers in the Wild Card Round. In the Divisional Round, he had two sacks in the 23–14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He was ranked 46th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2025.
2025
In Week 7, against the Seattle Seahawks, Anderson had a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the 27–19 loss. In Week 12, he had 2.5 sacks against the Buffalo Bills. He finished the 2025 season with 12 sacks, 54 tackles, three passes defended, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and one fumble recovery for a touchdown. He was named as a first team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler. He had three sacks in the Texans' 28–16 loss to the Patriots in the Divisional Round.
2026
On April 8, 2026, the Texans exercised the fifth-year option on Anderson’s contract. On April 17, he signed a three-year, $150 million contract extension with $134 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league.
Career statistics
Career highlights
Awards & Honors
AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2023)
2× Pro Bowl (2023, 2025)
First-team AP All-Pro Team (2025)
PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team (2023)
PFWA NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2023)
AFC Defensive Player of the Month (October 2024)
AFC Defensive Player of the Week (Week 6: 2024)
Ranked No. 46 in the Top 100 Players of 2025
Ranked No. 12 in the Top 100 Players of 2026
Chuck Bednarik Award (2022)
2× Bronko Nagurski Trophy (2021, 2022)
Rotary Lombardi Award (2022)
Lott IMPACT Trophy (2022)
2× Unanimous All-American (2021, 2022)
2× SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2021, 2022)
2× First-team All-SEC (2021, 2022)
SEC All-Freshman Team (2020)
Second-team All-SEC (AP) (2020)
Most sacks by a rookie in a season: 7.0 (2023)
Personal life
Anderson is a Christian. He is the son of Will Anderson Sr. and Tereon Anderson. He has five older sisters.