Freshman to watch: Ryan Anderson

During the summer, CrimsonConfidential.com will look at different freshman from the 2012 recruiting class that could potentially make an impact during the upcoming season.

As the 2012 football season draws near, the members of the 2012 recruiting class for Alabama are all piling onto campus and preparing themselves for the rigors the upcoming season will hold. Workouts, seven-on-seven drills and other conditioning drills are quickly getting each player ready for what Nick Saban and his coaching staff have in store when fall camp rolls around.

One player that has already had a taste of what camp is like in Tuscaloosa is Ryan Anderson. The linebacker spent much of the spring working with the outside linebackers when he enrolled in January. One of the primary positions where Anderson saw time was at the Jack linebacker spot. He shared time with Jonathan Atchison and a few other Tide players during the spring.

The 6-foot-2, 250-pounder from Daphne, Al., was one of the top recruits in the nation and arguably the most talented player in the state of Alabama coming out of high school. He chose Alabama over offers from Auburn, Tennessee, Florida State and Kentucky.

As a senior, he was selected to the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Super 12  and the ASWA 6A All-State team. Those accolades were more than justified. Anderson logged 105 tackles and 12 sacks as senior.

Anderson has a legitimate chance to see playing time during the upcoming season, and the experience he gained by enrolling early should help him settle into his role a lot quicker than some of his other fellow freshmen. He saw a decent amount of time at the inside linebacker positions at the beginning of the spring, but towards the end of spring practice he was working with the second-team at the Jack position.

Should Alabama require any help behind Dickson or Hubbard during the 2012 season, Anderson would be a likely candidate to fill his role. That is, if he continues to impress when fall camp roles around. He certainly looks the part and will only continue to add muscle and size as he grows into the body Alabama wants him to have as a member of its linebacking corps. Regardless, Anderson will likely be on the two-deep depth chart when it is released later this fall, and could earn vital experience in situations where Hubbard or Dickson are not on the field.