Kirk Herbstreit says Alabama player is his Heisman pick, but it’s not Bryce Young

Kirk Herbstreit declared his Heisman Trophy favorite on College GameDay, giving the nod to Alabama linebacker Will Anderson over quarterback Bryce Young.

The Heisman Trophy debate should heat up over the coming weeks and with a wide group of options and few clear favorites, it should get interesting.

If Kirk Herbstreit has his way, the biggest honor in college football will go to someone outside the usual mold.

Could this be the year a full-time defender wins the trophy?

Kirk Herbstreit is on the Will Anderson Jr. Heisman hype train

Herbstreit said on College GameDay that he’d go with an Alabama player, but not quarterback Bryce Young. He’s looking on the other side of the ball with linebacker Will Anderson.

“Will Anderson, to me, on Alabama would be the guy I’d probably put on my ballot right now just because he’s so dominant of a player,” Herbstreit said, via the Montgomery Advertiser.

Anderson was a beast as a freshman last year and he’s only taken his game up to the next level as a sophomore. This season he has 12.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss in 10 games. He leads all players in FBS in both categories.

With Anderson potentially on track to break NCAA records, it would be fitting for him to get an invite to New York and truly contend for the Heisman. It’s not often defenders get that chance.

Anderson will have some marquee matchups to make his case before the end of the regular season. The Crimson Tide have a ranked battle with Arkansas and a rivalry game at Auburn coming up before the SEC title game heavy-weight tilt with Georgia.

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