Anderson part of football family legacy
With Division I football programs limited to a maximum of 85 scholarships, walk-ons can and do play a major role in a team’s success.
A couple of notable college walk-ons in recent years are current NFL Pro Bowlers J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews. Watt played at Wisconsin, where he went to win all-conference honors in the Big Ten and All-America honors, and Matthews was a standout performer at USC. Both were first-round NFL draft choices.
Closer to home, Georgia Tech had had success with walk-ons, as well.
Last season, Robert Godhigh rushed for 744 yards averaging 9.4 yards per carry while scoring seven touchdowns. In 2006, center Sean Bedford walked on with the Yellow Jackets after playing high school football at Buchholz in Gainesville, Florida, and went on to become a two-year starter for the Yellow Jackets, earning All-ACC first-team honors as a senior. In addition, in 2010, he was named the winner of the inaugural Burlsworth Trophy, which goes to the top player in the nation who began his career as a walk-on.
Former Mount de Sales standout Niko Anderson is in his second season as a walk-on with the Yellow Jackets and hopes to emulate the success enjoyed by Bedford since he plays the same position.
Anderson is following in the footsteps of his father Lars, who was also a walk-on at Virginia Tech. Niko Anderson was recruited by Yellow Jackets linebackers coach Andy McCollum and received a preferred walk-on spot. Lars, a local attorney, had regular walk-on status at Virginia Tech.
Niko Anderson is currently listed as the No. 3 center on the Georgia Tech depth chart behind starter Freddie Burden and true freshman Andrew Marshall. The younger Anderson is listed at 6-foot-3, 277 pounds, while his dad, also a center, stood 6-0 and weighed in at 210 for the Hokies. Lars played on special teams in addition to the center position and was a member and letterman on Virginia Tech’s 1980 Peach Bowl team.
The elder Anderson founded the Macon Chapter of the National Football Foundation in 1995. The chapter, being a part of the national organization, honors scholar-athletes at the high school level.
Even though Niko has dressed for all home games and was on the travel squad for several road trips last season, he has yet to make an appearance in a game, but he is not discouraged. He calls his decision to play at Georgia Tech one of the best things he could have ever done in college.
In addition to being one of his school’s top football players, he was an outstanding student in the classroom at Mount de Sales, graduating with a 3.9 GPA, but he says playing football and going to school at Georgia Tech are not easy. He said you have to find a balance, and you can’t afford to waste time. He says he takes advantage of the academic help offered by tutors to football players.
Anderson is also pleased to be on the same team with fellow Maconite DeAndre Smelter after competing against the former Tattnall Square standout. He said Smelter ran all over the Cavaliers in high school and thinks Smelter is the best receiver at Georgia Tech since Calvin Johnson and sees him playing in the NFL next fall.
Anderson, who wears No. 57 for the Yellow Jackets, is a third generation college football player. Grandfather Andy Anderson played at Duke from 1947-50, lettering his final two seasons with the Blue Devils.
Contact Bobby Pope at bobbypope428@gmail.com.
This story was originally published October 14, 2014 at 7:28 AM with the headline "Anderson part of football family legacy ."