Brian Anderson comes from a football family that includes a Furman University Hall of Famer in his dad Charles L. Anderson 82’, who won the Southern Conference Jacobs Blocking trophy in 1980 and 81, the award given to the best blocker. He also won many other awards. Brian Anderson’s father and brother are the two most influential people in his life.
“I would say, my dad and my brother. My dad because he really showed me the game and I also respect that he never forced me to play it. He never was one of those parents that were really strict and said ‘you have to play football.’ He kind of stayed out of it, he never coached me, and he kind of guided me through my process when I needed him. Also, my brother played college football [at Furman], I’d say my dad and my brother really had an impact on my life as far as growing up in the game.”
Brian Anderson, now a senior at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School in Montgomery, Alabama ended his recruitment last June when he committed to the North Carolina Tarheels. The six-foot-three, 286 pound, three-star offensive tackle, along with the North Carolina offer, received a total of 31 offers from Appalachian State, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Furman, Indiana, Iowa State, Southern Mississippi, Syracuse and more.
“It was pretty crazy. I got my first offer, early in the season, this past year, my junior year and ever since then it has blown up. I think I got nine offers in that same month following that first one. It just built up and never really let off the gas pedal. Here I am today with 31 but no matter how many you have, you can only make one decision so I’m just kind of glad I made the right decision,” Anderson said about his recruitment.
North Carolina, according to Anderson is recruiting him as an interior lineman. See his junior highlights here.
He said that he grew to like North Carolina when he first got on campus and the more visits he took and research he did, he found that they were the school where he could thrive on the field and in the classroom.
“It’s definitely a place that will set me up for the rest of my life as far as being a successful man.”
He wants to help bring a national championship to North Carolina and experience the life of a college football player. His hometown of Montgomery, Alabama, has prepared him for that challenge.
“I would say it’s definitely shaped me into a person that I guess can say, I have a lot of character because Montgomery has a diverse community. There’s a lot of different things that go on in this town and it has shaped me to become more of a gritty person just because there’s so much that has happened in this town, so much historically. Really, growing up around it, nothing is given to you, everything is definitely worked for. I guess that’s something I’ve grown to learn, just to work for things,” he said.
He likes playing on the offensive line because of the tactical nature the position entails.
“There’s so much strategy that goes behind it, [the small things] and everything that most won’t understand or appreciate. When you see it first hand, there’s a lot that goes into it that most people don’t see.”
He believes the best part of his game is his intensity and ability to keep that intensity for all four quarters and every time he steps on the field, he has a chip on his shoulder.
“Just leave everything out there. There’s no reason to go out and hold anything back. Just go through the whistle on every play. That’s something I really pride myself on, sometimes I’ll get flagged for excessive blocking but going through the whistle is definitely my main mentality.”
In his final year as a Montgomery Prep Knight, he said he’ll miss the close-knit family that he has there. At Montgomery Prep, win or lose, the student body takes everything to heart, they win as a school and lose as a school.
“…I’ve grown close to every member of that school just like [they are] a brother or sister to me so that’s the relationship I’ll miss the most. I just want to end my senior season on a positive note and leave for the next seasons and generations to come just a positive mark on Catholic, leave on a high note and keep a winning mentality.”