42 - James Anderson

Position: Linebacker
Class: r-Senior
Height: 6' 3"
Weight: 232 lbs.
High School: Deep Creek
Hometown: Chesapeake, Va.

 

Became a big contributor in his first season as a full-time starter last year ... Moved from inside linebacker to the whip position and finished seventh on the team in tackles ... Is the only player in Tech football history to earn the Excalibur Award - the top honor in Tech's strength and conditioning program - four times ... Has developed a knowledge of the position that allows him to put his speed and athleticism to full use ... Continued to shine during the spring ... Has worked hard to become the best player he can be ... Will be counted on as both a playmaker and a leader ...

A Talk With... What are your goals for your senior season? Hopefully, to go out there and improve on last year and make an All-America team. What has been your most memorable game at Virginia Tech? I'd have to say the Miami game when we won the ACC Championship. That was a big game for all of us. What motivates you to perform at such a high level? A couple of things. I'm blessed to have talent, so I feel like if I'm blessed to have it, I should go out and work as hard as I can to prove that I can be the best that I can be. And then just being an athlete. We have drive to compete and be the best. What are you going to miss the most when you graduate? Just the atmosphere of college sports. Anyone will tell you once you graduate the game isn't the same, the team is not the same, the camaraderie is not the same. I will miss my teammates and the whole experience. What is the toughest part about being a Division I football player? The toughest part is trying to balance football and the classes and trying to be good at both of them because it's almost like two full-time jobs. You have homework and film study and you have to be really good at time management. What's the best part about being a linebacker? Terrorizing the offense. My job is to go out there and hit people and cause terror, and that is the best part. What other sport would you play if you didn't play football? It would be probably track. I did track in high school. I was a pentathlete, so I did high jump, long jump, shot put, hurdles ... just a bit of everything. You have won the Excalibur award four times. What does that mean to you? Just being an all-around athlete, I'm just trying to be the best that I can be. And once you get it, you can't not get it again. So I just kept trying to get it. Talk about your role a senior defensive leader. This role means a lot to me. Everyone wants to be a difference maker, but as a senior everyone is looking to me to perform at a high level. I want to make sure that I do things right, always being in the right place at the right time. If you had a theme song for you life, what would it be? "It's Over Now" by Kurt Franklin.

2004: Played in 13 games, starting 12 ... Had 21 solo stops and 27 assists ... Included in those 48 tackles were 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks ... Also had one interception, two forced fumbles and a pass break up ... Played 368 snaps on defense and 117 on special teams in the regular season ... Got the start in the opener against USC, playing 41 snaps ... Recorded four total tackles, including .5 for loss, in the win over Western Michigan ... Intercepted his first collegiate pass against Maryland, returning it 14 yards ... Also had three tackles and a forced fumble ... Recorded seven tackles, including a sack, in the win over Virginia ... Had a sack against Miami that forced a fumble that was recovered by the Hokies ... Recorded four tackles in the Maroon-White game ... Recorded a 350-pound bench, a 530-pound back squat, a 326-pound power clean and a 336-pound push jerk in spring testing ... Also posted a 38 1/2-inch vertical jump and a 4.48 40-yard dash ...

2003: Saw action in all 13 games ... Led the team in special teams tackles with 37 ... Also had four tackles on defense ... Had four tackles on defense and four tackles and a forced fumble on special teams against James Madison ... Finished the season with a pair of tackles against California in the Insight Bowl ... Posted a 41 1/2-inch vertical jump on the way to Super Iron Hokie honors in the spring ... Also had a personal-best 540-pound back squat ... Led the winning White team with six tackles during the annual spring Maroon-White game ...

2002: Played in all 14 games ... Recorded 28 solo stops and 20 assisted tackles ... Included in those 48 tackles were three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks ... Also had three quarterback hurries and a forced fumble ... Caused a fumble and recorded five total tackles against LSU ... Saw extensive playing time at Western Michigan, recording five solo tackles, an assist, two quarterback hurries and a sack ... Made his first career start against Temple ... Recorded four solo tackles, seven assists and a quarterback hurry in that game ... Started and played all 100 defensive plays at Syracuse, recording four solo tackles and two assists ... Also played 14 snaps on special teams ... Ran a 4.43 forty during spring max testing ... Set a position record for whip linebackers with a 341-pound push jerk ... Also bench pressed 370 pounds and had a 38 1/2-inch vertical jump on the way to Super Iron Hokie honors ... Moved to whip linebacker for spring practice ...

2001: Redshirted while working at the backer position ... His 36 1/2-inch vertical jump during spring testing was the second-best among the Hokies' inside linebackers ... Also turned in the second-best hang clean (305 pounds) in the group and the third-best back squat (500 pounds) ... Continued to work at backer during spring practice ...

High School: Posted 41 tackles, five sacks, four fumble recoveries and an interception as a senior for Coach David Cox at Deep Creek High ... A PrepStar All-American who was rated the No. 8 linebacker in the Atlantic Region ... Named second-team Group AAA all-state as a linebacker by both the coaches and The Associated Press ... Also named first-team All-Tidewater by the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot ... Ranked the No. 26 prospect in Virginia by SuperPrep and The Roanoke Times ... Also competed in basketball and track ... High jumped 6-6 ... Finished sixth in the state shot put as a senior ...

Personal: James Nathaniel Anderson ... Born 9/26/83 in Roanoke Rapids, NC ... Son of James, Sr., and Brenda Anderson ... His father played basketball at North Carolina A&T ... Graduated with a degree in studio art and is enrolled in health and physical education in graduate school.