2022 Notre Dame WR Target Nicholas Anderson Grew Up With Football In Family
Football is one of the defining qualities of the Anderson family.
“We all played,” says Rod Anderson, father of former Oklahoma star running back Rodney Anderson, current Indiana defensive end Ryder Anderson and top 2022 Texas wide receiver Nicholas Anderson, who is seriously considering Notre Dame.
“Me, my dad, my brother. My little brother played in two Super Bowls with the Bears and the Patriots.
“If done the right way, football brings every good quality that a man is going to need. It's accountability, it's discipline, it's motivation, it's team, it's unselfishness.”
Rod’s brother, Mark Anderson, was selected by the Chicago Bears as a defensive end out of Alabama in the 2006 NFL Draft.
“At an early age, they've been around it,” Rod says of his sons. “They've been involved and in love with football since day one.”
Day one for Nicholas was especially early.
Rod and his wife, Jobie, ran the Cypress Broncos youth organization.
Rodney was able to play with the older group while Ryder played with the middle group. The youngest group was for five and six-year-olds, but Nick was just turning four.
“We were all out there on the field, anyway,” his father laughs. “'Put your helmet on and bounce around out there.'”
That gave Nicholas a head-start.
“He probably understands the game more than any of the boys,” says Rod. “His football intelligence is off the charts because he's been around it his whole life.”
Anderson credits the success his boys have had with the sport to the work they put in.
“Since they were little, they were focused on what they were trying to do,” he says. “They worked at it and it was always fun and they just kept it fun.
“I made sure they kept the fun in it and also played multiple sports, so they wouldn't get burned out. I said, 'Look, man, whenever you guys get burned out, then it's time to hang it up.' But they just kept going.”
Rod also attributes their success to the Katy High School football program and head coach Gary Joseph. All three Anderson boys have won 6-A state championships at Katy.
“It's a pretty dynamic program here, a pretty regimented program,” Rod says. “They play as a team. They play together. They learn all of those things that they're supposed to learn. I attribute it to that hard work and just being in the environment and the community that Katy is.
“Katy is an amazing program. The total unselfishness of that program…All of those things that you would imagine that you would want for your kid, for your son in the program, when they leave there, they're ready for college or whatever else they're getting ready to do. You have no problem with them.”
The Andersons haven’t had many problems with Nicholas.
“Jobie calls him her chill kid,” Rod says. “Nicholas is very mature for his age and he's very self-sufficient. He's easy, man. Like other kids, 'I need that shoe. I need those clothes.' He doesn't. He's just so chill.
“He's low maintenance and he's smart as heck. He handles his business. He's low key. He's quiet, but that makes it so when he speaks, people listen to him.”
Rodney is currently an NFL free agent and Ryder is doing a fifth year in Bloomington after graduating from Ole Miss while Nicholas is wrapping up his high school career before moving onto the college of his choice.
With three boys playing football at a high level at the same time, Rod and Jobie have sacrificed family vacations to be sure at least one of them is at every single game.
“We haven't missed a game,” says Rod. “When Rodney was at Oklahoma and Ryder was playing at Ole Miss, we would split up. One of us represented each boy and during their bye week, we would go together.
“Jobie would travel with her mother and I would typically travel with Nick until he started playing varsity. We would always be there and we'd make those sacrifices and we continue to do that.”
Rodney’s immediate future is still unclear being a free agent, but trips are already being planned around the Indiana and Katy football schedules.
“We'll be there to support them,” says Rod. “We know it doesn't last long, so we make it a point to support them. Those were our vacations, our game trips on the weekends. We love it.
“We're there to support each other. When I played a little ball, my parents weren't able to be there at all my games. They did the best they could. Every game they know we're in the stands to support them and be there for whatever they need. We're a tight family like that. It's just what our family is about.”
