There’s something special about Georgia’s Adam Anderson

ATHENS – It’s called the “two-by-four.”

This is not a reference to the well-known lumber product used to build homes. We’re talking about the football move used to bring down blockers and ball carriers.

To witness a textbook use of it, find yourself a recording of the Bulldogs’ game against South Carolina on Saturday and fast-forward to the 7:00 mark of the first quarter. Then find Georgia’s No. 19 on the screen and follow him down the field on kickoff coverage.

You’ll see No. 19 – that is Georgia senior Adam Anderson -- run through the attempted block of South Carolina’s Jaylen Foster and continue on a bee line toward kick returner Jalen Brooks, who fielded the kickoff at the 11. Anderson reaches Brooks at about the 21 and drops him almost immediately with a one-armed clothesline tackle.

The two-by-four actually was executed on the blocker. The tackle was nothing but physics at work. It’s what happens when a 6-foot-5, 238-pound man moving at approximately 21 mph meets a 200-pound receiver who has not yet reached full speed. Brooks went back first into the turf almost immediately.

The capacity crowd of 92,746 at Sanford Stadium responded with a collective, “oooooooh!”

Rome High School coach John Reid saw that unfold live Saturday. He immediately sprang into action to get a video copy queued up for Monday afternoon’s team meeting.

“We call that the two-by-four,” said Reid, who has won state championships at Rome and in Tennessee and was named Georgia’s Coach of the Year in 2020. “Adam knows that move well. We worked on it every day. I taught it to him. I’m sure Georgia has worked with him on it since then. But it’s a known move in the game. Stick out your arm, thumb up, punch him right in the shoulder, almost like jousting.”

The two-by-four is only one in an arsenal of moves that Anderson has brought with him into his senior season with the Bulldogs. Most of the weapons he already had when he arrived at UGA. Things like exceptional speed, extraordinary height, incredible athletic ability, uncanny intelligence. All of those made him a 5-star prospect while at Rome High.

The difference now is, four years later, Anderson has been able to blend them together to utilize them on an every-play basis for the Bulldogs. After years of sitting behind Azeez Ojulari, D’Andre Walker, Jermaine Johnson and Walter Grant at outside linebacker, Anderson is able to unleash all his athletic attributes on Georgia’s defense as well as special teams.

Hence, Anderson heads into Week 4 of the season and Georgia’s game against Vanderbilt on Saturday in Nashville (noon, SEC Network) as the Bulldogs’ leader in quarterback sacks (3) and tackles for loss (7) and ranks third overall in tackles (12).

Though it took a while for Anderson to become a regular on the Bulldogs’ nationally ranked defense, he always has been and continues to be a special-teams stalwart.

“Adam has always done a tremendous job on special teams,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He’s perfect for special teams, 6-foot-4, 230-235 pounds, runs fast. What more could you want than a fast, big guy on special teams? He’s always taken a lot of pride in that.”

Anderson does, and he’s not interested in relinquishing that role anytime soon.

That’s why Anderson continues to occupy a position known “disrupter” on Georgia’s kickoff coverage team. It’s the role occupied by the two defenders closest to kicker in the middle of the field. And it’s fairly uncomplicated.

Run down the field as fast as you can, maintain your “lane” and get to the ball carrier as fast as you can.

Few do it better than Anderson, a fact in which he takes great pride.

“I see special teams as no different than playing on defense,” said Anderson, who 247Sports rated as the No. 1 outside linebacker in the country in 2018. “You’ve got to love the sport to play them. … Special teams in and of itself, I love them. Running down the field, go knock somebody’s head off full speed. That’s what I love about it.”

That part has always come easy to Anderson. It was the other aspects of college ball that were more difficult for him.

It’s in those other areas that the Bulldogs and Anderson’s former coaches in Rome have seen so much growth in him.

“Adam has reasserted himself on this team as one who cares,” Smart said. “He used to miss academics, now he doesn’t miss academics; he used to miss treatment, now he doesn’t. You watch the growth of a player, and I’ve seen it since being here: Year 1, they don’t have a clue; Year 2, they’re still trying to figure it out; to Year 3, they get it. And that’s how you’re supposed to do it. He’s in that year where he understands what he’s supposed to do.”

Anderson doesn’t shrug off his coach’s assessment.

“Player development,” Anderson said. “Every school talks about it, but I see it in myself, going from freshman year to this year. Player development is one of the biggest roles. You’re going from a young man to actually being an adult man. It’s not even just the coaches. It’s from the Rankin (Smith academic center) building with your learning specialist and the teachers and classes you’re taking from here. They’re teaching not just the small things, but they’re going to teach you how to develop as a man for things after college.”

As for football, it appears that’s going to take care of itself for Anderson. After years of struggling to keep weight on, he’s finally approaching Georgia’s goal for him of 240 pounds. But he’s been able to maintain his 4.5-second 40-yard speed. Thus, in addition to getting after quarterbacks as an edge rusher, Anderson cross-trains and plays some at Georgia’s “Star” defensive backfield position. He has a pass breakup to go along with nine quarterback pressures.

Meanwhile, Anderson is continuously putting together video of his prowess as a coverage-teams specialist. It only enhances his value to NFL teams.

That’s how Anderson broke in at Rome High. He was a tall, skinny sophomore when Reid showed up, and the new Rome coach knew exactly how to get Anderson involved. He turned him loose on special teams and taught him the joys of running fast and hitting hard.

Two state championships later, Rome has bunch of college prospects on its team, and many of them aren’t particularly keen to play special teams. Reid couldn’t wait to share the clip of No. 19 running down the field and executing the two-by-four to perfection.

“We mention Adam to our kids all the time,” Reid said. “When we got here, we didn’t have anybody playing college football, nobody to look up to, nobody to set an example. But he made his mark here on special teams and we talked about his special-teams play this morning. We’re going to use that clip.”

It also should serve Anderson well.