2021 Countdown to Kickoff: 10 Days Part II (Ryder Anderson)

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

The 2021 Countdown to Kickoff is nearly complete. In only ten days, the Indiana Hoosiers will take the field in Iowa City and begin the 2021 campaign against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Today’s countdown article focuses on a pair of Hoosiers, one on offense and the other on defense: David Ellis and Ryder Anderson.

Name: Ryder Anderson

Hometown: Katy, Texas (Katy High School and transfer from Ole Miss)

Position: Defensive Line

Year: Graduate Senior

Height/Weight: 6’6”/266 pounds

Ryder Anderson played the Indiana Hoosiers in the Outback Bowl on January 2. He had two tackles for loss, a sack and three tackles in the Rebels win over an injury-depleted IU team and must have liked what he saw from the IU coaching staff and players. He transferred from Ole Miss and committed to Indiana University on January 12. In total, he played in 37 games with 14 starts for Ole Miss and had 99 tackles with 15 tackles for loss and 17 quarterback hurries. His best season was definitely the 2020 campaign as he started nine times, primarily at defensive end, for the Rebels.

Before playing in the Southeastern Conference, Anderson was a star defender and tight end at Katy High School in Texas. His squads went 55-6 in high school and won a state title while Anderson was a junior. His brother Rodney star running back for Oklahoma and his uncle Mark played for seven years as a defensive end in the NFL.

Ryder Anderson was a big addition along the defensive line and he was later joined by fellow d-line transfers Jaren Handy and Weston Kramer. That was a major emphasis for the coaching staff and they took advantage of the transfer portal to address a need for experienced depth upfront.

“I’m very excited about the addition of Ryder Anderson, Jaren Handy, Weston Kramer, to our defensive line. They add to a room that had a competitive, physicalness and a group that I believe is really grown together the last several months,” Tom Allen said at Big Ten Media Day.

Anderson is expected to play defensive end and he will likely be a starter when the Hoosiers kick-off the campaign in Iowa. Guys like James Head, Beau Robbins, Jaren Handy and Jonathan King will also factor in at that position and regardless of who starts, position coach Kevin Peoples is going to use a rotation that will see several guys get snaps.

The countdown continues with a new profile each and every day so come back to hoosierhuddle.com daily!