Recruiting Report: Jack Anderson (2018)

Offseason improvement comes in many forms. The physical aspect is the most easily quantified, but sometimes the improvements players make mentally are more significant to the team. When asked about what Holy Angels junior Jack Anderson thinks was his greatest area of improvement was he doesn't hesitate. "I was nominated to be a junior captain before the season," Anderson said. "It was a wake-up call to get closer to my teammates and push them – and not just myself – to get better." The leadership role was something needed in 2016. "We lost a lot of starters from the previous year," Anderson said. "There were a lot of kids that had to step up this year from sophomores to seniors." The Stars' offense relied on the ground game. "We were pretty much a power read offense," the two-year starter said. "When we were clicking we were running the ball well." Anderson felt the defense played its best when they were all running to the ball. Anderson was a two-way player. On defense, he was usually the strong-side inside linebacker in the team's base 3-4 scheme. "I think when I tackled people they knew they were hit. I like to play downhill," Anderson said. "I think my strengths are hitting and my athleticism – I can go sideline to sideline." On offense, Anderson was the primary ball carrier. "My running style is running downhill," said the soon to be three-year starter. "I get my yards where I can. Towards the end of the season, the line was doing a tremendous job opening holes. My strengths are my speed as a big man and my size." This offseason he is concentrated on his overall athleticism. "I need to work on my flexibility so I can get avoid injury and be able to flip my hips better, so I play better in space," the 6'3" 220-pound junior told northstarfootballnews. "I need to get better at running from side to side so I can run with the runningback in pass coverage." Offensively he is concentrated on improving his vision and making the correct reads. This winter he was on the powerlifting team and in the spring he was on the track team participating in a number of different events. This summer he will be spending as much time outdoors – especially fishing and just being on the water – as he can as well as getting to a number of campuses. "I will be going to a few campuses to check it out," NFN's 14th ranked junior said. "I will be going to the Naval Academy, Air Force, and Western Illinois for sure. We are also going to the South Dakota State team camp, and I am going to try to make it to a Minnesota camp as well." While the offseason is for personal improvement, that is not Anderson's focus. "I am going to get to as many camps as I can, but this could be our year, so I want to be around my teammates as much as possible. I don't want this summer to be just about me. I want it to be about my teammates." Even though Anderson is focused on his team, colleges are focusing on him. "(Recruiting) has been a lot of fun. At first, it was coming at me one hundred miles an hour, and I didn't know what to do with it," Anderson admitted. "The spring was very busy. I have offers from Navy, Air Force, and Western Illinois." Anderson is being recruited as a linebacker by all three schools, but for now – he is not his focus. His focus is on the team.