Auston Anderson is mature beyond his years — and by his ears.
Just a year removed from high school, Anderson has some curls that already have gone gray.
“It’s getting bad, bro,” he joked. “Thinking about (getting) Touch of Gray.”
Anderson said the grays are not a result of Northwestern’s strenuous academic load – or the fact that he is among the team’s top options at tailback with Justin Jackson sidelined after minor knee surgery.
“It’s actually hereditary,” Anderson said. “My uncle grayed pretty early. I got the short end of the stick.”
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Not athletically, though. The Texas native, a slightly taller and thicker version of Venric Mark at 5-foot-9 and 183 pounds, was productive enough at Plano West High School to draw offers from all the big local schools — Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor and, yes, Texas.
Now Anderson is looking to leave his mark on a Northwestern team that has no proven tailback behind Jackson. Warren Long, a rising junior, has been functional as a short-yardage back, and the athletically gifted Solomon Vault spent much of his freshman season in the trainer’s room.
So did Anderson, who was informed shortly after arriving in Evanston that he would need hip surgery for a torn labrum, requiring him to redshirt.
“It was definitely a humbling experience (to sit out) because in high school you were ‘the man’ and I looked forward to playing right away,” he said. “But I wasn’t too sad. I got to experience some great games — the Notre Dane (upset) was crazy, man.”
Jackson remains the man in the tailbacks room thanks to a spectacular freshman season that ended with 149 rushing yards at Notre Dame, 147 at Purdue and 130 against Illinois.
“We definitely miss him (on the field),” Anderson said. “Justin is a coach, motivator. He does all the things you’d expect from an excellent teammate — ‘Jelly’ is a great guy, an even better teammate.”
Jelly?
“Yeah, against Nebraska he put a dirty spin move (on a defender) on the goal line,” Anderson explained. “Someone said: ‘That boy moves like jelly – wiggling.”
As Jackson recuperates, Anderson uses spring practice, which concludes Saturday, to fight for the role as his primary backup.
NU coach Pat Fitzgerald said Anderson is striving to be “in the conversation of the best 11 guys. He’s fighting with the superbacks and receivers to get on the field. He’s a great kid with a really dynamic personality. Pretty gregarious.”
And definitely mature.
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein