Mario Anderson Jr. (born April 24, 2001) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

for the

Memphis Tigers The Memphis Tigers are the athletic teams that represent the University of Memphis, located in Memphis, Tennessee. The teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the American Athletic C ...

. He previously played at

Newberry College Newberry College is a private Lutheran college in Newberry, South Carolina. As of 2023, it had 1,521 students. Academics Newberry College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) ...

and for the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fight ...

Early life and high school

Anderson attended Stratford High School in

Goose Creek, South Carolina Goose Creek is the most populous city in Berkeley County, South Carolina, Berkeley County in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 45,946 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in South ...

. An unranked recruit, he committed to play

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for

, joining the Division II team as a

walk-on Walk On may refer to: Music Albums * ''Walk On'' (Boston album) or the title song, 1994 * ''Walk On'' (John Hiatt album) or the title song, 1995 * ''Walk On'' (Randy Johnston album) or the title song, 1992 *''Walk On'', by Kellie Coffey, 200 ...

College career

Newberry

In four years at Newberry from 2019 to 2022, Anderson rushed 513 times for 3,296 yards and 35 touchdowns and hauled in 21 receptions for 135 yards. He was named first-team all-conference twice in 2021 and 2022, while also being named an All-American and a

Harlon Hill Trophy The Harlon Hill Trophy is an award in American college football given to the individual selected as the most valuable player in NCAA Division II. The award is named for former University of North Alabama and National Football League player Harl ...

finalist in 2022.

South Carolina

Anderson transferred to play for the

. In week 2 of the 2023 season, he rushed six times for 32 yards in a win over Furman. In week 4, Anderson ran for 88 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries in a win over

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...

. In week 5, he broke off a 75-yard rushing touchdown against

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. Anderson finished the 2023 season rushing for 707 yards and four touchdowns on 143 carries, while also hauling in 22 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown. Following the season, he entered his name into the

NCAA transfer portal The NCAA transfer portal is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) application, database, and compliance tool created to manage and facilitate the process for student athletes seeking to transfer between member institutions. It is i ...

Memphis

Anderson transferred to play for the

. In week 7 of the 2024 season, he was ejected in the second quarter in a win over

South Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...

after spitting on Bulls defensive tackle Doug Blue-Eli. In week 8, Anderson rushed for 183 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries in a win over

North Texas North Texas is a term used primarily by residents of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex to refer to a geographic area of Texas, generally considered to include the area south of Oklahoma, east of Abilene, Texas, Abilene, west of Paris, Texas, Par ...

. In week 12, he rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries to help beat UAB.

Statistics

Professional career

References

External links

Memphis Tigers bio

Newberry Wolves bio

South Carolina Gamecocks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Mario 2001 births Living people Players of American football from Summerville, South Carolina Players of American football from Berkeley County, South Carolina American football running backs Memphis Tigers football players Newberry Wolves football players South Carolina Gamecocks football players