By SHANNON J. ALLEN The Reporter
FYFFE — Logan Anderson’s accomplishments as a Fyffe Red Devil place him among the greatest football players in DeKalb County and Sand Mountain history.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder’s combination of power and speed struck fear in opposing defenses that found him almost impossible to tackle. He ran over defenders or around them with the same relentless pursuit of yards, touchdowns and victories for the Big Red Machine.
On Wednesday morning, Anderson’s family, teammates, friends, coaches and Fyffe administrators assembled in Mike Cochran Gymnasium to watch him begin the next phase of his career by signing a national letter of intent with the Clemson Tigers.
Anderson verbally committed to head coach Dabo Swinney’s program in July. He will graduate from Fyffe in December and enroll at Clemson for the spring semester. He begins classes on Jan. 6.
“It means the world to us,” Anderson said. “I’m just blessed that Clemson gave me the opportunity to go play football, and I’m just excited to be a Tiger. It’s something that I wasn’t expecting to happen, so it’s just a blessing.”
Clemson’s medical staff will take over the rehabilitation of Anderson’s right knee. He suffered a torn ACL in the first quarter of Fyffe’s win over Ohatchee in the first round of the Class 3A state playoffs. He underwent surgery the following week.
“As it’s going right now, everything is looking pretty good with my knee,” Anderson said. “I’m a little bit ahead of schedule. This is a totally different story [than his left knee]. It’s way easier. It’s not as bad.
“It happened for a reason. God wanted it to happen, so you’ve got to accept that and just keep pushing.”
Anderson suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in Fyffe’s victory over Pisgah in the 2022 state playoff semifinals.
Once he visited Clemson, the Red Devils’ legend knew it was the right fit for him.
“The atmosphere is outstanding,” Anderson said. “It really doesn’t get any better than that. The coaching staff is as friendly as possible. They keep a check on me, text me every day. My position coach [Wes Goodwin] calls me every day.
“It’s a whole different world from any other college I’ve been too.”
Goodwin serves as Clemson’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Anderson will play linebacker for the Tigers.
“I’ll definitely start off on special teams and stuff like that,” Anderson said. “I’ll move around on defense a little bit, from inside probably to outside linebacker and on the line.
“There’s no telling what could happen. I could weigh 260 in two years, or I could weigh 230 in two years, you never know. I could grow three more inches.”
Hampered by injuries during his senior season at Fyffe, Anderson rushed 91 times for 1,275 yards and 19 touchdowns. As a junior, he carried 265 times for 2,865 yards and 45 touchdowns.
He finished his career with 631 rushes for 7,021 yards and 110 touchdowns. He averaged 11.1 yards per carry.
A two-time All-State performer, Anderson scored a school-record eight touchdowns in a quarterfinal victory over Locust Fork in the 2023 Class 2A state playoffs. He rushed for 366 yards that night.
Anderson received the Super 7 most valuable player award after rushing for 256 yards and four touchdowns while propelling Fyffe to a 43-24 triumph over Reeltown in the 2023 Class 2A state finals.
“It’s a great day for our school and our community,” Fyffe head coach Paul Benefield said. “I’m real proud of Logan for what he’s achieved.
“He had a rough senior year, but he’s got to not look in the rearview [mirror] and look ahead and live it day by day and work hard, and try to learn as fast as he can when he gets there.
“You’ve got competition everywhere there. The difference in high school and college is you’ve got to go out every day and be ready to practice hard, because it’s a game every day.
“For us, he made the difference when he was on the field, wherever he was at. You just don’t have kids come along very often with his size and speed and athletic ability. It’s been awesome coaching him.”
Anderson expressed gratitude to Benefield for helping him develop as both a player and person.
“I wouldn’t be the man I am today or the athlete I am today without Coach Benefield, and our coaching staff,” Anderson said. “It’s just amazing what a coach can do and what inspiration can do.
“He’s always kept us having a level head and not being boastful and not being cocky … just having dedication and heart. You don’t get that anywhere else other than Fyffe usually, unless you’re born with it. He can put it in you if you ain’t got it.
“It’s a lot of thanks to Coach Benefield for always pushing me and always getting on my butt. As much as everybody else says how good I am sometimes, Coach Benefield isn’t that way. He’s going to make sure I know that I’m still not as good as I could be.”
