Transfer MJ Anderson Making Immediate Impact

Change isn't always easy, and it was no different for Iowa State junior defensive lineman MJ Anderson.

Anderson, born and raised in St. Louis, spent three seasons at Minnesota before transferring to Iowa State.

Why Iowa State? Anderson credits his previous relationship with head coach Matt Campbell.

"I had a lot of coaches here that I was blessed with," Anderson said. "They were one of my first couple offers coming out of high school and I felt like I already had a good relationship with them prior to making my decision to Minnesota. It made it easier knowing that I had a relationship with the coaching staff, so it just made the decision a no brainer for me."

But after arriving in Ames in the spring, he suffered an elbow injury which required surgery and took him most of spring and summer to recover from.

"It was tough," Anderson said. "The first thing you want to do is prove your value to the team, but coach trusted my process and saw what type of player I could be. He told me to stick to it every day and it will pay off."

For Anderson, the hard work is paying off. He is now a force to be reckoned with opposite Will McDonald IV on the defensive line.

Anderson is quietly putting together the best season of his career. His 12 tackles in Iowa State's first six games are third among Cyclone defensive linemen and are more than he had in 15 games as a Gopher.

The 6-3, 275-pound defensive end also has 2.5 tackles for a loss, a sack, quarterback hurry and a fumble recovery this season.

"He loves football," Campbell said. "He really goes to work at it and he's constantly getting better and better. He's got a really bright future ahead of him."

Anderson says the culture around Iowa State football has allowed him to make a smooth transition into the program and find success early this season.

"Honestly, it's been pretty easy for me in my first six months here," Anderson said. "A football team is a brotherhood, and everyone here has been open and accepting of me as a person."

"I've been through a lot this last year and I can say I'm really happy where I'm at. God has blessed me with a great team and a lot of things have been swinging my way recently. Honestly, I'm just very grateful."

Players Mentioned

MJ Anderson

Will McDonald IV

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Iowa State University Athletics