NFL · Biography
Rodney Anderson
Running back · No club · retired · OU 2015-2018
Katy legend who lit up the Rose Bowl with 201 yards
Rodney Anderson came to Norman as a decorated Texas high school star. At Katy High School he won a 5A state title as a sophomore and piled up 5,493 career rushing yards before flipping his commitment from Texas A&M to Oklahoma.
His Sooner career (2015–2018) was a story of resilience. A broken leg ended his true freshman season after two games, and a neck injury wiped out 2016. When he finally got healthy in 2017, he was a revelation: 1,161 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, earning second-team All-Big 12 honors. His signature moment came in the 2018 Rose Bowl against Georgia, when he ran for 201 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries in a College Football Playoff semifinal.
Injuries struck again two games into 2018 with a season-ending knee injury, but the Cincinnati Bengals still believed in his talent and selected him in the sixth round (211th overall) of the 2019 NFL draft. Unfortunately, a torn ACL in the final preseason game of 2019 sent him to injured reserve, and he opened 2020 on the physically unable to perform list.
Today Anderson is a former NFL running back. Sooner fans will always remember the 2017 season, when a healthy Rodney Anderson was one of the most explosive backs in the country.