Former Tulane Football Star Nick Anderson Continues Tearing Up CFL

Safe to say former Tulane Green Wave defensive star Nick Anderson is not resting on his laurels after a tremendous CFL debut in 2024.

The linebacker, who was part of the Green Wave’s 2022 American Athletic Conference championship team and Cotton Bowl victory, was the most productive linebacker of Week 3 in Canadian Football League action as he starts his second season with the Edmonton Elks.

His performance came in a loss to the Montreal Alouettes on June 20.

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Per Pro Stats Canada, Anderson had a 93.7 production rating, highest at his position. He also had nine tackles in the game.

Per his CFL bio page, he had seven tackles against the Blue Bombers. He was coming off back-to-back nine-tackle games against British Columbia and Montreal to open the season and has 25 tackles so far in 2025. He had seven tackles in a game against Winnipeg on Thursday. The Elks are 0-3 and in last place in the West Division.

With Edmonton last season, Anderson recorded one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory, leading the CFL in total tackles with 116. He was tied for first with defensive tackles at 111. That was the second most by a first-year player in CFL history. Only Barrin Simpson’s 115, recorded in 2021, is ahead of Anderson.

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He was named the CFL’s most outstanding rookie and to the All-CFL team.

Before joining the Elks, he was with the New Orleans Saints in training camp in 2023 and played in three preseason games, as he had four tackles and one pass deflection before he was part of the final wave of cuts.

Anderson played four seasons for Tulane (2019-22) and before that one season for Jones County in Mississippi. He emerged as a huge star his final season, as he played in all 14 games for the Green Wave, finishing with a career-high 113 tackles (62 solo), with two sacks, four passes defended and two fumble recoveries.

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He was named a second-team all-AAC performer that season.

After winning the league crown, the Green Wave went on to the Cotton Bowl and beat USC. It was Tulane’s first appearance in a New Year’s bowl game since the 1939 Sugar Bowl and its third bowl game win in four tries under then-head coach Willie Fritz.

Tulane is working toward preparing for the 2025 season, where the Green Wave is seen as a contender to win the American Athletic Conference title after going 9-5 last season under head coach Jon Sumrall. Tulane reached the AAC title game for the third straight year, losing to Army West Point.

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