Otis Anderson: What you need to know about University Christian and UCF football star
Former University Christian School and University of Central Florida running back Otis Anderson, a two-time state football champion, died overnight Monday in a reported double domestic shooting in Jacksonville. Anderson, among the city's leading running backs during the mid-2010s and an award-winning UCF athlete in college football, was 23 years old. His mother, Denise, was also reportedly shot during the incident.
Where did Otis Anderson play high school football?
Anderson played running back at University Christian on Jacksonville's Southside, winning Florida High School Athletic Association championships for Class 2A football in 2015 and 2016.
What were Otis Anderson's achievements at University Christian?
Playing alongside Hussein Howe at running back for most of his University Christian career, Anderson averaged 12 yards per carry as a sophomore and worked his way into the backfield full-time by his junior year. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards as both a junior and senior. He received first-team All-State honors for Class 2A in 2016 and made the All-First Coast third team at running back.
Anderson was also a distinguished track and field athlete, winning the Region 1-1A boys championship in the 100-meter dash in 2016 and winning a district title in the 200 in 2015.
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What were Otis Anderson's college achievements?
Anderson, listed at 5-11 and 174 pounds, signed with UCF in the 2017 signing class. He helped the Knights to their undefeated season in 2017 as a freshman, and scored against Auburn in the Peach Bowl. He concluded his UCF career as a second-team American Athletic Conference selection at running back as a senior. During his junior year, Pro Football Focus selected him as the conference's top punt returner. UCF won conference championships in 2017 and 2018 with Anderson on the team.
The Times-Union selected Anderson to the annual First Coast All-FBS team for top Northeast Florida performers in high school football in 2019 and 2020.
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What were Otis Anderson's UCF statistics?
Anderson concluded his college career with 2,182 rushing yards (ninth in UCF history), 3,708 all-purpose yards (eighth in UCF history), 27 touchdowns (eighth in UCF history) and 6.1 yards per carry (second in UCF history).
When did he play in the NFL?
Anderson signed in June with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent, playing with the NFC West team during the 2021 NFL preseason. He earned a spot on the Rams' practice squad before the team released him later in September.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville's Otis Anderson: Key facts about University Christian, UCF athlete
