Tyler Wesley estimates he’d never played before a bigger crowd than the audience packing Melvin & Dollie Younts Stadium for Anderson University’s historic debut on Sept. 7. If the Trojans quarterback and the rest of Anderson’s Team have their way, the inaugural showing is just the beginning. 

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“Having the fans come, my classmates, my teachers, people around the community, it's just amazing [how they responded saying], ‘Oh, yeah, we noticed you from the game. We were supporting the Trojans.’  And to continue that comes from winning,” said Wesley. 

Highlights: St. Andrews vs Anderson Football

Anderson’s starting on the right path to that end. In the program’s first two games in its short existence, the Trojans rolled to 51-14 and 44-14 routs of St. Andrews and LaGrange. Wesley powered Anderson with three touchdown passes in Week 1 and two more the following Saturday. 

Wesley, voted a captain of the first-ever Anderson team, joined the Trojans transferring from Presbyterian College. He was a standout for the Blue Hose in 2023, earning All-Pioneer Football League honors for his dual-threat playmaking. 

Raised in the Baptist church, however, Wesley said the opportunity to attend a university of his denomination appealed to him. The opportunity to help build something from the ground up likewise spoke to Wesley. 

“One of our team ministers, his name is Nate Norwood, he talked about [how] we are making the culture. We are not only starting this team one,” said Wesley. “Yes, this would be the first season [of Anderson football]. But we are establishing a culture here and that's so exciting.” 

So much of Anderson’s first year is about shaping an identity; setting a standard. To that end, Wesley said Trojans quarterbacks who follow him will be better — and that’s the way he wants it. Two games into his tenure, Wesley’s setting the bar high. 

But with the Trojans embarking on South Atlantic Conference play, taking on a Limestone program that reached the 2022 and 2023 NCAA Div. II Playoffs, Wesley recognizes the real work of establishing Anderson football begins.

A Team for Its Community 

Not far from college football’s Death Valley, new life sprouted. 

“The neat thing is, there's a lot of Clemson fans in the area, which is fine,” said Bobby Lamb, the first-ever Anderson head football coach. “But we've got our own little niche here.” 

Located less than 20 miles from Clemson, Anderson sits a stone’s throw from Howard’s Rock. Winners of two national championships in the last decade, the Tigers command a fiercely loyal fanbase. 

More than 80,000 flocked to Memorial Stadium for Clemson’s 2024 home opener vs. Appalachian State, held the same day as Anderson’s debut vs. St. Andrews. Even with the attention the Tigers attracted, the Trojans brought in the biggest crowd Wesley ever played in front of. 

Anderson’s Week 2 game also welcomed a healthy audience. Before the Trojans played official games in 2023, their intrasquad scrimmage over Homecoming weekend a year ago filled the new on-campus stadium. 

Watch: Anderson Football Scrimmage

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A genuine enthusiasm has built around the fledgling program in short order, which Lamb credits both to the community and university. 

“The city of Anderson is not the biggest in America,” said Lamb. “But we're certainly not the smallest city. We’re located about 25 miles from Greenville, South Carolina, which is one of the five fastest-growing cities in America. And Anderson is continuing to grow. 

“We’re going to be Anderson’s football team,” Lamb added. “That really showed in our first two games.” 

Lamb pointed to the school and its growth in the last two decades. With around 4,500 students in 2024, Anderson boasts the largest student body of any private university in South Carolina. 

Launching a football program is both a reflection of Anderson’s growth, and indicative of its future aspirations to continue attracting new students. 

As a linchpin of the university, the proverbial front porch welcoming in onlookers, Trojans Team One has a unique opportunity. 

“The Right Reasons” 

When pitching a program that existed only as a concept, Lamb came to Anderson with experience. He helped restart football at Mercer after about 70 years of dormancy, in the process setting the groundwork for a burgeoning power in the Football Championship Subdivision’s Southern Conference. 

“No matter what our record ends up being, they can all look back and say they laid the foundation to get this thing started, and so that's a really rewarding piece that we use in recruiting." - Bobby Lamb

“The other piece is when our first class got here, there were no [returning] players, so the lines aren't very long for playing time,” he continued. “In this day and time, every kid wants to play. So, there are true freshmen or redshirt freshmen who will have a chance to be a starter for four years.” 

Indeed, the Trojans roster is comprised predominantly of first- or second-year freshmen. Through Anderson’s first two games, freshmen have unsurprisingly contributed extensively: wide receiver Kenneth Brown has 10 receptions for 160 yards with a touchdown; running backs Bryson James and Zaidon Gunn helped pace the ground attack vs. LaGrange. 

Highlights: LaGrange vs Anderson Football

“And then you bring in the transfers,” said Lamb. “They add experience and some leadership qualities that we didn't have because we had so many freshmen. It's been a really good mix.” 

Anderson’s upperclassmen transfers include tight end Wesley Beckett, who has five receptions and a touchdown in two games; some of the starting offensive line; and the quarterback Wesley, who has taken on some of that leadership role Lamb mentioned. 

“Giving an example, Mondays are our off-days,” Lamb said. “I looked out to the window [of the football office] and Tyler is out there [on the field]. He's got three receivers who are running routes or spotting for him, and he's throwing different routes that he thought he needed to work on. It's Monday afternoon when classes are over. He could be resting but he's out there getting better.” 

Wesley wants to be the best quarterback he can, sure. But he also takes to heart the responsibility inherent with forming the base for an entire program in the years to come.

“[The identity of the program] can either be bad or good, but it's up to us. To know that you were playing for the right reasons, that's what I want Anderson to be known as.” - Tyler Wesley

Where NCAA Division II Ranked Football Teams Are Playing

Here’s the ranking of teams with their upcoming games for next week:

• 1. Harding (Ark.): Sept. 19 at Arkansas-Monticello
• 2. Grand Valley St. (Mich.): Sept. 21 vs. Wisconsin-La Crosse
• 3. Valdosta St. (Ga.): Sept. 21 at Erskine (S.C.)
• 4. Colorado School of Mines: Sept. 21 at Chadron St. (Neb.)
• 5. Ferris St. (Mich.): Sept. 28 at American International (Mass.)
• 6. Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.): Sept. 21 at Mars Hill (N.C.)
• 7. Kutztown (Pa.): Sept. 21 at Gannon (Pa.)
• 8. Minnesota St.: Sept. 21 vs. Minot St. (N.D.)
• 9. Slippery Rock (Pa.): Sept. 21 at Shippensburg (Pa.)
• 10. Pittsburg St. (Kan.): Sept. 21 at Washburn (Kan.)
• 11. Central Missouri: Sept. 21 at Davenport (Mich.)
• 12. West Florida: Sept. 21 vs. No. 23 West Alabama
• 13. Emporia St. (Kan.): Sept. 21 vs. Missouri Western St.
• 14. Central Washington: Sept. 21 at West Texas A&M
• 15. Western Colorado: Sept. 21 vs. Adams St. (Colo.)
• 16. Indianapolis (Ind.): Sept. 21 at Wayne St. (Mich.)
• 17. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.): Sept. 21 at Southern Arkansas
• 18. Augustana (S.D.): Sept. 21 vs. Northern St. (S.D.)
• 19. Charleston (W.Va.): Sept. 21 vs. North Carolina-Pembroke
• 20. Henderson St. (Ark.): Sept. 21 vs. Arkansas Tech
• 21. Virginia Union: Sept. 21 at Johnson C. Smith (N.C.)
• 22. Colorado St.-Pueblo: Sept. 21 vs. Colorado Mesa
• 23. West Alabama: Sept. 21 at No. 12 West Florida
• 24t. Delta St. (Miss.): Sept. 21 vs. Fort Valley St. (Ga.)
• 24t. Wingate (N.C.): Sept. 21 vs. Carson-Newman (Tenn.)

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