Colt Anderson

Colt Anderson (born October 25, 1985) is an American professional football coach and former player who currently serves as the assistant special teams coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played in the NFL as a safety and special teams gunner. Anderson played college football for the Montana Grizzlies and was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He was also a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, and Buffalo Bills.

Early life Anderson was born on October 25, 1985, in Butte, Montana, to parents Mike and Michele Anderson. He has three uncles that played college football between the University of Montana and Montana State University during the 1970s. Anderson attended Butte High School, where he lettered in football and basketball for three years, and track for two years. Anderson played football as a running back and safety. As a junior, he was named honorable mention all-state, and as a senior in 2004, was an all-state first-team safety and honorable mention running back. The Butte High Bulldogs had an imperfect season with a record of 0–9 in Anderson's senior season. Over the course of his career, Anderson recorded 310 tackles, nine interceptions, 850 rushing yards, and 12 touchdowns. He was not recruited out of high school and chose to attend the University of Montana.

College career Anderson attended the University of Montana, where he studied business administration. and sat out the 2004 season on redshirt status. but suffered a broken thumb after making a tackle against Oregon. That season, Montana advanced to the national championship game before falling to Richmond, 24–7. Anderson was selected as a Buck Buchanan Award candidate. Virtually every FCS All-America team selector named Anderson to its first team. The American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press, and the Walter Camp Foundation named Anderson to their first teams, while the Sports Network named him an honorable mention All-American. After the season, he participated in the Texas vs. the Nation all-star game.

Professional career

Pre-draft

The CBS Sports-affiliated NFL Draft Scout assessed Anderson as the 13th-ranked of the 106 free safeties available for the 2009 NFL draft and considered him as a potential seventh-round selection or free agent. A Scout.com assessment commended Anderson's instincts and tackling, but described his size as "marginal for the NFL" and said he was more suited for zone coverage than man-to-man. Anderson said, "Shoot, I'm like any other person. I'll watch the first 10 picks, or maybe the first round, and then just check on it from time to time. Any NFL fan will watch that first round. Once the second round starts, I’ll be laying around, taking a nap."

Minnesota Vikings Anderson was not selected in the 2009 draft, but he reported that ten teams pursued him shortly afterward. The Minnesota Vikings signed Anderson as an undrafted free agent, which included a $20,000 signing bonus, a comparatively large sum. He said, "I just felt Minnesota was the best opportunity for me. They thought I could have an impact for them."

Philadelphia Eagles Anderson was signed to a three-year contract off of the Vikings' practice squad on November 9, 2010, by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played in the Eagles eight remaining games that season, starting two due to injury to Nate Allen.

Anderson was considered a Pro Bowl caliber special teams player in 2011 through the first 12 games of the season, before suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a game against the Seattle Seahawks, leading to his placement on injured reserve on December 5.

Anderson was placed on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) for the start of training camp on July 22, 2012. He was once again considered a standout special teams player for an otherwise mostly disappointing Eagles team, earning starts at safety when Kurt Coleman was injured.

Anderson's strong play on special teams continued in 2013, though he saw less snaps on defense than the previous season.

Indianapolis Colts Anderson signed with the Indianapolis Colts on April 21, 2014. He was one of the only NFL players ever to have the same first name as his team.

On March 10, 2015, Anderson re-signed with the Colts. On October 18 against the New England Patriots, head coach Chuck Pagano called for a fake punt on 4th and 3 late in the third quarter. The play left Griff Whalen snapping the ball to Anderson with no Colts teammates blocking and two Patriots players standing over the ball. Anderson was tackled for a loss, and the Patriots took over on downs and scored a touchdown en route to a 34–27 victory.

Buffalo Bills Anderson signed with the Buffalo Bills on April 12, 2016. On October 10, 2016, he was placed on injured reserve with a hand injury.

On January 27, 2017, Anderson was re-signed by the Bills. He was released on September 4, but was re-signed the next day. He was placed on injured reserve on October 3. He was activated off injured reserve on December 28.

NFL statistics

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions GP GS Comb Total Ast Sack FF FR Yds Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD 2010 PHI 8 2 16 16 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2011 PHI 12 0 11 10 1 0.0 1 0 0 1 4 4 4 0 3 2012 PHI 14 4 33 30 3 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2013 PHI 14 0 11 9 2 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2014 IND 15 0 19 16 3 0.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2015 IND 14 1 12 7 5 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2016 BUF 2 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2017 BUF 5 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Career 87 7 102 88 14 0.0 2 1 0 1 4 4 4 0 4

Coaching career Cincinnati Bengals Anderson was hired by the Cincinnati Bengals as an assistant special teams coach on February 10, 2020.

Tennessee Titans On February 16, 2024, Anderson hired by Tennessee Titans as their special teams coordinator under new head coach Brian Callahan. After a disastrous season, Anderson was fired and replaced by John Fassel.

San Francisco 49ers On February 25, 2025, the San Francisco 49ers hired Anderson to serve as the team's assistant special teams coach.