Fruit Snacks, Family and Eddie Robinson: How Deontay Anderson Became a 5-Star

ARLINGTON, Texas — Deontay Anderson chatted among friends and reporters about a variety of topics during downtime at The Opening Dallas regional two weeks ago. When the topic of recruiting came up, he reiterated that he had a top-10 list, and every school mentioned received a positive note of some sort.

As the 5-star safety spoke, he'd periodically pop a Welch's Fruit Snacks gummy into his mouth. And then another. And another.

When the packet was empty, he laughed. And then, he went for another one.

Really?

"I mean, what can I say? I love fruit snacks," Anderson said. "I eat them before a sporting event, after an event, sometimes during. It's a rush when the sugar kicks in. I can eat two or three packs, and I feel hype."

Call it an oxymoron that works. Here is Anderson, one of the elite athletes of the 2016 recruiting class. The nation's No. 3 safety. A star at Texas' Manvel High School, a player with nearly 40 offers and someone who has a respectable pedigree of professional athletes.

And how is he known around school? He's the guy addicted to fruit snacks. The athlete wanted by multiple schools for his super-impressive football resume also is the guy known for putting down as many as 10 small packs of the gummies a day.

"It's bad, really bad," said Manvel offensive tackle Austin Myers, a 3-star TCU commit. "Everybody knows he loves fruit snacks. And he doesn't share."

Anderson doesn't mind the word "addiction" when it comes to the snacks—as long as they continue to help him on the football field. Let him tell it, Welch's Fruit Snacks—the mixed fruit variety if you're keeping score—are part of the reason he's the player he is today.

That, of course, and proper training, great genetics, an insane will to win and hard work. Tons of hard work.

Credit: Anderson family

Marshawn has Skittles...

Anderson is the first to say the fruit snacks give him that added boost needed to either deliver the jarring hit to break up a pass play or make the tackle that prevents an offense from having a big play.

"It all started around my 10th-grade year," Anderson said. "I used to eat Nerds, but I wanted something new. I tried fruit snacks one day, and then one day became every day."

Anderson once watched Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch pop Skittles on the sidelines during a game. He then saw Lynch bully through a defense with runs over linebackers and defensive backs—literally—that would be the center point of any running back's highlight tape.

Skittles were OK, but Anderson wanted to have his own candy identity. And now, fruit snacks are part of his pregame and postgame routines. Sometimes, he'll sneak a pack in during competition.

Michael Anderson, Deontay's father, doesn't mind the addiction. If anything, he and his wife, Hava, support it. While fruit snacks are still considered a candy, they are low-calorie treats with 100 percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin C, according to Welch's nutritional guide.

Michael said Deontay could go through a dozen boxes of fruit snacks a month. Each box could contain 20 packets, if not more.

"Don't get me wrong, he'll eat the things he's supposed to," Michael said. "But right before a football game or a track meet, he's got to have fruit snacks. He says that's his lucky charm. My wife will get him a box, and I'll get him a box."

And that doesn't count the packets he gets at school before sporting events—which Myers reiterated Anderson doesn't share.

"When we go to a track meet, he'll take them all before anyone else can get any," Myers said. "He's really addicted to them, and if you try to take them from him...yeah, it doesn't work out."

Learning from the family

Don't be fooled; success isn't only fruit snacks-laden for Anderson. As an athlete, he's someone who wakes up before the sun rises every day to fine-tune his body. He practices the same way he plays—with a chip on his shoulder. It shows during game days.

Credit: 247Sports

In three seasons as a starter for Manvel, Anderson has accounted for 184 tackles, 18 pass breakups and four interceptions. He was tested early as a freshman, but when teams saw he held his own, they began throwing away from him.

Credit part of that to his family tree. Anderson's father was a quarterback for Grambling State and played under the legendary Eddie Robinson from 1978-82. Michael Anderson attended Grambling the year the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Doug Williams.

Michael Anderson was on campus when Robinson earned coaching victory No. 300. Robinson finished his career with 408 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

"The advice I got from my college coach, I pass on to Deontay," Michael said. "Every morning, [Robinson] would come around with a cowbell, and he'd ring it. He'd knock on your door, and you and your roommate had to get up, go to the meal hall and go to class. That was his philosophy.

"I'd get Deontay and his brother up early in the morning, because the early bird gets the worm. You don't want to miss out on an opportunity to be great. When Deontay goes to college, he won't have a problem getting up and going to work."

Deontay's mother was a standout track and field athlete at Lamar High School in Houston. The young football star always loved hearing the stories of how his mother would challenge the boys in a foot race.

"She used to run against them and beat them," he said. "I think I got my speed from her."

Deontay's older brother, Michael Anderson Jr., played football and basketball at Worthing High School in Houston. Deontay remembers playing basketball against his brother when he was younger.

Those games, he said, may have triggered his ultra-competitive nature. He despises losing at anything, from Friday night games to seven-on-seven competitions to board games.

"Man, I hated losing to him," Anderson said of his brother. "I was like four or five, and he was around 12 or 13 when we'd play. He was way bigger, way stronger, but I'd get mad because I hated losing. I didn't care about age. I wanted to win. I still do."

A "Cadillac" and more

Not many people can say they're related to a former pro athlete. Anderson has three men in his family who saw time in a professional sports atmosphere.

His dad briefly played football for the Houston Gamblers of the defunct USFL. He worked out as a tight end in 1983. Deontay’s uncle, James Tademy, was a basketball player who saw time in the defunct ABA, Michael Anderson said.

And then there's Deontay's "Uncle Greg." Basketball fans knew him as Greg "Cadillac" Anderson, who played 14 seasons professionally with six NBA teams. He also played overseas in Italy and Argentina.

Deontay said he first remembered his uncle being a big deal when he competed against Michael Jordan in the 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

"I knew he was always bigger than everybody else," Deontay said of Greg, who stood 6'10" and weighed 230 pounds in his playing days. "He's a funny guy, but when you watched him play, he didn't really talk much. He just did what he had to do."

Michael said Greg would always give advice about how hard work beats talent every time. It's something that Deontay's taken to heart, something that he uses each time he steps on the field.

"You can be good but not work hard, and the guy working hard next to you will catch you or be ahead of you," Michael said. "Deontay's got God-given talent, but if he keeps working hard, he's always going to be one step ahead of some of the others. He'd tell him that nobody's going to give you anything. You have to push yourself."

Credit: Anderson family

Building a legacy

The power of fruit snacks makes Anderson's success stories fun to chronicle, but the 5-star safety said he looks forward to adding to that story with his play in college. Anderson's top 10, in alphabetical order, are: Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M and USC. He added that Nebraska and UCLA are two schools that are still on the outside looking in.

Anderson has visited nearly all 10 schools and said he will make a decision either right before the start of his senior year or during the Under Armour All-America Game. Anderson also said an announcement at The Opening this summer in Oregon hasn't been ruled out.

"I've connected with all the coaches," Anderson said, "so now, I'm just looking for the best place that'll fit me. I'm getting to know a lot more of the players, but it's all about the right atmosphere and which coaches will take me far. You've got to have great chemistry."

The winning program will get a player who understands the nature of being a college recruit on and off the field. He makes it a priority to keep his grades respectable, his discipline record flawless and his faith strong. Michael said Deontay has a 3.5 grade-point average.

Arguably, the most important thing for Anderson is staying humble. Each morning, he will wake up, say a prayer and read devotional messages. Three things that are said every day, per his father: Believe in God. Believe in yourself. Continue to work hard.

"Take care of business, and keep God first. That's what's been instilled in me," Anderson said. "My mom and dad have been saying that to me since I was real young. It helps that I'm like a perfectionist. I want everything to go right and be right."

Anderson wants to one day be talked about in the same light as his family members. He knows he still has work to do, but he also knows it can happen if he sticks to his plan.

And best believe, eating fruit snacks will continue to be a part of his rotation.

"Always," he said. "I'm always going to eat them. That's my thing."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. Player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles