Former Central Florida football coach Josh Heupel gave a powerful eulogy on behalf of his former running back Otis Anderson Jr., who was killed in a shooting at his parents' home on Nov. 29.
Heupel, now coach at Tennessee, stood at the lectern and took several pauses in his tribute to remember Anderson not just as as a player, but as a person who carried about the relationships he built with those around him.
"Impact can never be measured in years," Heupel said. "It's measured in relationships and the legacy that you leave behind. When I think about Otis Anderson, I think about brotherhood and relationships.
"... Whether that was his family, whether it was his football brotherhood or whether it was his fraternity brothers, that's what mattered to him the most."
Heupel recalled the first time Anderson came into his office. Heupel said he "knew of Anderson but but he did not know Otis."
"He cared about everyone else more than he cared about himself," Heupel said. "He loved with his entire heart and gave you everything that he had."
Anderson Jr. was a versatile player for the Knights from 2017 to 2020 and amassed 3,207 total yards from scrimmage and 26 touchdowns. He also returned 39 punts for 478 yards and a touchdown during his career.
He was an All-AAC performer as a junior, earning accolades as a running back and punt returner. Heupel said during meetings with his staff, they would have arguments about what was Anderson's primary position.
"Is he a wide receiver, running back, is he a kick returner?" Heupel would ask his staff. "The answer was he [Otis] was all those three things. He will forever be known by me as the hybrid position.
"On the field, speed dominates. That was the one thing he said to me. He was always willing to stick himself out there to make a big play that made the difference in the game... He was always ready to go do what was necessary."
During the summer of 2021, Anderson signed a three-year deal with the Rams worth over $2 million and started the year on the team's practice squad. He was released by the team on Sept. 20.
Several former UCF players and members of the Rams organization also shared their condolences for Anderson in the last week.
