When Ryan Anderson checks his phone after games, one of the first things Alabama's standout linebacker sees are text messages from Wallace Gilberry.

They're there after every game. Usually several.

These aren't the typical congratulatory texts that players get during and after games. They're constructive criticism -- messages and feedback that Gilberry, a former Tide star and current Cincinnati Bengal, will send throughout the game.

"He's texting me all throughout the games," said Anderson, a redshirt senior. "I get back in the locker room and I have five or six texts from him, just coaching me. Even if I got a sack or something, he's still on me telling me what I need to do, so that's always helping."

"It's just stuff that I see him doing that I know he can do better," Gilberry said. "If I see it, I've got to send it to him because I know he's going to end up playing good, and I don't want him to forget the things that he could have done better. So when they're on my mind, I have to shoot it over to him. And he always follows back with 'I know.' And then he always gets it fixed the next week and has another hellacious game."

Gilberry is one of the top defensive linemen in Alabama history and ranks as one the Tide's all-time leaders in tackles for a loss and sacks. To Anderson, he's also a first cousin, a big brother-like figure, a mentor and someone who's helped him develop into one of the nation's top outside linebackers.

"People always say that me and him play alike, but they don't know that we're related or how close we are," Gilberry said. "We just laugh at it. But he's doing his thing. It's almost like watching my son out there playing. It's exciting watching him grow from where he came from to where he is today. And all the credit goes to him. He's come a long way, and he deserves everything that he's getting right now."

The two have always been close, and Gilberry has helped Anderson with football since Anderson was young.

When Anderson and former Alabama star T.J. Yeldon were freshmen at Daphne High School, Gilberry began taking them with him to work out with his longtime trainer, Lyle Henley. Anderson would work out at Daphne, train with Henley and then work with both Henley and Gilberry when the latter was back in Alabama during the summer.

It would usually be big groups during the summer workouts at Henley's old facility in Spanish Fort, groups that consisted of former Tide standouts like Gilberry and D.J. Fluker and younger guys like Anderson. There were drills to improve conditioning, speed and change of direction.

Afterward, Gilberry worked with Anderson on pass rushing. The two still work together when Gilberry is home in Alabama. They will pass rush against dummies, work on their hands with boxing pads and practice martial arts hand techniques that help during the regular hand-to-hand combat with offensive linemen.

"Wallace is really good with his hands, so we taught Ryan how to use his hands, leverage and ball get-off," said Henley, the current head football strength and conditioning coach at UAB. "Just the finer things that have helped Wallace be a nine-year NFL veteran, he's passed along to Ryan."

Technique is the primary thing that Gilberry looks at while watching and evaluating Anderson on Saturdays. If he sees something he doesn't like, he'll send a text.

Anderson will also send Gilberry practice film to watch and critique.

"I'm huge on technique," Gilberry said. "He's such an incredible talent that he can get away from that sometimes because he's able to do it. I just remind him, 'Your technique's going to take you way further than your talent. And he's a student of the game. He listens, and he attacks it with the mindset that he's supposed to have."

That's helped Anderson take another step forward after beginning to break out as a redshirt junior last season. Anderson is one of the top players on arguably the nation's best defense, a unit ranked No. 1 nationally in rush defense and sacks and No. 2 in total defense.

After recording 11 1/2 stops for a loss and six sacks as a rotational player last year, Anderson has 39 tackles and a team-high 14 1/2 tackles for a loss through 10 games this year. He is also third on the team with 6 1/2 sacks, behind only Tim Williams and Jonathan Allen.

"He's a smart player," Alabama coach Nick Saban said of Anderson. "He really plays his position well, whether we're playing (base defense) or his role in nickel. He understands the pass coverage part of what we have to do. For an outside 'backer, it's really critical to have some guys that can do that. His leadership, his pass rush ability, his ability to run. He's just a very, very good all-around football player that has done a fantastic job for us."

Anderson is averaging 1.45 tackles for a loss per game. That means he's on pace to finish the season with 22 stops for a loss if Alabama makes it back to the national championship game.

Finishing with 22 would rank Anderson third in Tide history for tackles for a loss in a single season, behind only Derrick Thomas and...his cousin.

"He's always been different," Gilberry said. "You always knew he had it. And now, he's able to show the world that he has it. That's the fun part. I'm proud of him."