The coronavirus pandemic has directly affected one of Alabama’s current football players. The grandparents of true freshman outside linebacker Will Anderson, who enrolled early in January, both tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) and are currently in the hospital.

Anderson’s mother, Tereon, shared the news on Twitter on Thursday night. Her parents, Shirley and Gary Collins, have been hospitalized in their home state of Georgia since Sunday.

“They’re doing good, holding tight,” Tereon Anderson told BamaOnLine. “My mom, she’s a little bit more stable. My dad, he’s still in a medically-induced coma. He’s on a ventilator, so we’re definitely praying that he pulls through. Right now, it just has to run its course.”

How real is Covid? My parents tested positive and are currently hospitalized. Mom is stable and dad is in ICU. My sister and I cannot visit. Praying daily. This came full circle. ?????? — Tereon Anderson (@sweetteathatsme) March 27, 2020

The Collins both started showing symptoms last Friday but told their daughter they were going to “try to tough it out.” Anderson decided she was going to take her parents to the hospital on Sunday, regardless of their intentions. But she actually had to call an ambulance for her father, and when her mother arrived and health professionals saw her, she was admitted, too.

That was the last time Anderson saw her parents in person due to hospital visitor restrictions.

Shirley and Gary Collins are both over 65 years old and showed signs of fever, body aches and shortness of breath. It was when her father started vomiting that Anderson knew it had reached the point that she realized she needed to take action to get her parents medical help.

“They’re just trying different techniques,” Anderson said.

“The biggest thing for my dad is to be able to get him to breathe on his own because he went in pretty bad, so he went straight to a ventilator within 24 hours, and it’s kind of been like that for the last three days. If they can get him breathing on his own then they can kind of look at some other things going on, like they’re concerned about his kidneys and some swelling.

“It’s taken a toll on my dad’s body, but my mom, she’s doing pretty good they’re just trying to get her breathing together. But she’s in a much better position than my dad right now.”

As of Friday afternoon, the state of Georgia has 1,642 confirmed cases of coronavirus, while the state of Alabama has 571, according to The Guardian. The number of cases continues to climb across the United States and has now affected the Alabama football program.

Alabama early enrollee linebacker Will Anderson

Will Anderson spent the first two and a half months of 2020 on campus as an early enrollee and was set to go through his first collegiate practice on March 13 before the Crimson Tide suspended its spring season due to the virus. Since then, the former 5-star recruit has spent the last two weeks at home in Hampton, Ga., and will remain there for the foreseeable future.

While it has been a difficult month for the Anderson family, which saw Will’s father’s mother pass away from cancer on March 5, Tereon Anderson has appreciated how the University of Alabama has handled the COVID-19 crisis and informed the families of its student-athletes.

“From the onset of the virus, just getting information out there, Alabama has done a fantastic job of communicating with us,” Anderson said. “Not only just Alabama athletics but Alabama the university, Alabama the family, parent and family group. We’re constantly getting emails. We’re constantly being reminded to look at the Facebook page, make sure we’re following all the different Twitter pages they have out there and everyone is constantly updating us.

“That’s the thing that I appreciate the most. It’s not just the athletic program that’s communicating with us, but it’s not just the college as a whole. He’s not just a player, he’s also a student.”

Contact Charlie Potter by personal message or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).