NORMAN — As he was going through his own struggle with injuries last season, OU receiver Nic Anderson couldn’t help but think back to his brother’s journey.

Rodney Anderson’s career with the Sooners was laced with injuries. He suffered a season-ending broken leg just one carry into his freshman season, missed the 2016 season with a neck injury, then after a productive 2017 suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second game of 2018.

But still, Rodney Anderson stayed positive through it all.

“I always heard from my parents that when those injuries happened, he was down, and the first couple days were the hardest,” Nic Anderson said. “Every time I saw him as a kid, he had his head up high. He was laughing, joking. He used comedy as one of the buffers. I never saw him in a bad mood, so I think that helped me growing up.

“When I went through it myself, just asking him for advice, he always said the same thing: just find other ways to get better, and just keep your head high.”

So Nic Anderson did his best to remain positive throughout last season’s struggles — when he played in just three games and recorded no catches and just one carry.

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“You never want to see your athlete, child hurt,” said Rod Anderson, Nic’s father. “That’s part of the game. I like the way he handled it mentally. I liked the way the team handled him mentally. You’re going to heal up, you’re going to do those things. … It rounds out very nicely and you grow and learn the mental side.

“He talks a lot about the team keeping his head up. That’s no joke. That’s for real.”

Nic Anderson particularly credits teammates Kip Lewis, Kaden Helms and Jayden Gibson — all members of the Sooners’ 2022 signing class — for helping lift him up when things got difficult.

“We all have a tight pack, so we just joke around, keep our heads high,” Nic Anderson said.

His approach has paid off so far.

In four games, heading into Saturday's home game against Iowa State (6 p.m., FS1), Anderson has eight catches for 223 yards and four touchdowns. All of his touchdowns have come over the last two games.

His 27.9 yards per reception lead the Sooners and only Andrel Anthony has more receiving yards on the team than Anderson.

“It’s super dope. He’s a guy who’s super special,” OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel said. “He’s young, but his young energy and his manhood, the type of guy he is — it’s kind of funny just the type of guy he is.

“It’s good having him and it’s great for the room too.”

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It’s not just Anderson’s personality that make him stand out, but his 6-foot-4 size as well.

Gibson is listed at 6-foot-5 and J.J. Hester, who has yet to play in a game this season, is also listed at 6-foot-4. No other Sooners’ receivers are listed taller than 6-foot-1.

While Nic is continuing to emerge as a central piece of OU’s receiving corps, Rodney is back at OU, working with Sooner Sports Properties as a manager of NIL business development.

Their middle brother, Ryder, is on the New York Giants practice squad after playing defensive end at Ole Miss and Indiana.

So it can be difficult to get the brothers together in one place.

But they were in Tulsa a few weeks ago when Nic Anderson had three catches — all for touchdowns — against the Golden Hurricane.

“Any time I have some of my family in the stands, it’s a sweet moment,” Anderson said. “I just loved them seeing me do my thing.”

The real action happens in the rare moments when the brothers are all able to return home to Katy, Texas.

The Anderson family lives in a cul-de-sac, and whenever the family gathers, a competition is sure to break out.

“The neighborhood comes out when they’re home,” Rod said. “Whenever they’re home, you can guarantee two things are going to happen — they’re going to toss the ball in the front yards and they’re going to race.

“The neighbors just pop up and just watch. It’s part of the deal.”

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It extends beyond the brothers, though.

“We get it from our parents,” Nic Anderson said. “So I don’t know (who’s the most competitive. I think it’s pretty much all the same. But if you get them riled up, they’re gonna have a few choice words.”

A few years ago, the family signed a paper agreeing to an Olympic-style competition between the family.

“I think it’s coming up soon, actually,” Anderson said. “We’re going to do a bunch of different sports like track, tennis, … basketball.”

Anderson concedes their mother, Jobie Anderson, might win the tennis competition. But he has a clear vision for how the rest will play out.

“I’m winning the whole thing,” he said. “Well, maybe. I think my dad might have us on the weightlifting. Maybe Rodney. But I got all the other sports.”

For now, though, Anderson is focused on staying healthy and helping the Sooners continue to thrive.

“He’s got confidence, humility,” OU coach Brent Venables said. “It’s a very competitive family. He’s a football junkie and just a great teammate, and last year was very frustrating for him.

"Really hardworking guy who last year was just snake-bit. Just couldn’t get over that injury hump, but he hung in there and kept working through it all. So, it’s great to see him have some success after everything he’s been through. He’s got a great future.”

OU vs. Iowa State

KICKOFF: 6 p.m. Saturday at Gaylord Family—Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman (FS1)

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football's Nic Anderson learns from lessons of his brother, Rodney