Alyssa Johnson Dec 14, 2024 – Lincoln Journal Star

University of Nebraska-Lincoln sophomore geography major Maxwell Anderson, also known as Jersey Guy, has gone viral for wearing a different jersey to his class every day, Anderson has around 100 different jerseys.  KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star

hen University of Nebraska-Lincoln sophomore Maxwell Anderson strolled into his 9:30 a.m. human geography class on Thursday, the last thing he expected was to find five dozen brand-new jerseys waiting for him on his seat.

Since September, Anderson, a 19-year-old from Chicago, has become an unexpected social media sensation, though by no means of his own.

It all started on Sept. 3 when Big Red Dave shared a photo on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing Anderson sitting in the front row of class proudly wearing a Nick Van Exel jersey. The next class, there was a new photo, this time featuring Anderson in a Karl Malone jersey.

LeBron James jersey at 9:30 geography? You bet. (Interesting alternate choice here) https://t.co/cIqI3tn7XF pic.twitter.com/wKB07GUYU1 — Big Red Dave (@BigRedDave_) October 3, 2024

The posts from Anderson’s classmate quickly gained traction, and as the semester continued, Anderson’s collection of jerseys garnered more support.

Anderson didn’t realize he had become an internet sensation until early October, when a TikTok video featuring his admirable attire went viral.

“I was stunned,” Anderson said. “I was so happy … and then a day later, it got millions of views.”

University of Nebraska-Lincoln sophomore geography major Maxwell Anderson, also known as Jersey Guy, has gone viral for wearing a different jersey to his class every day, Anderson has around 100 different jerseys, about 60 of which were given to him this week by Fanatics. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star

With the new hype online, Anderson made a promise to himself — he would never repeat a jersey in his Bessey Hall class.

“I just kept wearing them and I had enough, I finished the semester out,” Anderson said.

Thursday, the final day of his geography class, Anderson was greeted with a special gift waiting for him — nearly 60 jerseys draped over his front-row seat.

“I was stunned, I couldn’t say anything,” Anderson said. “Standing there, I was in shock. I had no idea this was going to happen.”

The video of Anderson’s reaction went viral on social media and his new nickname, “Jersey Guy,” quickly spread.

“I became Jersey Guy overnight,” Anderson said on Friday. “I went to class today and everyone in the class knew I was famous and it’s insane.”

The new jerseys had been donated by Fanatics, a sports apparel and fan gear store. The addition included many different sports, including soccer, WNBA, hockey and baseball jerseys. A LeBron James jersey, Anderson’s favorite player of all time, was also added to his collection.

“It’s so weird because this is just my life,” Anderson said. “I’m not doing anything special, I’m not doing anything that requires a ton of talent. I just be me and I go out and wear jerseys I love and then people loved it also.”

Jerseys have always been meaningful to Anderson. His first jersey was a Steelers “Mean” Joe Greene jersey from his dad when he was just 10 years old. Later, during an eighth grade trip to New York, Anderson bought a Magic Johnson jersey and a Giannis Antetokounmpo jersey.

Before going viral, Anderson owned nearly 40 jerseys, the majority of which were football and basketball.

“I love sports. I played basketball in high school and grade school, and then I played football, also in high school,” Anderson said. “I like to watch sports and then I got into sports more and more.”

The most obscure jersey in his collection is a retro Steve Largent jersey, and his pride and joy is a framed, signed Jim Zorn jersey. Both were Seattle Seahawks players long before Anderson was born.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln sophomore geography major Maxwell Anderson, also known as Jersey Guy, went viral for wearing a different jersey to his class every day. Anderson’s favorite jersey is a framed retro Jim Zorn jersey, a gift from his father. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star

Anderson’s adoration for the Seahawks began in 2014 after they won the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos.

“We had a class assignment in fourth grade and we had to choose which team we thought was going to win,” Anderson said. “Me and like one other kid chose the Seahawks and everyone else chose the Broncos.”

Today, he owns around seven Seahawks jerseys, the most popular team in his collection.

As his collection nears 100 jerseys, there had been one notable item still missing: a Husker jersey. But that all changed Friday night when Anderson was given four of them at the Nebraska-Indiana men’s basketball game.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln sophomore geography major Maxwell Anderson, wears a new Nebraska jersey, one of four he was gifted, at the Nebraska vs. Indiana Men’s basketball game on Friday. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star

While jerseys are expensive and can range from $60 to $200, Anderson said it’s just like buying a new sweatshirt.

“Everyone’s got their own pair of clothing they like; I really like jerseys,” he said.

He estimates that he has somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 worth of jerseys in his collection.

He expects the chaos to die off over winter break, but he plans to keep wearing his jerseys when he returns to school in January.

“I don’t really care if it’s only my 15 minutes of fame and it doesn’t last. This is a moment I’ll have for the rest of my life,” Anderson said. “I’m gonna die with this moment. I’m gonna tell my kids about it, I’m gonna tell my family.”