2007 Football Roster
Roster
Avery Hannibal
- Position:
- DL
- Height:
- 6-1
- Weight:
- 240
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- LaGrange, GA
- High School/Previous School:
- Troup County
CAREER:
Has played in 34 games during his Mississippi State career, contributing primarily on special teams but seeing increasingly extensive work as a reserve along the defensive line . . . Has made 24 tackles, including five tackles for loss (minus 36 yards), four of which were quarterback sacks (minus 32 yards) . . . Has also caused a pair of fumbles . . . Redshirted his true freshman season . . . Came to the Bulldogs following an all-state high school career in Georgia.
2006:
Played in 12 games during his junior season, seeing work as a top reserve on the defensive line and on special teams . . . Recorded eight tackles on the season, including two for loss (minus 12 yards), one of which was a quarterback sack (minus 8 yards) . . . Registered one tackle, an 8-yard quarterback sack, in the Bulldogs’ season opener with South Carolina . . . Made one hit at LSU in Week 5 . . . Credited with at least one hit in five of the season’s final six weeks . . . Added another tackle two weeks later in the Bulldogs’ win over Jacksonville State . . . Recorded another pair of hits in his personal homecoming at Georgia in Week 8 . . . Tacked on another tackle a week later vs. Kentucky . . . Made a tackle in the Bulldogs’ Week 10 win at Alabama, including one-half tackle for loss (minus 3 yards) . . . Added a half-tackle for loss (minus 1 yard) in the season finale at Ole Miss . . . Big-play spring session kept him in line for playing time along the defensive line . . . Recorded five tackles during three spring scrimmages, including four and one-half for loss, three of which were quarterback sacks . . . Enters August second on the depth chart at right defensive end.
2005:
Played in all 11 games during his sophomore season, continuing his work on special teams and as a valuable reserve on the defensive front . . . Registered six tackles on the season, a total that included one quarterback sack (minus 11 yards) . . . Recorded one tackle in Mississippi State’s season-opening win over Murray State . . . Added another hit one week later at Auburn in State’s SEC opener . . . Returned to the stats sheet in Week 6 at Florida . . . Had one hit against the Gators . . . Increased playing time in the Bulldogs’ next game vs. Houston resulted in a pair of tackles, including his quarterback sack (minus 11 yards) . . . Made one tackle at Kentucky in Week 8 . . . Named the Most Improved Defensive Player on the squad by the coaching staff following a standout spring practice . . . Rode that four-week performance to second on the depth chart at defensive tackle behind Deljuan Robinson . . . Recorded two tackles in the Maroon and White game, one of which was a quarterback sack (minus 2 yards).
2004:
Played in all 11 games during his first season of work on the game field . . . Served primarily on special teams, but did see some work on the defensive line . . . Tallied 10 tackles on the year, with two quarterback sacks to his credit (minus 13 yards) . . . Despite limited activity, tied for second on the club with two caused fumbles . . . Also credited with one pass pressure . . . After a brief trial at linebacker, he returned to the defensive line during camp and entered the ’04 season as a reserve at defensive end . . . Worked as a reserve during the Bulldogs’ season-opening 28-7 win over Tulane and recorded one tackle . . . Saw increased playing time one week later against Auburn . . . In late-game duty, he made three tackles, two of which were the team’s only quarterback sacks (minus 13 yards) against the Tigers . . . He was credited with a quarterback pressure and a caused fumble that the offense turned into the second touchdown of the game . . . Recorded a pair of tackles during Week 3 action against Maine . . . Totaled three tackles one week later at LSU . . . After making nine hits during the season’s first four weeks, he recorded just one tackle the remainder of the season (vs. Ole Miss) . . . Made a spring-time move from a down position on the line of scrimmage to middle linebacker in an effort to give him more opportunities on the field . . . Had a standout spring, leading the team with 15 tackles in three spring scrimmages . . . Also paced the club with eight hits behind the line of scrimmage (minus 29 yards), three of which were quarterback sacks (minus 15 yards) . . . Closed the spring second at middle linebacker behind Marvin Byrdsong.
2003:
Sat out the season as a true freshman redshirt.
HIGH SCHOOL:
Ranked No. 55 among all strongside defensive ends in the country by Rivals.com . . . Credited with running a 4.6 in the 40-yard dash by that recruiting service . . . Rated with the top 50 defensive linemen in the Southeast in Rivals/PrepStar preseason magazine . . . Credited with a 350-pound bench press by that publication . . . Three-year starter at defensive tackle for head coach Tommy Walburn at Troup County (Ga.) High School in LaGrange . . . A three-time, all-state selection in the Georgia Class 4A ranks . . . Chosen to play in the Georgia-Florida high school all-star game . . . Registered 301 total tackles during his high school career, recording 17.5 quarterback sacks and 46 tackles for loss . . . Also caused nine fumbles and recovered five . . . Made 125 tackles, including 13 tackles for loss, 10 of which were sacks during his junior season, leading his team to an 11-3 record . . . Also forced three fumbles . . . Was the Georgia Class 4-A state champion wrestler at the 215-pound weight class during his freshman and junior years . . . Gave up the sport during his senior season to concentrate on football despite ranking third nationally in his weight division . . . Honor roll student on the prep level.
PERSONAL:
Born Avery Weaver Hannibal, 11-17-83, in Passaic, N.J. . . . Son of Mrs. Joan Bradshaw, he lived with Mr. and Mrs. Ricky Smith (guardians) . . . Majoring in sociology.
![Jacksonville Jaguars punter Logan Cooke (9) punts during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Jets 48-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://images.sidearmdev.com/resize?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net%2Fsidearm.nextgen.sites%2Fmsstate.sidearmsports.com%2Fimages%2F2026%2F1%2F1%2FUSATSI_27828199.jpg&height=340&type=webp)
