2006 Football Roster
Roster
Tony Burks
- Position:
- WR
- Height:
- 6-4
- Weight:
- 219
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Gulfport, MS
CAREER:
Made an immediate impact upon his arrival at
2006:
Played in all 12 games of his junior season . . . Started eight times at one wide receiver position . . . Led the team in receiving in just his first year with the Bulldogs . . . Caught 35 passes for 850 yards, a 24.3-yard average per catch, and five touchdowns . . . The 35 receptions and 850 yards were the most by a Bulldog in three seasons (62 for 880; Justin Jenkins, 2003) . . . His average per catch easily paced all Southeastern Conference receiving yardage leaders, and his yards receiving per game was seventh-best in the league . . . Had receptions in 10 of 12 games during the year, recording four or more catches in six games and accumulating 100 yards or more receiving five times . . . His 850 yards receiving were the sixth most in a single season at State and his average per catch ranked second on that list, trailing only Danny Knight’s 24.97-yard figure in 1982 . . . His five 100-yard receiving games tied for the fifth-most such games in State history and matched the single-season standard in that category, set originally by Mardye McDole in 1978 . . . Worked as a reserve in the wide receiver rotation to open the ’06 campaign, but moved into the starting lineup early in the ’06 campaign . . . Earned his first collegiate start and made his first reception against Auburn in Week 2, grabbing two passes for 19 yards . . . Had his coming-out party one week later vs. Tulane . . . Hauled in four passes for 130 yards, a 32.5-yard average, against the Green Wave . . . It was the 27th-best receiving day in Mississippi State history and was the most yards gained through the air since Justin Jenkins had 172 yards receiving against Houston in 2003, a span of 33 games . . . It was the first 100-yard reception game for a Bulldog since Will Prosser eclipsed the century mark receiving against Maine in 2004 . . . Grabbed a game-long, and career-best 78-yard aerial from quarterback Omarr Conner . . . That play was the longest connection since Conner hooked up with Ty Freeman on an 84-yard pass against Ole Miss in 2004 . . . After going without a catch twice in the first four weeks, recorded at least four catches for more than 100 yards four times in the next five weeks . . . Had four receptions for 103 yards, a 25.8-yard average, and a touchdown at LSU in Week 5 . . . Scored on a 46-yard pass from Omarr Conner . . . It was his second 100-yard receiving day in three weeks . . . Tied for the team lead with four catches for 118 yards, a 29.5-yard per reception average, against West Virginia in Week 6 . . . Had both a 40- and a 45-yard reception in the game . . . His 40-yarder took the Bulldogs to the goal line where teammate Lance Long recovered his fumble in the end zone for a touchdown that cut WVU’s lead to 14-7 at the time . . . It was his third game with more than 100 yards receiving in the last four weeks . . . Made two catches for 50 yards during the Bulldogs’ Week 7 victory over Jacksonville State . . . Had four pass receptions for 106 yards, a 26.5-yard average, against Georgia in Week 8 . . . Recorded four of his five touchdown receptions during a three-week stretch (Weeks 9-11) . . . Had a career-best game one week later against Kentucky . . . Hauled in a season-best seven passes for a career-high 192 yards, a 27.4-yard average, and two touchdowns, against the Wildcats . . . It was the fifth-highest receiving yardage total in a single game at MSU . . . It was also his fifth 100-yard receiving game of the year (in the last seven), tying the single-season record held by Mardye McDole (1978) . . . Only five former Bulldogs have had five or more 100-yard receiving days in their career . . . After nine weeks of the season, he ranked fourth in the SEC in receiving yards per game (79.8) and his 26.6-yard average per catch easily topped the league’s reception leaders . . . His seven catches were the most since McKinley Scott had seven receptions against Arkansas (2004) . . . Was on the receiving end of a 75-yard scoring pass from Michael Henig just into the second quarter to pull MSU within 14-7 of Kentucky at the time . . . Added a 36-yard scoring reception from Henig with 11:46 left in the game to draw the Bulldogs within 31-24 . . . His two receiving TDs were a career best and the most since teammate Keon Humphries had two against Murray State in the 2005 season opener . . . Caught two passes for 31 yards in Week 10 at Alabama . . . Hauled in a 25-yard scoring toss from Michael Henig in the win over the Crimson Tide, a touchdown that gave MSU an early 7-3 lead at the time . . . It was his third TD catch in the last two weeks . . . Caught four passes for 76 yards and a touchdown in Week 11 against Arkansas . . . Hauled in a 22-yard scoring pass from Michael Henig midway through the second quarter to even the game at 14-all at the time . . . Had two receptions for 25 yards in the season finale at Ole Miss, pushing his season receiving yardage total to 850, the sixth most in school history . . . Showed his ability during the first week of spring work, but suffered a hamstring injury and was held out of all contact work from that point on as a precautionary measure . . . Listed in the rotation at wide receiver heading into fall.
JUNIOR COLLEGE:
Rated the No. 54 prospect, regardless of position, the seventh-best wide receiver in the country, on the Rivals.com top 100 players in junior college following his sophomore season at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College . . . Credited with running a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash by the Rivals recruiting website . . . Bench-pressed 225 pounds six times and jumped 32 inches in the vertical leap while at Gulf Coast . . . Named to the J.C. Gridwire magazine preseason first-team, all-America squad prior to his sophomore campaign . . . Ranked No. 4 on the Jackson Clarion-Ledger list of the state’s top junior college prospects . . . Helped lead coach Steve Campbell’s team to a 7-3 overall record, a divisional championship and into the state junior college title game as a sophomore . . . Caught 44 passes for 638 yards, a 14.5-yard average, and three touchdowns during his sophomore campaign . . . Was named first-team, all-South Division in the Mississippi junior college ranks (no all-state team was announced) . . . Opened his sophomore season with five catches for 135 yards, a 27-yard average per catch, in his first two games . . . Among several other outstanding games during that season, he had nine pass receptions for 156 yards against Itawamba (Miss.) Community College, and two catches for 62 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown grab, against Holmes (Miss.) Community College . . . In the title game vs. Pearl River (Miss.) Community College, he caught an 11-yard TD pass . . . The Bulldogs finished the year ranked No. 9 nationally by the National Junior College Athletic Association . . . Led MGCCC with four pass receptions for 44 yards in the team’s season-ending postseason game, a Dalton Defenders Bowl game against Northeastern Oklahoma Community College . . . Had 380 yards receiving with four touchdowns in the final four games of his freshman season at Gulf Coast. . . Earned second-team, all-South Division recognition following his first JC season . . . Committed to State on Dec. 17 . . . Other top offers:
HIGH SCHOOL:
Ranked as the No. 64 player, regardless of position, the ninth-best wide receiver, following his senior season by USA Today newspaper . . . Rated the No. 19 wide receiver in the country following his senior season by collegefootballnews.com . . . Listed among the top 50 receivers in the southeast by Prep Star magazine in its pre-senior season issue . . . Considered among the top four prospects in the Magnolia State following his senior season by the Forrest Davis Recruiting Annual, the highest-rated wide receiver . . . Named third-team, all-South by that publication . . . Rated No. 5 by recruiting website TheInsiders.com (now Scout.com) in the state of Mississippi, the top-ranked wide receiver . . . Ranked No. 6 in Superprep magazine’s all-America issue listing of the top players in the state of Mississippi, the top-ranked wide receiver . . . Rated No. 7 on the Jackson Clarion-Ledger list of the state’s 10 Most Wanted prospects following his senior season, the top wide receiver . . . That newspaper listed him among their preseason Dandy Dozen ranking of the top 12 players in the state, the only wide out on the list . . . Was the only high school senior from the state of Mississippi selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl at San Antonio, Texas, a game which pits the nation’s top high school players against one another . . . Selected to play in the Mississippi-Alabama High School All-Star game . . . Made 30 catches for 300 yards and four touchdowns during his senior season for head coach Donny Bentz at Harrison Central High School in Gulfport, Miss. . . . Named second-team, all-state by the Clarion-Ledger following his senior campaign . . . Recorded 49 receptions for 999 yards, a 20.4-yard average, and 15 touchdowns during a breakout junior season at Harrison Central . . . Max Emfinger had him listed with the top 25 flankers in the country in his preseason listing of the top high school players in the country . . . Three-year starter in high school . . . Signed with Ole Miss out of high school.
PERSONAL:
Born Antoine Burks, 6-10-85, in
