Earl Everett (born December 10, 1984) is a former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. He was originally signed by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2007. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. He also played professionally in Finland for the

Turku Trojans Turku Trojans is one of the oldest American football teams in Finland, established in 1982. Turku Trojans in 2024 play in Division 2 (Tier 3). The Trojans previously have played in the Maple League Vaahteraliiga (highest level) in Finland operate ...

College career

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

All-American, Everett signed with the Gators in 2003 out of South Sumter High School in Bushnell, FL. He chose the Gators over in-state rivals

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

and

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. Everett's impact was immediate as a freshman. He started six games and played in all 13 games in 2003. As a sophomore in 2004, Everett was the opening day starter. His senior year in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

had him earn pre-season and postseason All-SEC honors as he led the team in tackles and was a team captain. His play helped Florida win the

SEC Championship Game The SEC Championship Game is an annual American football game that has determined the Southeastern Conference's season champion since 1992. For its first 32 seasons, the championship game pitted the Eastern Division regular season champion again ...

for the first time in 6 seasons and win the BCS Championship Game for the first time, the team's second national championship overall. Everett made one of the most memorable plays of the

2007 BCS National Championship Game The 2007 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was an American football game played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on January 8, 2007, and featured the top-ranked Big Ten champion Ohio State Buckeyes against the 2nd- ...

. In their first possession of the second half,

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

faced a 3rd down and 12 and threatened to move into Gator territory if they converted for a

first down A down in gridiron football is an attempt by the offensive team to run a play to advance the ball, while the defending team simultaneously attempts to halt their advance. The down is a distinguishing characteristic of the game compared to othe ...

. Everett lost his helmet in pursuit of

quarterback

Troy Smith Troy James Smith (born July 20, 1984) is an American former professional football quarterback who played four seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning unanimous All-Americ ...

and still recorded the

sack A sack usually refers to a rectangular-shaped bag. Sack may also refer to: Bags * Flour sack * Gunny sack * Hacky sack, sport * Money sack * Paper sack * Sleeping bag * Stuff sack * Knapsack Other uses * Bed, a slang term * Sack (band), ...

, chasing Smith down from behind. Thus, the Buckeyes were forced to punt on 4th down. Everett received a bloody nose while making the helmet-less tackle.

Professional career

Having gone

undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in the

2007 NFL draft The 2007 NFL draft was the 72nd annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draf ...

, it was reported on April 30, 2007 that Everett would sign a free agent contract with the

. He was also on the practice squad of the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

through 2008. In 2010, Everett signed with the

in the top Finnish league

Vaahteraliiga The Vaahteraliiga (Maple League) founded in 1980 is the highest level of American football in Finland played under American Football Association of Finland. The winner of the Vaahteraliiga is the Finnish champion. The Vaahteraliiga season is play ...

. He played for the Trojans in 2011-2012 seasons.

Notes and references

External links

Player bio
at Gatorzone.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Everett, Earl 1984 births Living people American football linebackers Florida Gators football players Cincinnati Bengals players Atlanta Falcons players Players of American football from Bartow, Florida American expatriate sportspeople in Finland American expatriate players of American football Vaahteraliiga players