Name Avery Atkins | ||
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Date of birth (1987-05-29)May 29, 1987 Date of death June 5, 2007(2007-06-05) (aged 20) Education Bethune-Cookman University, Mainland High School | ||
Avery Atkins 2015 Southern Winter Showcase
Avery Jamal Atkins (May 29, 1987 – July 5, 2007) was an American football cornerback. A highly touted prospect, he attended the University of Florida in his freshman season, but legal trouble cut his football career short. He died in 2007 from an overdose of MDMA.
A native of Daytona Beach, Florida, Atkins attended Mainland High School, where he was an All-State cornerback and running back. Regarded as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, he chose Florida over numerous offers, including Auburn, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, and South Carolina. Atkins was the highest-rated prospect in Urban Meyer's first recruiting class.
As a true freshman, Atkins started three games in the 2005 season. In the Florida–Florida State game he intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble. A projected starter for 2006, he left the University of Florida after charges of domestic battery on the mother of his child. He enrolled at Bethune-Cookman College, where he played three games in 2006 before leaving the team. In January 2007 he enrolled at Florida again, but dropped out after only a few weeks and returned to Daytona Beach.
On July 5, 2007, he was found dead in his car in Port Orange, Florida. Autopsy later determined the cause of his death as ecstasy intoxication.