Hankerson has been playing football since the womb. Literally.
CORVALLIS — When Anthony Hankerson says he’s been playing football since the womb, he isn’t exaggerating.
Hankerson’s mother, Antlette, participated in a women’s tackle football league in the early 2000s in Miami. Hankerson said she unknowingly played for the team in the early stages of pregnancy with him.
“She was out there knocking heads off,” Hankerson said with a grin.
That might explain the Oregon State senior running back’s relentless pursuit of contact, and a career in Corvallis capped by back-to-back seasons of 1,000+ rushing yards.
Hankerson grew up in Boynton Beach, Florida, sandwiched between upscale resort communities in a working class neighborhood. Antlette, a former track and field athlete, worked long hours to pay the bills. For a portion of his childhood, Hankerson’s father — also named Anthony — was incarcerated.
Anthony Sr. was released in Hankerson’s eighth grade year, and the two have since reconnected and built a stronger relationship. Both parents, along with sisters Antysza and Anesiah, attended OSU games this season and were in town for an emotional senior night.
“I’m really blessed to have my pops and my mom in my life, man,” Hankerson said. “And they’re both great supporters. Their belief in me is definitely what keeps me motivated and keeps me hungry.”
After a decorated high school career for St. Thomas Aquinas that included three straight state championships, Hankerson started out in college with two seasons at Colorado, playing alongside fellow Boynton Beach product and future Heisman trophy winner Travis Hunter.
But after amassing just 319 rushing yards his sophomore year, Hankerson transferred to Oregon State prior to the 2024 season.
The community in Corvallis immediately embraced Hankerson, and he returned the favor with two productive seasons and genuine love for his new home. That persisted amid all the off-field upheaval the program endured, including the firing of head coach Trent Bray earlier this season, and weather that is a far cry from the South Florida sunshine.
“I tell my teammates all the time,” Hankerson said. “I wish I could have come here all four years.”
Had he done so, received consistent carries and played behind a more robust offensive line over the four years, Hankerson might have given Jacquizz Rodgers (3,877 yards) a run for his money at second on the all-time rushing list for OSU. Ken Simonton’s record of 4,802 career yards isn’t likely to fall any time soon.
Still, the explosive Hankerson needs just 71 yards in OSU’s finale against Washington State to leapfrog his predecessor, Damien Martinez, for 10th on the all-time list.
The NFL is the next goal. But along the way, hardships in and out of football have inspired Hankerson to take a new path once his playing career is over: sports psychology.
It makes sense, given the way teammates and coaches talked about Hankerson’s mental approach and vocal leadership in the locker room. He was a consistent voice even when the Beavers were at their lowest. An animated halftime speech in a full-team huddle helped spur OSU’s first win of the season against Lafayette.
“We see college football and football in general, the way it’s heading now, it’s tough on the mental part of the athletes,” Hankerson said. “I want to play a big role in that and just be that open door for the younger players or whoever’s coming up. Just be somebody they can go to, and help solve that.”
Hankerson’s interest in psychology extends to the animal world, too. He spends some of his free time training dogs, and he and his girlfriend made an Instagram account for their two American Bullies: Kimbo and Koda.
The discipline and attention to detail Hankerson applies to every aspect of his life comes from his family, he said. From a mother who gave everything to her job and her kids, including a sudden but meaningful pause in her brief football career.
“She never called off from work, no matter how bad she was feeling that day,” Hankerson said. “She had a purpose and she stuck with it. And I feel like that’s my why, you know. My family, my community. And that’s what really pushes me to keep going.”
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