As an experienced captain and centerpiece of the App State offensive line, captain and four-year starting center Noah Hannon is often the guy who teammates look to for guidance and answers about football, or just life in general. This helped earn him a nickname. 

“Noah is without a doubt ‘The Mayor,’” senior wide receiver Thomas Hennigan said. “He is one of the hardest workers I know, he always has a plan and is one of the most selfless people I have ever met.”

Through middle school and high school, playing college football wasn’t Hannon’s focus.

“I loved playing baseball in high school and thought at one point I would go to college for baseball,” Hannon said. 

His goal of being a college baseball player ended after injuring his throwing shoulder during a football game. After that, Hannon’s goal became playing college football. 

Hannon played the quarterback position through eighth grade, and likes to joke that he can still play it, before moving to the offensive line in high school. Hannon played center as a freshman before playing tackle the next three years, starting on the varsity O-line all four years.

After his senior season, Hannon earned an invite to the Shrine Bowl, which is a postseason all-star game between the best high school players in North and South Carolina. Even without any game experience at center for over three years, Hannon played at center in the Shrine Bowl. 

Hannon gives his mother credit for helping him hone his skills at the center position.

“We would go out in the yard and she would stand there and clap, and I would snap the ball to her from different distances, just to get in some extra practice and extra reps,” Hannon said.

Parker Collins played offensive guard for App State for four years, and many of his teammates looked to him as a leader. Collins graduated from App State the spring before Hannon arrived on campus, and coaches were looking for the right guy to step in and fill that position. 

“Having that opportunity in front of me made me want to go in and work hard,” Hannon said. “Nothing was given to me, I had to work hard that whole summer in order to tackle that challenge.” 

Being a student-athlete can be very overwhelming at times, especially when it comes to balancing being an athlete, classwork, and social life, but Hannon has a simple solution to balance everything: sacrifice.

“Sacrifice is who I am and what I am about. If you come to school and you choose to be just an athlete, you miss out on a huge part of what you have been given,” Hannon said.

While football is a big part of his life, Hannon also understands the importance of making an impact off the field as well. 

“I go to Samaritan’s Purse to pick up Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes that we as a team fill out, because there are so many people around this world that do not get the same blessings and same opportunities as we get on a daily basis, so I choose, along with my teammates, to go out and be a blessing to them,” Hannon said.

Hannon is a three-time bowl and Sun Belt champion, with a goal to win one more of each by the end of the season. He’s won all-Sun Belt first team, all-Sun Belt second team, and was voted a preseason all-American honorable mention by PFF College this year. 

Throughout all of his accomplishments on the field, Hannon knows there is more to life than football.

“I want to be the best at anything and everything in my life, both on the field and off the field,” Hannon said. “Football is just one of the many ways I look to be successful.”