One of the hottest names in college football recruiting at the moment is Zachary Evans, an RB from North Shore, Texas. Evans is ranked as the #2 running back and #16 overall player in the country according to 247Sports. He had recently committed to the University of Georgia but has since decommitted and opened up his recruitment again. His commitment is one of the hottest topics in CFB recruiting at the moment, and everyone is interested to see where such a talented player will end up. While we wait for the announcement, it is worth digging into Evans and seeing what all of the hype is about.
Film Review
One of the first things I noticed when looking into Evans is the almost effortless ability to absorb contact and then explode. His balance when experiencing contact from defenders is excellent and among the best that I have seen. Without saying he is or will be anything like Alvin Kamara, Evans’ innate ability to use his footwork and center of gravity to bounce off would-be tacklers and glide forward resembles what Kamara does on Sundays. Looking at the plays below, Evans is able to shrug off defenders from multiple directions and continue striding for an easy set of touchdowns.
Another tool Evans has in his skill set is the ability to rapidly alter his acceleration, change direction, and burst away. The most convincing piece of evidence to support this claim is his absurd 20-yard shuttle time of 3.84 seconds, recorded at The Opening in 2019. For context, this would be tied for the 4th fastest all-time 20-yard shuttle score at the NFL Combine. The 20-yard shuttle exemplifies how well Evans is able to plant and change directions, which obviously is an excellent skill for RBs to possess things like jump cuts or cuts in the open field.
Outlook
Although there is a lot to like with Evans, he isn’t a perfect prospect by any means. Character questions are aplenty, especially with the news surrounding his senior season. Evans was dismissed the night before his state championship game, as he refused to surrender his phone overnight. This follows him being suspended for three games this past year due to an argument with a coach. Combining this with his decommitment from UGA and continual pushing of his new commitment date back, the optics aren’t great. I don’t know how much can be read into this situation, as he is still a young kid and has openly addressed the issues with apologies and pledges to get better, but these are questions that he will have to answer all the way through the NFL draft process.
In summary, Zachary Evans is an exciting prospect that has a legitimate chance to be a star in college and beyond. His physical gifts separate him from even the most elite prospects, and where he lands will be an interesting development in his story. Although some questions exist, I look forward to him playing on Saturdays, and hopefully Sundays.
Quick Reminder:
Every year there are high school seniors who are heralded as the “greatest thing since sliced bread” and compared to elite players who have come before them. However, many times these comparisons miss the mark and the hype is short-lived before ultimately missing the mark. An important reminder about high school prospects is that they are just that, high school prospects. They are the farthest thing from a sure bet as they have many obstacles to overcome before they can even consider entering their name in the NFL draft process.
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