Take Two: Could Zachary Evans be best Lone Star RB of Rivals era?
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Many months ago, the question was asked whether five-star running back Zachary Evans could end up as the best running back from the state of Texas during the Rivals.com era, even more highly respected than Adrian Peterson, as ridiculous as that might sound.
Peterson finished as the No. 1 player in the 2004 class, starred at Oklahoma and has gone on to have an amazing NFL career. While predicting Evans’ path is nearly impossible, the Houston (Texas) North Shore running back is special in so many ways and could already be regarded as the second-best running back from the state of Texas since Rivals.com started in 2002.
Evans is fast, looks like a million bucks, has incredible versatility, impresses in every game and at every event, and just looks like a different level of player in the 2020 class.
There have been 10 five-star running backs in Texas - Evans, Peterson, Lache Seastrunk, Trey Williams, Malcolm Brown, Jermie Calhoun, Christine Michael, Soso Jamabo, Johnathan Gray and Brandon Williams.
The jury is still out but many feel Evans is already No. 2 on that list. We revisit the idea of Evans possibly becoming the best back from the state.
FIRST TAKE: JASON SUCHOMEL, ORANGEBLOODS.COM
“It's a pretty safe claim to say that Evans is in fact the best back the state of Texas has produced since Adrian Peterson. Could he overtake Peterson? That's going to be tough. Maybe it's nostalgia, but Peterson is one of the best overall talents I've ever seen in two decades of covering recruits. Evans will have every school in America giving chase, but with the Longhorns' need at running back, I think the importance of Texas landing him trumps all other schools' needs. He is the top priority for Texas in this class because of his natural talent and because of UT's needs at running back.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM
“First, I don’t think he’s better than Adrian Peterson. He’s probably one of the top two running backs I’ve ever seen in my career. We will see how Evans’ senior year turns out. He’s compared to him because he has an upright running style, he can do so many different things, he has great vision, he can run between the tackles or bounce it outside.
“It’s most important for Texas to get him because this is the type of kid it needs to keep in-state. If the Longhorns want to take the next step in the Big 12, they can’t let any other team steal this kid away. Texas A&M is intriguing because of the SEC, Oklahoma got Peterson back in the day and is a power, but it’s most important for Texas.”
