Take Two: How do things stand with Zachary Evans entering fall?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com national recruiting director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites or a regional analyst.
MORE TAKE TWO: Is it Auburn and everyone else for Phillip Webb?
THE STORYLINE
The recruitment of five-star running back Zachary Evans continues and the opinions and speculation of where he ends up is non-stop as well.
The Houston (Texas) North Shore standout released a top five of Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma and Georgia, but some believe Texas and Texas A&M remain serious players especially because he continued to visit both schools through the summer.
Trying to pick a front-runner is an impossibility because Evans has not made it clear which program stands out most and it’s unclear whether he even knows which team looks best at this point.
There are lots of things to consider: Georgia recently received a commitment from five-star RB Kendall Milton. Texas landed high four-star RB Bijan Robinson. Ohio State has been striking out with a lot of its top targets, so the Buckeyes could remain a serious contender.
LSU continues to be a front-runner, especially as the Tigers have been recruiting so well this recruiting cycle. Alabama appears to have lost five-star RB Trey Sanders for the season with a foot injury, which essentially pushes him into the 2020 class with Evans. Will that have an effect on Evans' thought process?
And then there is Texas A&M. With all the confusion surrounding Evans’ recruitment, staying close to home and playing with lots of Houston-area prospects could be the biggest draw, especially as the Aggies’ coaching staff keeps coming after him.
As the summer draws to a close and his senior season gets underway, is there anything clearing up about where Evans ends up?
FIRST TAKE: MARK PASSWATERS, AGGIEYELL.COM
“You don't get to quote Winston Churchill much in this business, but Evans is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. I don't know if anyone really knows what he's thinking, but this much is certain: he's visited A&M multiple times since supposedly eliminating them. His interest appears quite real.
"Georgia has taken Milton and Alabama has that amazing stable of backs, so it looks like A&M and LSU make the most sense. The Aggies just picked up Evans' 2021 teammate, WR Shadrach Banks, and have a lot of Houston-area commits in his ear. The coaching staff believes they have a legitimate shot to land Evans and there's pretty good reason to think they have a point.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM
“He’s taking his time and trying to find what the best fit is going to be. Oddly enough, the Sanders injury could play into his interest in Alabama. On the one side, it could be something where Evans sees he’s going to be on more even footing if he goes to Alabama since Sanders will basically be a freshman again next year. On the other hand, Evans could see Sanders will be around longer, so that will be interesting to watch.
“I don’t think Georgia is an option. I know they’re going to continue to recruit him but I don’t see him going to a school with another five-star. So that’s why I keep saying A&M is the option that interests him the most. If they have a good season and they’ve done a good job having productive running backs over the years. That’s the one he’s waiting to see what happens this season.”