Take Two: Is UGA leading for Zachary Evans or not?
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.
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THE STORYLINE
There were some significant rumors in the last couple weeks that five-star running back Zachary Evans was going to commit to Georgia.
The Bulldogs looked like the team to beat and Evans was going to join fellow five-star running back Kendall Milton with the Bulldogs to form a devastating backfield duo in Athens for years to come.
Georgia is still very much in the picture for the Houston (Texas) North Shore standout, but Evans has not announced his decision yet – and it’s unclear whether he will make a pledge anytime soon.
LSU is still making a run at the top-rated running back in the class. Texas A&M continues to pursue him. Lots of other programs could be in the mix as well as it’s unclear what Evans is up to in his recruitment these days.
As the Georgia staff waits for Evans’ decision, they are not hesitating on courting other elite running backs as coach Kirby Smart and his assistants are going after South Carolina pledge MarShawn Lloyd, Miami commit Don Chaney and others.
Should Georgia be worried Evans might be having second thoughts about a commitment to the Bulldogs or is the five-star good enough to wait on until maybe much later in the recruiting cycle?
FIRST TAKE: Jake Reuse, UGASports.com
“I don’t think it’s a bad sign for Georgia. It’s more of a fluid situation for Evans. It’s a situation where he has to figure out his next move and simultaneously Georgia is continuing to evaluate all the prospects on their board at the running back position.
“You have Lloyd who is still involved, Chaney is a guy they visited recently and Jahmyr Gibbs, who is a Georgia Tech commit, visited last weekend. They have a lot of irons in the fire at running back. Evans still sits atop the board but they’re not leaving any stones unturned.”
SECOND TAKE: Mike Farrell, Rivals.com
“It hurts Georgia the longer he waits. But, again, Georgia is not really hurting for running backs. It has Milton, it could go out and steal someone else that it covets to be the second running back in this class.
“The fact that he was supposed to commit a week ago but he hasn’t pulled the trigger, I think he’s going to take it to the end and nobody can predict what he’s going to do. It’s one of those recruitments that is going to play out and probably end in a surprise.”