Take Two: Will it be Georgia for 5-star RB Zachary Evans?
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.
THE STORYLINE
Georgia has already landed one five-star running back in Clovis (Calif.) Buchanan’s Kendall Milton - but the Bulldogs might not be done yet.
The top-rated running back in the 2020 class, Houston (Texas) North Shore’s Zachary Evans, is still uncommitted and Georgia is making a serious run at him as well.
Evans is impossible to read and if anyone says they have a good read on where his recruitment is headed is telling tall tales, but the Bulldogs are definitely a player for the five-star along with Texas A&M, LSU, Alabama and possibly others.
The idea has always been for Georgia to take two running backs in this class and so shooting for the stars is not out of the question at any position for the Bulldogs. Remember, Georgia signed two five-star RBs in a recent class with Zamir White and James Cook.
The only time the top two running backs ever signed with the same school was in 2007 when USC landed Joe McKnight and Marc Tyler.
Could Georgia pull it off again and land the commitment of Evans to join Milton in this class?
FIRST TAKE: Jake Reuse, UGASports.com
“It’s a situation where they do want to play together and Milton certainly wants to play with Evans. Evans is a little harder to read in that regard. Milton has been doing his part to recruit Evans and he said it’s something he’s completely open to, wants to split carries, wants the opportunity to keep his legs fresh and I think Georgia feels good about their chances.
“The need is pronounced there. They wanted to go into this situation trying to get the two best backs in the nation and they feel like they have a realistic shot. With Dell McGee as the lead recruiter you always have a shot when it comes to top running backs.”
SECOND TAKE: Mike Farrell, Rivals.com
“They’ve gotten two five-star running backs with White and Cook, so it’s been done before. The way Georgia is recruiting running backs, you really can’t say they couldn’t do it. It’s very interesting that one five-star running back is recruiting another five-star running back but the way they’ve seen the carries at Georgia split up and the way those guys have been fresh for the NFL is very intriguing.
“Nick Chubb is an emerging star now, Todd Gurley is the highest-paid running back, you see you don’t have to be the only running back in a system. It speaks to the way they recruit and their running back success so it’s extremely impressive and possible that it happens.”