STAMP OF APPROVAL
Evans keeps gaining CFL’s respect
Just six credit hours shy of his Business Administration degree, Ciante Evans knows all about preparation for management positions.
On the football field, in particular in that corner spot, he can manage with the best of them.
As he continues to prepare for his third season in the CFL, Evans will be viewed with greater respect from the opposition given his terrific sophomore season with the Calgary Stampeders. In 14 regular season games, he recorded 42 tackles and a pair of interceptions en route to being named a CFL allstar. In the Grey Cup, he had four tackles and another pick. But he’s not resting on his laurels. “It’s always a challenge every day to get better,” the 24-year-old from Arlington, Texas, said. “It’s all about what I can do now. You have to prove yourself every year. Start over from scratch. Build on the craft I learned last year, incorporate those things into my own game and continue to grow as a person and as a professional.”
Stampeders defensive backs coach Kahlil Carter likes that attitude.
“The thing about having success is that teams will try to find your weaknesses,” Carter said. “Great players find their weaknesses first. He has some things he has to work on, but as far as having all the tools, Ciante is one of the top guys in the league and he’ll continue to surprise this year.”
Carter was instrumental in bringing Evans, out of the University of Nebraska, to the Stamps as he got to know him while in the developmental FXFL. It didn’t take long to realize Evans was someone worth pursuing.
“I saw talent there,” Carter said. “He came up here to Saskatchewan, and once I got the (Calgary) job, I got him up here. I saw the writing on the wall that he was a talented player, with great technique, had the will to win and the heart to compete. When he got up here, he played behind some very good veterans, learned a lot early the first year. The second year, he was poised to take over from Fred Bennett, and he did and he had a lot of success.”
He played in three games in his rookie campaign, including a pair of starts, and it was evident to the coaching staff that he had been well-schooled by the Cornhuskers.
“When you get a kid from Nebraska or a top-five school, you expect them to have the fundamentals downs, the work ethic, the drive to compete to be a winner, and he had that,” Carter said. “He wanted to be successful. He’s a little smaller body type for the NFL prototype defensive back, but in this league, guys come up here and turn heads, and he did that from Day 1. He’s been a pick magnet, great with the guys. He’s been a sponge, they love him and it was just his time.”
The 5-11, 170-pounder is also quick to credit his collegiate roots.
“It helped a lot,” Evans said. “In Nebraskawehadagreatheadcoach in Bo (Pelini), who actually played defensive back at Ohio State. He was a safety there. He was a great teacher. He always was in our film room; in college, if your head coach is in your meeting room, you know that your position group is held to the highest standard. He helped coach us with the details and the nuances of the game and just my position specifically. I learned a lot from him.”
From this young man, you get no great proclamations or backslapping. Quietly methodical and driven, Evans has a good handle on what he needs to do to improve and further enhance his reputation as a top DB in this league.
“Just continue to be grateful for all the opportunities you have, because in this profession, I know that’s the mental part of the game, just make sure each rep counts,” he said. “Try not to be too hard on yourself, especially playing defensive back. I tend to get down on myself a lot because I want what’s best for myself, and I know my teammates expect great things out of me. I just try to hold myself to that standard and be the ultimate professional.”