In need of RBs, A&M still has eye on Evans
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M needed a backup running back to Isaiah Spiller in a bad way in the Texas Bowl, so the Aggies shifted their new Mr. Do-It-All, Ainias Smith, from receiver to the backfield with quarterback
Kellen Mond.
The move paid off with Smith, a former Dulles High star, collecting 54 of the Aggies’ 248 rushing yards and averaging 7.7 yards on seven carries in their 24-21 victory over Oklahoma State on Dec. 27 at NRG Stadium.
“That guy is a heck of a football player,” A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said. “You could play him at tackle, and I think he’d make a block. I have the utmost respect for him, and he’s a natural back there.”
That does not mean the Aggies are OK at running back — far from it as the old-fashioned national signing day approaches Feb. 5. A&M signed most of its class as part of the early signing period, collecting signatures from 23 of what’s expected to be a class of 25 players in 2020.
The Aggies announced 22 of the players on Dec. 18, the first day of the early signing period, and last weekend during the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, four-star linebacker Edgerrin Cooper announced he had signed with them as well.
Fisher’s second full class at A&M is a good one, ranking sixth nationally, according to 247Sports.com, following a No. 4 class in 2019. But the 2020 bunch could use a running back or two — and that’s where North Shore’s Zach Evans comes in.
Evans last made news for missing North Shore’s Class 6A Division I state title game against Duncanville on Dec. 21. He used his cellphone after he was supposed to turn it in to coaches, as North Shore players are required to do, according to a Houston Chronicle story at the time.
The Mustangs won by double digits without him.
Evans also was suspended for two nondistrict games early in North Shore’s 2019 season and missed most of the first half of the Mustangs’ state semifinal win over Lake Travis on Dec. 14 to take the ACT in Houston.
Here’s something else about Evans: He’s the top-rated running back in the nation, according to 247Sports.com, and still coveted by the Aggies.
To wit: When Evans played the second half against Lake Travis, he rushed for 176 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries in the Mustangs’ 49-38 win.
Excellent numbers for a game, not just two quarters.
It’s why the Aggies have continued their pursuit of Evans, with the notion he’s not alone in making mistakes along the way, even as perhaps at least one prominent program has backed off.
Evans tried making amends for his cellphone slip-up during the nationally televised AllAmerican Bowl.
“It was stupid. It was an immature decision,” Evans told ESPN2 during the game. “I was being selfish to my teammates. I’m ready to come in and show (a college) I’m ready.”
That college is to be determined. Multiple recruiting outlets reported he quietly signed a letter of intent with Georgia in December, but the Bulldogs backed off because of his ongoing disciplinary issues.
Mark Passwaters, a Rivals.com reporter who covers A&M, tweeted Monday that he expects Evans to end up at A&M after Passwaters visited with insiders concerning Evans’ situation.
The Aggies’ 2020 class includes two running backs so far: Devon Achane of Fort Bend Marshall and Deondre Jackson of Stone Mountain, Ga., to help Spiller, who will be a sophomore.
They’ll eventually need to fill the gaps for the losses of Vernon Jackson (injury) and Deneric Prince, Jacob Kibodi, Jashaun Corbin and Charles Strong (transfers) in the past year.
Cordarrian Richardson, Spiller’s chief backup late in the season, was not available for the Texas Bowl for an undisclosed reason, and his status moving forward is unknown.
It adds up to the Aggies needing running backs in a big way entering 2020, which is why they’re still willing to hotly pursue Evans and hope he one day sprints like a five-star at Kyle Field.