Houston, Texas (North Shore High School) running back Zachary Evans released his final group of five schools via Twitter on Tuesday. His list consisted of Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, and LSU.
— T H R E E (@Runzekerun01) May 28, 2019
The inclusion of Ohio State was a bit of a surprise for Evans, who is ranked the No. 1 player in the 2020 class per the 247Sports Composite. The lack of Texas schools is also a surprise, which has some people fairly suspicious of this list overall. He visited Texas A&M and Ole Miss in the spring.
Oklahoma already has a verbal commitment from 5-star tailback Jase McClellan, while Alabama has a commitment from the No. 13 running back in the class Roydell Williams.
Evans (5-11 200) ran a 4.51 40-yard dash at a regional The Opening combine in March. That performance also included an impressive 3.84 20-yard shuttle.
The scouting report from 247Sports describes Evans as a prototype ball carrier.
Dynamically athletic running back with prototype size and frame potential relative to the position. Owns college-ready build with frame space to add more bulk. Flashes elite athleticism verified in combine testing environment. Makes it look easy, sometimes to the point that it’s deceptive. Shows great top-end speed and outstanding close-quarters lateral mobility confirmed by a 3.91 shuttle. Flashes devastating start-stop-start ability in close quarters, coupled with impressive hesitation stutter. Effortlessly strings moves together in the open field to elude multiple defenders. Chameleon in ability to alter running styles, going from elusive darter to hole-punching, straight-line galloper. Home run hitter with high-volume capability. Patient and presses the line of scrimmage to set up blocks. Size and strength potential could provide high ceiling in blitz pickup. At times dances in the backfield rather than accelerating through the hole. Sometimes an upright runner who presents a bigger target. Does not always finish runs with expected strength. Will try to bounce runs too often. Could get on the field immediately at high-major level and become a Power 5 star, in addition to first-round NFL Draft ceiling.
A little less than two weeks ago, 5-star running back Kendall Milton also included Ohio State in his final group. Milton is the No. 3 running back in the nation.
The Buckeyes are also involved with 5-star Arizona prospect Bijan Robinson and 4-star New Jersey tailback Jalen Berger. Ohioans Michael Drennen and DeaMonte Trayanum both hold offers from Ohio State. Drennen was recently offered by Stanford.
