The rise of TCU running back Zach Evans
FORT WORTH, Texas — The story of Zach Evans’ journey to TCU is not a simple one, but his presence in the Horned Frog backfield this season should give those in Fort Worth every reason to be excited. The first 5-star recruit in TCU’s history is poised for a breakout season, ready to show exactly why he was so sought after back in 2019.
Coming out of high school, Evans was the nation’s No. 1 recruit. He was a stellar running back with offers from every big SEC school one could dream of. However, his off the field antics kept him in a bit of a poor light. During his senior year of high school, Evans was told that he would not be playing in his state championship game after breaking team rules involving a cell phone. Evans’ school, North Shore, would go on to win the state championship despite his absence.
This violation of team rules led Evans to make a public apology during the Under Armor All-American game in 2019 where he said, “I want to apologize to my college coaches and apologize for the things they are hearing. I’m a really good kid. It was stupid. It was an immature decision. I was being selfish to my teammates, and I’m ready to come in and show them I’m ready.”
Evans would sign his letter of intent with the University of Georgia, but would be released from this by the university in early 2020. This put Evans back on the recruiting trail with many schools still interested in his services. After months of speculation, Evans would surprise many by joining the TCU Horned Frogs, a school which he was rarely linked too.
At TCU, Evans would be playing under a coach in Gary Patterson who has been around the college scene for quite some time. Today, Patterson is the second longest tenured coach in college football having been at TCU for 20 seasons. If there was ever a coach who would know how to deal with a kid who had been through a tough recruitment cycle, Patterson would surely be near the top of that list. At TCU, coach Patterson is held in very high regard, just go ask his statue that stands outside of the Horned Frogs’ home stadium.
During Evans’ freshman year, despite being the first 5-star recruit to ever join the Horned Frogs, he was not the starter in the backfield. He still managed to put together and impressive freshman campaign with 415 yards on 54 carries and four touchdowns.
After a solid first year in Fort Worth, Evans was expected to have his breakthrough season in this, his sophomore year. However, in week 1 of the season with TCU set to host Duquesne, the ghosts of Evans’ past showed their face again. Patterson let it be known to the media days before the Frogs’ opening game that Evans would be on the bench for the first two possessions of the game for a violation of team rules. Patterson wouldn’t go into further detail about what team rule was broken but he did say this when asked about the decision, “He’s been great. He had a 3.75. He was mad because he didn’t get a 4.0. But he probably won’t play the first two series in this game because of a team policy.”
Evans would finish the game with five carries for 27 yards and one touchdown. TCU won the game easily by a score of 45-3.
Last week, Evans would finally get his spot as the premier running back for the Horned Frogs as they hosted PAC-12 opposition Cal. After years of hard work and perseverance, Evans was finally ready to step into the spotlight and that is exactly what he did. Evans would finish the game with 22 carries for 190 yards and one touchdown. His performance was highlighted by a 51-yard touchdown run right before halftime to pull the Frogs within one possession of Cal, who had essentially dominated the first half. The Frogs would go on to rally to a 34-32 win over the Golden Bears. Evans’ performance did not go unnoticed, and earned him the honor of being the Big 12 offensive player of the week.
The journey into college football for Evans has not been a simple one by any means, but it is starting to look like this season could be the one where he finally shows the nation exactly why he was seen as the best prospect coming out of high school. The Horned Frogs have a bye this week and will continue their season on Sept. 25 at home against cross town rivals SMU, where Evans is once again expected to play a major role.
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