TCU football great LaDainian Tomlinson would be ‘surprised’ if Zach Evans leaves team
Running back Zach Evans has entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal, but TCU hasn’t lost hope that he could return for a junior season in Fort Worth.
TCU great LaDainian Tomlinson is among those who plan to “re-recruit” Evans to remain in Fort Worth in the coming days. Tomlinson discussed Evans’ situation after the school formally introduced Sonny Dykes as its next football coach on Tuesday.
“I don’t know what Zach is going to do, but I would be surprised if he left,” Tomlinson said. “I know, everybody is in their feelings right now, and rightfully so. Heck, I threatened to transfer at one time, if you guys remember that. But I stayed, and so hopefully I’ll have a chance to talk to Zach at some point.”
Dykes met with the team for the first time on Monday night, and said Tuesday that he has had brief conversations with Evans. Dykes is hopeful that the new staff is able to convince Evans to stay.
“Just like anything else, I think we need to have an opportunity to sit down with Zach and just get to know him a little bit,” Dykes said. “At the end of the day, I want what’s best for Zach. If TCU is the best for Zach and I believe that it is, then I’m hoping that’s what happens. If he can find an opportunity that he think fits him better, that’s his prerogative. I’ll have an opportunity to sit with him and talk to him and get to know him and build that relationship and get that trust and hopefully at that point we’ll see what happens.”
Tomlinson believes Dykes’ arrival has been met with support throughout the locker room as his nephew, Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, is a cornerback on the team.
“I think it went really well, having an opportunity for him to just lay out his plan and talk about what he wants to do going forward with these guys, the current guys,” Tomlinson said. “And something he said that stood out to me was most important, it’s about now recruiting your own players. So he understands the job that he has to do right away. I think he’s off to a good start.”
Evans is the first player to enter the portal since TCU’s season ended with a 48-14 loss to Iowa State on Friday.
Evans joined TCU as the highest-ranked recruit in program history before the 2020 season. He is coming off a sophomore season in which he rushed for a team-leading 648 yards and five touchdowns in six games. Evans didn’t play in the final five games with a turf toe injury he sustained in the Oct. 9 game at Texas Tech.
Evans, who will be going into his junior season in 2022, could have as many as three years of eligibility left with the NCAA freezing eligibility during the 2020 season due to the pandemic. But most expect Evans to bolt for the NFL after next season.
Evans, who is listed at 5-foot-11, 212 pounds, rushed for 415 yards and four touchdowns as a true freshman in 2020.
Evans joined TCU as a five-star prospect out of Houston North Shore. He was once considered the top overall player in the 2020 class but ended up as the No. 16 overall player and No. 2 running back in the 2020 class, according to 247Sports.
This story was originally published November 30, 2021 at 12:51 PM.
