TCU football insider: Horned Frogs preparing for life without RB Zach Evans
Zach Evans hasn’t made anything official yet. At least as of 3 p.m. Tuesday.
But it doesn’t appear that Evans plans on removing his name from the NCAA transfer portal and returning to TCU football for his junior season in 2022.
“I would imagine it’s not going to be us,” a TCU source told the Star-Telegram on Tuesday morning.
That’s a shift from just a couple of weeks ago when Sonny Dykes and TCU’s new staff felt good about their pitch to Evans to keep him in Fort Worth. But, much like Evans’ recruitment out of high school, things are prone to change.
Multiple reports say that Ole Miss has emerged as the favorite to land Evans, although he has yet to publicly announce his intentions on where he’ll play next season. Other SEC schools have targeted Evans as well.
Evans became the first TCU player to enter his name in the transfer portal after the season ended but left open the idea of returning to school under the new staff.
Former TCU great LaDainian Tomlinson, who is on the school’s board of trustees, even expressed optimism about Evans coming back to school. Tomlinson recalled a time when he wanted to transfer out of TCU during his college career but stuck it out and went on to have a Hall of Fame career in the NFL.
As of this week, though, Tomlinson had yet to talk with Evans about his future.
At the end of the day, TCU appears ready for life without Evans. He was TCU’s rushing leader in 2021 despite missing the final five games with a turf toe injury. He rushed for 648 yards and five touchdowns in six games. As a freshman in 2020, Evans rushed for 415 yards and four TDs in nine games.
Evans joined TCU as the program’s highest-rated recruit, a five-star prospect coming out of Houston North Shore. At one point, he was 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.
If Evans doesn’t return, TCU’s top returning running back will be Kendre Miller, who rushed for 623 yards and seven TDs last season.
Tomlinson back?
TCU junior cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson is planning to return for his senior season, sources told the Star-Telegram this week.
Tomlinson earned first-team All-Big 12 honors for the second consecutive season in 2021, leading the team with seven pass breakups and tying for the team lead with two interceptions.
Tomlinson could have declared for the NFL Draft this offseason but another season could help him boost his stock. Listed at 5-foot-9, Tomlinson does not have the ideal build that some NFL teams are looking for in cornerbacks high in the draft.
With that being said, as several NFL scouts like to say, if you can play, you can play. Tomlinson will get another year’s worth of tape to show that.
Portal watch
A couple of players in the portal for TCU fans to keep an eye on include tight end Jared Wiley (Texas) and defensive tackle Jaxon Player (Tulsa).
Wiley, who is listed at 6-foot-7, 255 pounds, had nine catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns in five games for the Longhorns last season.
Player, meanwhile, announced TCU among his top five schools along with Oklahoma, Baylor, Arkansas and Oklahoma State on Tuesday.
Player, a Waco Midway product, played for new TCU defensive coordinator Joe Gillespie at Tulsa and was a high school teammate of Tomlinson. Player would provide a much-needed inside presence as TCU transitions to a 3-3-5 defense under Gillespie.
Player, who is listed at 6-foot, 294 pounds, had a team-high 14 tackles for loss, including four sacks, for the Golden Hurricane last season.
This story was originally published January 4, 2022 at 3:43 PM.
