Zach Evans has made it official — he plans to play for Ole Miss next season.

Evans posted on his social media accounts that he plans to enroll at Ole Miss, ending his TCU tenure after two seasons.

In part of a statement, Evans wrote: “I am forever grateful to the TCU fanbase for an amazing two seasons in the great City of Fort Worth.

“Last but not least I would like to thank my TCU coaches and teammates for development and friendship. Especially Coach Gary Patterson, thank you for the opportunity and love that you provided me.”

TCU and its new coaching staff under Sonny Dykes hoped to convince Evans to stay with the program. Horned Frogs great LaDainian Tomlinson even made a last-minute pitch to Evans on Tuesday night.

In the end, Evans felt it was time for a fresh start. He joins an Ole Miss program that had the 11th-best rushing attack in the country last season and is losing its top running backs Jerrion Ealy and Snoop Conner to the NFL Draft.

Evans leaves TCU after rushing for a combined 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games over two seasons. He was the team’s leading rusher with 648 yards and five touchdowns in six games last season. He missed six of the final seven games with a lingering turf toe injury.

As a freshman in 2020, Evans rushed for 415 yards and four touchdowns 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.

With Evans leaving, TCU’s top returning running back will be Kendre Miller, who rushed for 623 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

Demercado to return

TCU is expecting running back Emari Demercado to return for a fifth season in 2022, a source said Thursday, taking advantage of the NCAA freezing eligibility during 2020 amid the pandemic.

Demercado rushed for a career-high 421 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games in 2021.

Demercado joined the program in 2018 after spending a season at Saddleback College. He took a redshirt season in 2019, playing in only four games.

This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 10:55 AM.

Drew Davison

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Drew Davison was a TCU and Big 12 sports writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram until 2022. He covered everything in DFW from Rangers to Cowboys to motor sports.