Down to a top 10, three-star TE Evans continues pushing ahead

When three-star Wadsworth (OH) tight end Mitchell Evans announced his top 10 this past weekend, it was the culmination of a lot work and a lot of tough choices. And now, he’s moving forward confidently into the next phase of his recruitment even though he’s not sure when—or where—it will end.

On the Fourth of July, the 6-foot-7, 245-pound Evans announced a final group that consisted of Cincinnati, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Iowa State, Louisville, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Pitt, and UVa.

“It was kind of crazy,” he told CavsCorner this week. “I still had a bunch of schools contacting me and my recruiting really took off later. My first offer, it came in February. So, I’ve really only had four or five months of getting this thing going. And without being able to go places, it’s been kind of hard.

“The only place I’ve been to was West Virginia and that was right before the shutdown,” Evans added. “And they didn’t make my top 10. So, it’s crazy times.”

Despite being unable to take any trips to inform that cut, Evans believes he still was able to get more than enough information going into it even if it was tough to do.

“Before I narrowed it down, I had a bunch of Zoom calls and it was kind of stressing me out and stuff,” he admitted. “I’m really, really lucky to be in this spot but it was hard.”

Though it was difficult in spots, moving forward with a set group makes things a bit easier since he feels like these were the schools that made the most sense for him.

“Some of the schools offered me kind of early and some of them hoped on late, because maybe they had a kid committed or whatever,” he said. “Cincinnati thought they were done with recruiting that spot but then opened it back up. Louisville offered me the same day, too. But, ya know, some of them I’ve had a great relationship with for a long time and some of them, like Notre Dame, I’ve been talking to a while. I started talking to Notre Dame in March and then they offered one they picked recruiting back up after the players came back and they had that time again.

“Florida State, Coach (Kenny) Dillingham said he didn’t even need to find me because he was just scrolling Twitter and he saw me and my film and thought ‘Oh crap this kid is good,” Evans added. “And Coach (Ricky) Brumfield from UVa, he’s been there since the start. He’s been recruiting me heavily for a long time. So, yeah, it’s been pretty cool.”

Though some recruits set out with a specific number in mind when they cut their lists, Evans said that he just went with what felt right even though he’s got a smaller group of schools that a little bit separated from the pack.

“I probably had a group at the top of three or four,” he explained. “I don’t have a top No. 1 yet or anything but I’ve got three or four schools up there that are fighting for the No. 1 spot. Those schools are kind of at the same level, and day to day I’ll feel like this one or that or the other one are the best fit for me. Beyond them, I also had a group of schools that I liked too that were also in that same level so I figured I’d cut it to 10 and call it a day. But it’s hard.”

Led by Brumfield, the Wahoos have been a fixture in his recruitment for a while.

“We’ve been talking about getting some Zooms set up,” Evans said. “Every time we have in the past, something seems to come up. So hopefully sometime this week or early next week we can get into the offense and break down some things on how it works.

“But I’ve done my own research on some stuff too,” he added, “and watched some game highlights and I can see a lot that way. I’m looking forward to hearing more about it.”

As a modern tight with the frame to add more strength, Evans brings a varied skillset to the table.

“I feel like for my size I’m pretty athletic,” he said. “I would like to catch the ball out more in space. I played a lot of H-back stuff and I can do that very well. I like blocking around the edge from that spot on run plays. And if we did a lot of three-point stance stuff, I’d do a lot in the passing game releasing off blocks, chipping and going. I would say I’m pretty good in open space.”

Working his way through the recruiting process is made difficult not only because of the lack of visits but also too because it can be tough to compare system to system and scheme to scheme when it comes to the tight end position because so much is driven by a player’s specific skillset.

“Yeah, that’s tough sometimes,” Evans said. “A bunch of the schools are kind of similar in that they’re just starting to really use the tight ends and getting them in the fold. Georgia Tech is coming from the triple-option and so they’re taking three at that spot. Michigan State, they use the TEs when Coach (Mel) Tucker was at Colorado. Virginia has always had really solid tight ends, from the Heath Miller days on. Iowa State is a powerhouse of tight ends and they’re going to lose three after this year they think. And Notre Dame, they’ve had like the last six starters get drafted.

“So, it’s going to be tough,” he added. “All of these schools, I’m very blessed to have them recruiting me and have the opportunity to go there. I would say most of these outside of football have a very elite degree, like Virginia is one of the top public schools in the country. Notre Dame is Notre Dame. Iowa State has a really good engineering school if I ever want to do that. So, it’s a tough choice.”

The fact that he’s in this position at continues to amaze him, that’s for sure.

“Every little kid who plays something dreams of this, right?” Evans said. “I’ve always played football so I’ve always wanted to play in the NFL and stuff. Obviously, the best chance to do that is to play big time college football. I never thought I’d be D-1 because I never thought I’d be 6-7, 240. I was 6-foot, maybe 200 pounds as a freshman. So I went from playing quarterback to tight end, which was a weird adjustment but I liked it.”

Though many recruits right now feel like they’re just waiting on the chance to take visits, he’s not sure he’s in that spot.

“Yes and no,” Evans said. “If I have a couple of good Zoom call with some of these school or if I’m able to go and just drive around, I could see myself being ready to commit. I know not this week or next week but maybe the next weekend or week I’m going to go see Notre Dame and maybe Iowa State I think. We’re just trying to go see some campuses. But I don’t know. My top choices changes every day.

“And honestly, that’s how I’ll know when I’m ready,” he added. “My top choices will stop changing every day or every other day. I know I’m not ready when that’s happening. So, it was Pitt for a little bit, Virginia’s there, Michigan State, Notre Dame. So it’s stuff like that that tells you.”

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