3-star CB Luke Evans flips to Mississippi State from Cincinnati

Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep three-star cornerback Luke Evans flipped to Mississippi State from Cincinnati on Thursday night. He was previously pledged to the Bearcats since June 5.

Evans is the No. 513 overall prospect and No. 52 cornerback in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 93 player in Florida.

On3 rates Evans higher than other recruiting services, according to the Industry Comparison. Even though he is not ranked in the 2023 On300, Evans is the No. 44 cornerback and No. 60 player in Florida.

Committed!! @CoachMcBath_MSU @CoachZachArnett @Calhoun__23 @PJ247Sports @JeremyO_Johnson pic.twitter.com/1pUZhzwWGO

— Luke Evans (@LukeEvans_2) December 16, 2022

A 6-foot-1, 165-pound defensive back, Evans is the Bulldogs’ first commit since the passing of head coach Mike Leach. To replace Leach, Zach Arnett was elevated from defensive coordinator and has since been hired as the program’s head coach going forward.

Prior to his commitment, Evans did not make a visit to Mississippi State. His last trip was to Cincinnati on the weekend of June 4 for an official visit.

More on Mississippi State’s 2023 recruiting class

The Bulldogs’ 2023 recruiting class now contains 22 commitments. Mississippi State’s group ranks No. 28 in the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings and No. 10 in the SEC.

Evans is one of five cornerbacks pledged to the Bulldogs. The others are Snellville (Ga.) Shiloh three-star Brice Pollock, Clarksdale (Miss.) three-star Kelley Jones, Miami transfer Khamauri Rogers and LSU transfer Raydarious Jones.

Of Mississippi State’s commitments, two are four-star recruits. Gainesville (Fla.) F. W. Buchholz wide receiver Creed Whittemore and Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood quarterback Chris Parson are rated in the top 400 of the On3 Consensus. 

The Bulldogs also have two pledges in the top 500 of the On3 Consensus. They are Pollock and Bay Springs (Miss.) three-star athlete Ty Jones.

A Florida native, Evans has an On3 NIL Valuation of $6.1K. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.