Steve Sarkisian goes in-depth on former five-star, TCU running back Zach Evans

TCU running back Zach Evans was one of the most coveted running back prospects in the nation coming out of high school. As a matter of fact, when he signed with the Horned Frogs in 2020, he became the first five-star prospect in TCU football history.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian was very complimentary of the talented tailback when he spoke with the media on Thursday. He knows he’s going to have his hands full when the Longhorns face TCU on Saturday.

“Well he’s a dynamic player for sure,” Sarkisian said. “I actually recruited him pretty hard coming out of high school. I think he kind of had, like most freshmen, that transition year last season. He really looks like he’s playing kind of like the player that we saw in high school. He’s a dynamic runner. He’s got the breakaway speed, the elusiveness, yet he’s definitely a factor in the passing game. And when he gets in the open field and he has space, he can be a problem.

“So we’ve gotta do a great job of leveraging the ball when he has it. We’ve gotta make sure that we’re getting hats to the football. We’ve got to try to minimize the space in which he operates in because when he has it, he’s a tall task.”

True to Sarkisian’s word, Evans has been showing the game-breaking speed early in the season that made so many coaches swoon over him a few years ago. As a sophomore, the Houston native is averaging 7.86 yards per carry, ranking him 21st in the country in that stat.

He’s averaging right around the same numbers he did last season as a true freshman for TCU. The 5-foot-11, 212-pounder averaged 7.7 yards per carry in 2020. Not only were those numbers good enough for the best on the team, but Evans‘ freshman yards per carry numbers ranked second in TCU program history. The former North Shore High product also ranked second nationally in yards per carry by a true freshman in the FBS in 2020.

As a receiver this year, Evans has hauled in four passes for 84 receiving yards and a touchdown through the air. He’s currently averaging 21 yards per catch. On the ground, he shredded the California defense to the tune of 190 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground on 22 carries. That was good enough for 8.6 yards per carry.

One of the most underrated aspects of Evans’ game is his remarkable contact balance.

We are asking you to simply respect Zach Evans pic.twitter.com/joK6nCjkPn

— BULLYBALL (@RealBullyBall) September 25, 2021

During his career at North Shore (Houston), Evans finished with nearly 5,000 rushing yards and 76 touchdowns. He was the critical piece for the Mustangs squad that won back to back Texas 6A Division I state titles.

Evans chose TCU over Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.

Texas (3-1) and TCU (2-1) face-off Saturday. Kickoff is slated for noon EST. The game will be televised on ABC.