Hard work ahead for confident Georgia WR Anthony Evans
The wheels turned slowly for Anthony Evans in his first season at Georgia but he’s largely unbothered. While it took some time, over three months, for him to get his feet wet, the opportunities he got in the SEC Championship game and Capital One Orange Bowl only whet his appetite. Now the rising sophomore just wants more.
More won’t be easy. The Bulldogs bring back a lot of experience and talent at wideout and they added three receivers in the transfer portal. But that invaluable experience gained at the end of the season has Evans confident that his time is coming so long as he puts in the work.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot to work on but, at the same time, it’s going to come naturally,” Evans told DawgsHQ after the Orange Bowl “Being here and around my teammates and in this facility with my teammates. I’ve got a lot to work on and it’s nothing God can’t control. It’s all going to come naturally.”
Evans saw reserve action for most of the season, appearing in six games before the Bulldogs took on Alabama in the SEC Championship game. In the fourth quarter, with Georgia trying to mount a comeback, he joined Mekhi Mews back deep on the punt return unit. He lined up behind Mews, trying to shield himself from the coverage, and when the ball was put into the air, the two split. Mews was the decoy and Evans received the punt.
The Texas native used his track speed to split the Alabama coverage for a 28-yard return that set the Bulldogs up at the Crimson Tide 35-yard line. They scored four plays later and cut the deficit to three points. Georgia still fell short in the contest, snapping a 29-game win streak, but the flash from Evans’ has been talked about plenty sense.
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With Mews hitting the transfer portal in December, Evans handled punt return duties in the Orange Bowl and even saw some meaningful minutes at wideout. All told, he played 32 offensive snaps and even reached the end zone for the first time in his career, catching a 14-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to end all scoring.
“Man-to-man call,” Evans said. “I knew it was coming to me and I just said throw it up and I’m going to make a play. It happened, so.”
The experience was as unforgettable as it was critical to his future development. Evans will have to compete hard for a role as he enters his second season. A little confidence goes a long way when a young player is trying to break through and the late-season action has given Evans more than a little.
“It’s honestly a blessing,” Evans said. “I’ve worked all my life for this and it’s amazing that the coaching staff believed in me and put me in that position in such a big game as well as an SEC Championship. I commend my teammates as well for pushing me every day and honoring me with that opportunity.”
