LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The question for Tiyon Evans, transfer running back for the University of Louisville, is whether he has one more comeback in him. He's betting that he does.
Evans' college football career is a reminder of how COVID-19 wreaked havoc on many college athletes but also of the fragility of football fortunes.
Evans was a non-qualifier out of high school, endured a lost season because of COVID-19 in junior college, emerged as the No. 1 junior college running back in the nation out of Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College and looked on his way to stardom at Tennessee, rushing for 100 yards in three of his first six games.
A talented runner and pass-receiver with undeniable next-level aspirations, the 5-foot-11-inch, 225-pound junior from Hartsville, South Carolina, has good vision, can run inside and out, and is a dogged goal-line rusher. He also is a solid route runner and had some success catching the ball out of the backfield at Tennessee.
Having navigated so much, childhood poverty, academic struggles, and the COVID-19 calendar, Evans shot out of the gate for 120 yards on 16 carries in his first game with the Vols, followed that up with 121 combined rushing and receiving yards against Florida and appeared on his way to becoming a fixture on Knoxville.
He ran for 156 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Missouri but then endured another setback with an ankle injury in a game against South Carolina. He still ran for 119 yards and a TD in that game, but had only 8 carries over his next 2 games and was on the bench for the rest of the season.
He got to Louisville in time for spring practice and said his transition has been a smooth one once he got used to the changes in terminology.
When I asked him about the road that brought him to Louisville, he shrugged it off.
"I try not to let none of that get to me," he said. "I've had many obstacles in my life and I've come back from those obstacles. The way I see it, like, don't let the highs be too high or the lows be too low. Everything happens for a reason. So just put that in the back and use it as motivation."
One major bit of motivation for Evans is his son. He has posted photos with his son after games, and on Father's Day. Balancing fatherhood and football is a challenge, he admits, but one he embraces.
Tennessee DB Brandon Turnage (29) and his daughter, RB Tiyon Evans (8) and his son. Photo by Ric Butler/Rocky Top Insider.
"I wouldn't say that it's easy," he said. "But you know, life is a challenge itself. ... But at the end of the day, I am a father so I'm going do my job at that too. On and off the field, I'm going to make sure that I'm doing everything right for my son and making sure that I'm not jeopardizing anything. ... Before I had my son, I was just really playing football because of what it could do for my family and the passion that I had for it. I come from poverty, so, you know, if my school's being paid for and all that, of course I'm going to give it my all. But whenever I had my son, it kind of changed my focus you know. It lets me know that I'm trying to make sure I do everything possible in my way so my son don't have to grow up like I did."
Evans will encounter plenty of competition at the running back spot. Jalen Mitchell, the team's second-leading rusher last season, and No. 3 rusher Trevion Cooley, have both had success at the position at Louisville. And redshirt sophomore Jawhar Jordan could be a factor.
Jalen Mitchell was Louisville's No. 2 rusher in 2021.
Louisville's new offensive coordinator, Lance Taylor, has seen running back competitions go both ways. He was Christian McCaffery's running backs coach at Stanford, and said, "He took 99% of our reps, took all the carries, never wanted to come off the field. But very rarely do you see that much anymore."
He expects to use multiple backs to prevent wear and tear, and because he has players with a variety of talents.
"We're going to use all of those guys," Taylor said. "And then game by game, it really depends on what guy has the hot hand. I mean, who is really playing well, who's feeling it, who's running really hard? And I think you get a sense of that as you get through the first couple of series and really see who has the hot hand for that day."
The ability to run and catch well, however, puts a player like Evans at a bit of an advantage, though he says the key to seeing the field may be neither skill.
Louisville's Trevion Cooley opens the scoring on a 48-yard TD reception in Louisville's win at Duke in November of 2021. He was Louisville's No. 3 rusher last season.
"First and foremost, I take pride in the blocking game," Evans said. "Because as running backs, I feel like we should know how to catch out of the backfield and break one-on-one tackles and all those things. So I try to focus on other things, like blocking."
Regardless, he said, he has enjoyed the camaraderie of the running back group at Louisville, and is excited about getting back onto the field healthy, and once again, overcoming obstacles. He also said he's excited about teaming up with a quarterback like Malik Cunningham, who himself is a running threat.
"We just feed off each other," Evans said. "It just keeps it open. You never know who's going to run the ball or what's going to happen."
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