3-star Evans makes pledge to Ole Miss for 2016
On Sunday afternoon, Ole Miss picked up an additional linebacker for its highly-anticipated 2016 class in Archer High School product Donta Evans II. Evan chose the Rebels over the second-place Arkansas Razorbacks.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound inside linebacker had 17 offers, five of them coming from teams in the Southeastern Conference. On Evans’ Twitter account, he posted a picture of his final list of schools that included Ole Miss, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, and Auburn, with each school having its own cake, hat, cupcakes, and scarf. He then made his choice known via Twitter:
HOTTY TODDY!!! #HottyToddy #GoRebs pic.twitter.com/MbIqQoWnzD
— Donta Evans II (@DontaEvans) August 2, 2015
Evans is a three-star recruit by Scout and 247Sports.com. He’s currently rated as the country’s No. 19 inside linebacker by the 247Sports Composite Index. Evans made a visit to Oxford in early June and then made a second trip late July to be sure he was sold on becoming part of the Rebel family.
“When I visited Ole Miss, I really liked the rural atmosphere and the family atmosphere,” Evans told 247Sports. “Those are two things that I like. Coach (Hugh) Freeze is a great guy. When we visited, he really loved my family, and we really loved his family. After I left Oxford the first time, for about two weeks Ole Miss was the only school I could think about.”
Before his decision, Evans’ parents were already convinced Oxford was the right place for their son to come play collegiate football. “My parents kind of committed to Ole Miss before I did. They were so in love with Ole Miss,” Evans said. “I am fortunate to have parents who are supportive of me making my own decisions, and I ended up feeling the same way they did in the end.”
Evans is the 19th commitment for the Rebels’ 2016 class, which currently sits at No. 5 in the country. Ole Miss trails only Ohio State, LSU, Florida State, and Alabama.
Evans transferred to Archer High School in Atlanta in January from Lake Marion (South Carolina). Once Evans finishes up his senior season for the Tigers, he will enroll early at Ole Miss, becoming the sixth member of the class to make that decision.
As a junior last season, Evans recorded 116 tackles, which included seven tackles for loss, six sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He averaged 12.9 tackles per game.
Coach Freeze and his staff aren’t done adding pieces to the 2016 class. The Rebels will now turn their attention to four-star wide receiver Kyle Davis, four-star cornerback Jamyest Williams, and four-star offensive tackle E.J. Price, who are all Evans’ teammates at Archer High School. Evans is prepared to help his new school corner more talent and also plans to make trips to Oxford during football season.
“I want the best guys around me when I get to Ole Miss,” Evans said. “Of course, I’m going to recruit. E.J. (Price) is my boy. I go up against him every day at practice. I know he wants to make a trip down to Ole Miss this fall. I’m going to work on these guys.”
(Featured Image courtesy of Chris Clark/Orangeburg Times and Democrat)
