Minnesota's fall camp is just around the corner, and the 2023 college football season is less than 50 days away. With that, this is a great opportunity to take a look at potential breakout candidates for Minnesota this upcoming season. Today, we start on the offensive side of the ball at the running back position.
Following the departure of Mohamed Ibrahim, the Gophers are looking for a potential new bell cow running back. Could Zach Evans be that player? We take a look.
His career thus far
Evans signed with Minnesota as part of their 2022 recruiting class, picking the Gophers over Arizona State, Iowa, Kansas, Notre Dame, Texas, and Utah among Group of Five offers as well. It was a major recruiting win for P.J. Fleck and then running backs coach Kenni Burns to go into Texas and nab one of the top 10 running backs in the country.
As a freshman with the Gophers last fall, Evans would take a redshirt season, but he did see time against the Northwestern Wildcats in mid-November. It was a good debut for Evans as a Gopher, rushing for 29 yards and one touchdown over six carries.
A big spring game for Evans opens eyes
Evans was a name this spring that frequently popped up as a player turning heads, and then in the Gophers spring game, Evans had a tremendous performance. In the spring game, the Texas native had two touchdowns, including a 75-yard touchdown that showed off the tailback's explosion and home run-hitting ability. The spring game was a good reminder of the skillset that Evans brought to Minnesota when he signed with the program in December of 2022 after taking his redshirt in the fall.
Where will Evans find himself on the Gophers depth chart?
Evans will likely find himself this fall camp in the battle for the Gophers' second-string tailback spot though he will also be competing with Western Michigan transfer Sean Tyler for the starting spot. Tyler seems likely to nab the starting job for the fall, but Evans should still see plenty of opportunities as the second-string back for the Gophers. If he impresses early, more and more opportunities should come as well.
While the Gophers don't tend to use their running backs heavily in the passing game, it could become a potential deciding factor in who ends up seeing more playing time as the season goes on. At Western Michigan, Tyler was a quality receiving back when targeted, with 43 receptions for 338 yards and three touchdowns over four seasons. But again, it won't be a major part of the offense either way; the Gophers' running back room only totaled 31 receptions last season as a whole for 164 yards.
The Verdict
For now, we're going to say Evans has a medium likelihood of breaking out this fall for the Gophers. What would entail a breakout season? That's probably the bigger question, but either way, Evans should be able to garner enough opportunities this fall to make his impact be felt. The redshirt freshman is built well at 5-foot-10 and 205-pounds and shows the burst and athleticism to be a potential premier running back in the Big Ten. With plenty of talent behind him on the depth chart, this could also prove to be a pivotal year for Evans and his role in the Gophers offense not just this season but in 2024 and beyond.
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