Tennessee has been red hot on the recruiting trail over the last week. The Vols have climbed to #5 nationally in the 247Sports team ranking after three high-profile commitments in the last three days. Their recruiting efforts have carried into South Carolina where the Vols are battling USC for RB Tiyon Evans, a Hartsville native who will finish up his two year career at Hutchinson JC, KS this fall.
Evans has USC and Tennessee clearly at the top of his list though he’s added recent offers from Oklahoma State, East Carolina, Houston, UCF and Western Kentucky. He also has an offer from Maryland.
The Gamecocks have just gone thru a change at the running backs coaching position with the hiring of Dez Kitchings. As of Monday night, Evans said he’d not yet heard from Kitchings, but he had been contacted by former running backs coach Bobby Bentley who has moved to tight ends.
“I just heard a few days ago that Coach (Bobby) Bentley is not the running backs coach anymore,” Evans said. “I talked to Coach Bentley yesterday. We didn’t really talk a lot about him changing to tight ends coach. He was just basically telling me about it. I haven’t really been focused on football. I’ve been finishing my school work. I plan to pick that back up when I’m finished with my school.”
Evans also talked Sunday with recruiters from Tennessee, and he said the Vols are pushing hard for him.
“Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah,” Evans said. “They basically are just showing me a lot of different things, like a visit, but basically walking me thru it.”
Evans has two more weeks of school work to complete and then he’ll turn his attention back to his college decision, which he wants to make before his season. He said he has talked with Tennessee about an official visit, and he’s also looking for a date to see USC.
“I’m trying to research whatever school and community that’s going to be best for me and my family,” Evans said adding that there is no favorite at this point.
Tennessee has two running backs committed for the 2021 class, one ranked 29th nationally and the other 48th. The Gamecocks do not have a running back commitment in the 2021 class.
