Evaluation: Georgia's Newest 2024 Commitment Is A Promising Defensive Back
As Georgia will try and figure out what the offense will look like post-injury to Brock Bowers - Kirby Smart and his staff are thrilled this afternoon as they have learned they have flipped former LSU 2024 DB Ondre Evans. Georgia's newest cornerback commitment is a promising player, and Dawgs Daily is here to provide you with our evaluation of the 4-star from Nashville, TN.
Frame: When you think of a cornerback, you think of a lengthy player with overextending arms and legs. Though Evans' arms aren't the longest in the world, they fit his solid 6' .5" frame. What stands out about the exemplary athlete is his lengthy legs, which he most certainly uses to his advantage to gain extra ground when chasing down an opponent. What may create issues for him in the future is his weight, which currently stands at 183 pounds. If Evans can add five pounds while he is still in high school, he would be in good standing for Scott Cochran to develop his strength around, and the nutrition program to give him the proper needs to add muscle, which weighs more than body fat.
Athleticism: Speed, speed, speed. That word pops off the screen when Evans' tape is cut on, and for good reason. The two-sport athlete is on the rubber in the springs running in the 100 and 200-meter dash. In the 100-meter, Evans posted a 10.55 second personal best and a 21.66 personal best in the 200. The second-place finisher in the 2A Tennessee 100-meter State Final uses his speed on the field to blow up plays, clean up mistakes, and pick off passes before the ball gets to receiver. With most of his snaps being played in zone coverage, his speed is handy. Even when the ball isn't going to his side, Evans is sprinting across the field to the ball, saving touchdown scores.
CPA s Ondre Evans (1) celebrates with Ian Magargee (55) after defeating MBA at Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Sept. 8, 2023.
http://imagn.com/setImages/528146/preview/21373816
Instinct: As most defensive backs do when they are competing at a way higher level than anyone else, Evans' instinct is to play the ball. His eyes are consistently watching the quarterback in the backfield, and he uses his speed to make up ground and get to the receiver quickly to negate any extra yardage or cause a lot of pass breakups. Playing as a wide receiver offensively and showing good hands at that position, playing for the ball is likely the easiest thing for Evans to do as a cornerback. When Evans does play in man coverage and takes his eyes off the quarterback, he covers the receiver well and in some cases he starts to run the route for the receiver. More than anything, though, Evans wants the "baby" and will physically try and take it from you.
Polish: Areas of Evans' game could use some cleaning up, but that is expected when you receive any high school player at the collegiate level, no matter their rankings. But, the two areas Evans excels at ahead of everyone else are his ball awareness skills and the drive in his legs. Playing on both sides of the ball, he understands where the ball would be best placed for the receiver to get a catch with Evans in coverage over him. With that knowledge, he uses his burst of speed to get to the ball quickly in every rep on his tape. When he isn't forcing a pass breakup, Evans is negating yards after the catch and using the drive in his legs that helps push his speed to push opponents with the ball back a couple of yards when making tackles, something commonly seen amongst Georgia DBs.
Bottom Line: The bottom line is that Ondre Evans will likely be a great defensive back for the Georgia Bulldogs. He has a good size now as a high schooler and uses polished tools that can immediately impact any program. What may bite him in the tail is his eye discipline. An eagerness for the ball isn't the worst thing in the world, but it can easily get you beat against college offenses designed to toy with defenders' eyes. The key thing with Evans is that his development potential is through the roof. He is already showing signs of what Kamari Lassiter does well in his game, such as not allowing yards after the catch and good ball awareness. He is a good pickup for Kirby Smart and staff to add depth to that position in 2024.
Watch Ondre Evans Junior Season Highlights:
Evans now grows a 2024 recruiting class to 27 recruits for the Georgia Bulldogs, who are continuously looking for the next man up. He joins Ellis Robinson IV as the other cornerback in this class, and Damello Jones will play safety behind them. The news surrounding Evans flipping his commitment is positive momentum for the current Georgia Bulldogs, who are trying to fight through the adversity of an injury-plagued season.
Other Georgia News:
- Georgia's Remaining Schedule - Who Could Be The Troublesome Game?
- Player Profile: How Can Oscar Delp Contribute to Georgia's Success?
- Reminder of What Georgia Has With Delp, Luckie, and Spurlin
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