LB Donta Evans of Archer (AJC/Michael Carvell)
There are so many major-college prospects at Archer High School this season that it’s hard to keep up with them all.
And one guy who may be getting overlooked a little bit, just because there's so much talent on the roster, is Donta Evans.
The rising senior linebacker at Archer has nearly 20 early offers, and Auburn was the first school that Evans mentioned when asked about his leaders.
“Auburn is one of them,” Evans told the AJC. “I would definitely say N.C. State is one. Kentucky, Ole Miss, Missouri, Arkansas and Louisville are (also) probably my leaders right now.”
Evans got famous at Auburn a few weeks ago when he played a prank on the coaches at Big Cat recruiting weekend. He got Gus Malzahn and assistants Will Muschamp and Lance Thompson to pose for pictures; however, he was taking videos, not pictures – and the coaches didn't realize it until they were staring the camera longer than usual.
What does Evans like about Auburn? “I mean, you’ve got Coach Muschamp and Coach Thompson and Coach Malzahn. I’m really close to the staff, and they’re just really great guys. I love those guys, and they’re fun to be around.”
“They’re still in need of some linebackers. They only have one, and they still need three more — so that’s a position of need and that’s what I’m looking for because I want to play early.”
Evans, who is a 3-star and rated as the state's No. 66 overall prospect, also was impressed by former UGA defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who now works in the same role at Louisville.
“Coach Grantham – me and him were talking it up when I first got to town,” Evans said. “We were in that film room for like two hours just talking about the game. I got to see the campus, and the campus was beautiful. And Coach Grantham would be my coach, and he’s also a defensive coordinator — so he got to explain to me how I would fit into that system.”
What about UGA? The Bulldogs are one of three schools that Evans would like to add to his stack of early offers. Five other Archer players have UGA offers, including receiver Kyle Davis and offensive lineman EJ Price.
“Yes sir, I just probably need to go work out for them” Evans said. “Me being so close is not a big deal, it’s just I need to work out with them sometime soon. Georgia, Tennessee and Florida are schools I’m looking for an offer from.”
Evans says he plans to make his college decision after he takes all five official visits, even though it’s rare for most prospects to take more than a few. He’s focused on helping Archer return to the state championship game in Georgia’s largest classification.
“You only get to do this one time, but I don’t plan on de-committing,” he said. “Word is bond, so I’m a man of my word. If I make a commitment, I plan on sticking with it unless it’s some big coaching change or something.”
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