The Huskers received an oral commitment from a Texan for a second straight day on Wednesday — this one from 6-foot-1, 235-pound Houston native Emerson Evans.
BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 7:00 pm
Another day brought another Husker score in the land of big belt buckles and fleet-footed football players.
The Huskers on Wednesday received an oral commitment from a Texan for a second straight day — this one from 6-foot-1, 235-pound Houston native Emerson Evans.
The defensive end called NU linebackers coach Mike Ekeler to tell him the news.
“He was psyched, too,” Evans said of Ekeler.
The recruiting romp through Texas continues for Nebraska, which now has eight known commitments in its 2009 recruiting class, five of them from Texas.
And don’t think high school coaches down south haven’t noticed the recruiting attention Husker coaches are giving their players. They’ve certainly taken note in the Houston area, said Trevor White, Evans’ coach at Alief Taylor High School.
“Nebraska has done a great job of coming down here and getting some good kids. They’re definitely a presence,” White said. “You can tell they’ve stepped up their recruiting down here, no question.”
The Huskers had nine commitments from the Lone Star State in their 2008 class, six of those committing to the program after Bo Pelini was hired as head coach in early December.
And Evans’ commitment came just a day after 290-pound offensive lineman Jess Coffey — from Denton, Texas — said he’s planning to play for NU.
Though his team struggled to a 3-7 mark last season in Class 5A, Evans gained notice as an explosive pass rusher.
“He’s the kind of guy where you just line him up and tell him to whip that guy in front of you, and he’s capable of doing it,” White said. “He’s a good technician, he plays with good leverage. But his biggest attribute is he’s an explosive guy.”
Evans had 87 tackles and 16 sacks on his way to second-team all-district honors in an area overflowing with talent.
“I did good my junior year but I still didn’t know some things,” Evans said. “This year I’m going to put on a show.”
He had other offers, from Ole Miss, Utah and UTEP. Some schools expressing interest were Ohio State, LSU and Texas A&M.
Evans committed to Nebraska without ever having seen the place. He said he was drawn to NU by what he’s heard and read about the program’s tradition. It also didn’t hurt that the new head coach is defensive-minded.
“That’s definitely what I like about it,” Evans said. “Most schools, the head coaches really know about the offense, they don’t know too much about the defense. And when I thought about it, how he was a defensive coordinator, I really liked that.”
Reach Brian Christopherson at bchristopherson@journalstar.com or 473-7439.