Newbury Park corner back Marques Evans gives verbal commitment to Boise State

A lot goes into an athlete’s decision when he, or she, tries to make the best choice for the next step in his/her respective career. Sometimes all it takes is constant communication on part of the school. Sometimes it takes patience by the student. And sometimes it takes school being in the right place, at the right time, to catch a kid who has always thought fondly of said school.

August 14th, Boise State had offered a scholarship to a three star (per Rivals, and 247Sports) corner back, Marques Evans of Newbury Park, California. And, wouldn’t you know it, he kind of thinks fondly of Boise State.

When a kid says that a particular school is his “dream school” we always kind of know to take that assertion with a grain of salt. He could just be saying kind words about the school so the fanbase will pay attention. He could be making sure to keep a good relationship with the coaches so that, if all else fails, he has someplace to land if things do not necessarily work out at another school. Nothing wrong with any of those things. It is just how this crazy thing called “recruiting” works. Kids who have to make one of the biggest decisions of their lives (up to this point) need to be sure to get it right.

But then, earlier today, we were treated with the Bronco Signal!

(Ooh, shiny!)

It does not necessarily take a Mensa candidate to make the math add up. A kid who says he got offered by his dream school? And a little over 24 hours later we get Coach Harsin doing his thing? Can’t be a coincidence.

And it was not!

Man. I like that video.

During his junior year with the Panthers, Mr. Evans (6’ 1” 175 lbs) recorded 15 total tackles (10 solo), 2 INTs, and 10 passes defended. All in nine games played. On special teams he returned kickoffs, 283 yards on 15 attempts.

With the Broncos’ propensity to move guys to where they will ultimately succeed, Mr. Evans may not be a CB when he joins the team, but let us pretend that he will. When Evans joins the roster his freshman year, he’ll be joining a relatively young corp. In theory (note: this is only a theory as ANYTHING can happen between now and next summer), Mr. Tyler Horton will be a junior and the elder statesman of the bunch. Reid Harrison-Ducros will be a RS Freshman, LaDarryl Blair will be a RS Sophomore along with Garrett Estrada. That.. is a young bunch after this year. So the coaching staff will be looking for kids who have the ability to fill in as needed. And Mr. Evans could very well fill that role.

Of course, Boise State was not the only school to make an offer to Mr. Evans. He also had offers from six other Mountain West Conference schools: Colorado State, Hawaii, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah State, and—wait for it—the Harvard of the west: Nevada. He also had interest from half the Pac-12 including Arizona, California, Washington State, and Washington.

As with all things Boise State recruiting-related, look for all these schools to make a late push for Mr. Evans’ services. Friendly reminder: this is a non-binding verbal commitment and Mr. Evans may have the opportunity to change his mind. And, as stated above, he needs to do what is right for him. As much as we love his choice now, if things were to change, we have to respect that choice as well.

Of course, that is when the Broncos will need to hold tight! But let us bask in this for now!

Any rate, welcome aboard Mr. Evans and here’s to a superb senior year!