Well, we did it, folks. The strangest, possibly saddest countdown of all time has officially reached its conclusion and even though we knew a little while ago that we were basically counting down to nothing, the show—for the sake of our players and readers—needed to go on. So my fellow sophisticants Damien Alambra, Ryan Wilhelm, Casey Joplin, and Michael Johnson kept #CountdownSZN rolling...and for that, I’m grateful. Football will return, friends and when it does, this fella will be front and center—Octavius Evans.
#1, Octavius Evans, Senior, WR
Stats
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 205 lbs.
High School: Center High School, Center, TX
How’d he get to The Blue™?
Sometimes one of the last commitments of the year is one of the biggest, and it’s a good thing too since the Broncos were reeling from the loss of 4-star wideout commit Bryan Thompson when Evans came aboard. The “high 3-star” was rated the 19th best wideout in the massive state of Texas and was as prolific as they come at Center High, hauling in 254 career receptions and accounting for 3,200 yards and 26 TDs. As a senior, Evans was named first team District 9-4A, Division 1 and earned the receiver MVP award at the APEC East Texas Recruiting Combine. Not just a football standout, Evans was also named 1st team All-District and selected to the Class 4A Region III team as well. Additionally, he was the first player from Center High to be selected to play in the TABC All-Star Game since 1977. Evans chose the Broncos over offers from Indiana, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Texas State, and Texas Tech.
Nickname
“Doc Oc“
Who doesn’t want to be named after a Marvel supervillain?
Look-alike
Still seeing Tracy McGrady but with a dash of Bob Terwilliger
Career Highlights
Appeared in 14 games for the Broncos in 2019, with two starts. Straight trucked a dude at FSU. Appeared in an agonizing 5 games (one over the redshirt limit) in 2018. Appeared in all 14 games for the Broncos as a true frosh in 2017 and scored two TDs. First Team 2016 District 9-4A, Division 1 All-District honoree as a wide receiver. Earned receiver MVP award at the APEC East Texas Football Recruiting Combine. 1st team All-District and Class 4A Region III selectee as a senior in basketball. UIL All-District 9-4A basketball Player of the year as a junior.
Octavius Evans truck-stick pic.twitter.com/E41pdwwOiB
— Will Hall (@WillHallKTVB) August 31, 2019
2021 Prospectus
It’s a legit head-scratcher how Evans has now played in 33 games for the Broncos but only has 354 yards and 3 TDs (one last season). Seemingly, the biggest culprit was his unfortunate 2018 season where he looked poised for a MAJOR breakout, but was hampered by injury all year long. The Broncos kept trying their darnedest that sophomore season to get him in the mix and frankly, might have tried TOO hard considering that if they’d just shut him down for the year, he could have retained his redshirt (he played as a true frosh in 2017) and we’d be talking about junior Octavius right now instead of senior Octavius...but thems the breaks.
Evans has as much (or more) talent and explosiveness as any other WR on the roster, but the injuries and emergence of guys like Ced Wilson and John Hightower during his tenure have pushed him a bit to the margins. Forgetting about Evans, however, would be a monumental mistake (especially for opposing DBs). He was a chain-mover last season at 15+ yards per reception despite only being 7th in actual receptions. I think if he can sneak into the top five in receptions (entirely doable) a 300+ yard season is easy money. If he can crack that top 3 in receptions...you’re probably looking at a 500+ yard receiver. Of course, when you have soooo many great receivers on roster, it’s not integral that any one guy completely “go off”...it’s death by a thousand cuts and when football resumes in Boise, ID Octavius Evans is going to be a big part of the WR platoon and should help Hank and the passing game reach new heights.
Is he on Twitter?
Yes, and Bo knows Octavius...
I’m trying to hoop and play football for my last year
— Octavius Evans (@EvansOctavius) July 30, 2020
Completely made up fact
The #1 jersey is not just “gifted” to any particular player but rather multiple players must compete for it each offseason via a footrace. Luckily for Octavius, the only other player that wanted the #1 jersey prior to the 2018 season was Garrett Larson.