Evans made good on his word of July 5 when he said he would play before the end of the season. And it wasn’t just the missing hand that was keeping him off the field. He was also recovering from knee surgery for a torn ACL. But four months later on Nov. 4, and four to seven months ahead of schedule, Evans played in a playoff loss to Tippecanoe.
Evans worked in the offseason, using a prosthetic device to lift weights, got ready for his senior season, played linebacker and helped lead the Rams to a 9-3 season.
“The coaches pushed me to the fact that I was no different from any other players, and the tackles I was missing in practice. they made it known and that it wasn’t OK,” Evans said. “I love that about them. They pushed me so when it was game time, I wasn’t making the same mistakes that I made at practice. I felt like how hard they were getting on me was was what I needed to become the player I was able to be.”
That player is one who will sign a letter of intent Wednesday for a 90% scholarship to play college football for NCAA Division II Tiffin. Evans recently visited Tiffin and announced the offer on Jan. 26. Previously within that week he received offers from Ohio Dominican and Findlay, which play in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference with Tiffin.
The Tiffin offer came from new head coach Brett Ekkens, who was hired Jan. 9 after serving two seasons on the staff at Saginaw Valley State. He replaced Cris Reisert left to be head coach at Gardner-Webb after five seasons, 40 wins, three league titles and an undefeated 2023 regular season.
The recruitment from Ekkens’ staff was Evans’ first contact with Tiffin. He liked the facilities, and the coaches made him feel like a priority. He said they like his lateral speed, overall quickness and the way he hits.
“I feel like I can really do everything still — just more patient, or I got to do it a certain way with more technique and more finesse,” Evans said. “But I don’t feel limited. I just felt like it’s me versus you and I’m going to take myself every time.
“And they just loved my story. I’m the type of guy they want around the team to help the program out.”
Evans will be signing his letter alongside teammates Timothy Carpenter (Tulsa), Mike Smith (Jackson State), Quinten Johnson (Illinois State) and track athlete Mariah Day (Youngstown State).
Evans is grateful for the opportunity after the accident threatened to end his college chances. After his sophomore season he was talking to Mid-American Conference schools, Cincinnati and Ivy League schools.
“The recruiting process we all know that it’s up and down based on a lot of different factors,” Trotwood head coach Jeff Graham said. “You kind of get recruited when you’re a sophomore going into junior year. So we told him, just let the process play it out. And the package details with Tiffin, due to his academics, is going to be a great situation for him.”
But it took until the calendar reached 2024 for Evans to finally have offers and choices.
“Honestly, I felt like it messed up a lot of my DI chances because I didn’t have many games and nobody wants to take the first chance on me,” he said. “So it was the D2 schools that felt like, OK, this is our guy.”
Throughout his rehab, a long offseason, and a season of trying to get noticed, Evans never doubted he would get opportunities.
“At times I probably was a little discouraged because after the incident a lot of college coaches found out and some of them fell back a little bit,” he said. “I always knew inside I would go play. I just didn’t know where or how long it would take to get these offers.”
Graham admired Evans’ persistence in football and school.
“He never wavered from his grades – his grades went up,” Graham said. “He lost the hand that he was writing with and was still able to do the things that kids take for granted. To have all the support from the team, coaches and the community, and then to be able to sign is the ultimate thing for him. We want him to get all the accolades for that because that’s due to his hard work.”
Evans wants to major in accounting or finance so he can use math. He carries a 4.0 GPA and is a top-10 student in his class.
“Honestly, it’s the most important thing for me just because football won’t last forever, of course,” he said. “I know I’m going to need a degree to fall back on when it’s all said and done.”
Evans’ name on X is “One Hand Bandit.” But he won’t be that off the field after Feb. 20. That’s the day he gets his open bionic prosthetic hand that will slide onto his forearm. Sensors will allow him to use fingers and possibly go back to being right-handed. He will sign his letter Wednesday with his left hand.
“As a player I don’t think I need it,” Evans said. “I feel like it would only slow me down.”
The trials of life have yet to stop Evans. After his first game back at the end of the 2022 season, Evans said, “I’ve got a story to tell, and I’m willing to write my story now, one that has a happy ending.”
Signing with Tiffin isn’t the end of the story. It’s happy, but it’s only the next chapter.
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