Stellar, Standard & Subpar: Chris Evans In 2020

Chris Evans is an enigma heading into the 2020 season.

Author:
Brandon Brown
Publish date:
Jun 22, 2020 10:00 AM EDT

We continue our series as we look at each potential contributor on Michigan's roster in numerical order and look at what would be a stellar, standard and subpar season in 2020.

We're on to No. 12, redshirt senior running back Chris Evans.

Evans is one of the more interesting players on Michigan's roster heading into the 2020 season. He burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2016 because of his explosiveness and speed. He only carried it 88 times that season but he racked up 614 yards and four touchdowns and was good for 7.0 yards per carry. He was productive in 2017 and 2018 as well, but didn't necessarily progress how many thought he would after his rookie campaign.

Then, last year, he was removed from the team for academic issues but was allowed to remain in school, which resulted in a redshirt season. Now, he's back on track and ready to contribute as a fifth-year senior.

Evans is interesting because he seems to be tailor made for Josh Gattis' offense. Evens was just as much a slot receiver as he was a running back in high school, which sounds perfect for speed in space. The "problem" is that Michigan has two other capable backs in Hassan Haskins and Zach Charbonnet who played for Gattis last year.

So where does that leave Evans? How and how much will he be used and what could that look like in the stat sheet? What kind of season would be considered stellar, standard and subpar for Evans?

Stellar

A stellar season for Evans would be twofold — win the starting job and produce.

Jay and Jim Harbaugh, along with Josh Gattis, rotated backs quite a bit last year, so chances are they'll do it again in 2020. However, if Evans just blows everyone away and is noticeably better than Haskins and Charbonnet and earns the clear cut No. 1 spot, that would be a massive development.

If that happens, he'll be in line for some big numbers. Last year, Haskins and Charbonnet carried it a combined 270 times for 1,348 yards and 15 touchdowns. Now I don't see any chance Evans approaches those numbers, but if he's the main workhorse, I think he could carry it 180 times for 900 yards and at least six scores. Throw in what he could do as a receiver — say 20 catches for another 200 yards and a couple scores — and he'd ride out of Ann Arbor a huge success and would probably find himself on NFL Draft boards. He's talented enough to do it, but it all depend on how he picks up Gattis' system and how U-M's offensive coordinator wants to use him.

Standard

A standard season for Evans would be running back by committee that was equal parts Evans, Charbonnet and Haskins, with Evans getting more run as the pass-catching back. I could see all three backs carrying it about 100 times and picking up around 1,500 yards combined with 15 or so touchdowns. Those numbers are fine as a whole, but don't do much for Evans in his last hurrah.

Subpar

A subpar season for Evans would look like Tru Wilson's 2019 campaign. Wilson carried the ball 44 times for 221 yards and a score. He was clearly behind Haskins and Charbonnet, by a lot, and was really only in for mop-up duty or to give the other two a quick blow when not much was riding on him being in the game. If that's where Evans ends up, that would be a thumbs down for him.

Even if Evans is firmly third on the depth chart, I do still think he would be much more involved in the passing game given his skill set. However, if he's relegated to being just the third-down back, that would be a disappointing final season.

My Thoughts

I don't think Evans is going to be the clear No. 1 back, but I do think he's the most talented and versatile of the bunch. Because of that, I see him leading the team in carries in 2020. I'm probably higher on him than most, but I truly believe he could be special in Gattis' offense. As a strong, shifty and speedy back with great balance and phenomenal receiving skills, he simply brings things to the position that Haskins and Charbonnet do not.

I do think Charbonnet and Haskins will play quite a bit, so a stellar season numbers wise is probably not in the cards for Evans. With that said, I see him approaching 1,000 yards of total offense and double-digit touchdowns. I could end up being very wrong on this one, but I think Evans is capable if he gets a shot.