By By Mark Etheridge / special to The Star
June 17, 2002
MOBILE, Ala. Some people where surprised when Waynesboro prep football star Willie Evans spurned the University of Southern Mississippi to head to Mississippi State.
Evans, a 6-foot, 260-pound two-way player that prepped at Wayne County High School, had previously given an oral commitment to play for coach Jeff Bower at Southern Miss.
On signing day, Evans signed with Mississippi State and head coach ackie Sherrill. That signing was the culmination of a strong senior ear that saw Evans gain some lofty recognition.
Evans was named honorable mention all-Southeast region by PrepStar magazine/CBS Sportsline.com. He earned first-team, all-state recognition on the defensive line by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. He was named all-Region 3-5A and all-state in the 5A classification at defensive tackle by the state's high school coaches.
All those accolades and Evans said he really was not that impressed with his own performance.
Despite his own criticism, Evans helped lead coach Marcus Boyles' Wayne County team to a 9-3 record during his senior season by making 88
tackles, nine quarterback sacks and three fumble recoveries playing on the defensive line. He also played offense, rushing 41 times for 275 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught 12 passes for 242 yards and another pair of scores.
Evans flexibility leaves the Mississippi State coaches with a decision to make offense or defense?
Evans is just returning from the Mississippi-Alabama all-star game in Mobile, Alabama. Evans played as a defensive lineman and got a head start playing with many future Bulldogs. Mississippi State led all colleges with 11 participants in the game.
Evans had three tackles in the game, a 29-17 loss to Alabama. "In the first half I was too worried about what we can do and what we can't do. But the game didn't matter that much. We were just having fun."