Tennessee football: JuCo 2021 RB Tiyon Evans commits to Vols again

The junior college running back chose the Tennessee football Volunteers a second time.

After committing to Tennessee football once back on April 30 and then decommitting on Sept. 21, Tiyon Evans has once again chosen the Vols. Evans is a junior college running back for 2021 out of Hutchinson Community College in Kansas and will have two years of eligibility remaining when he joins UT.

Standing at 5’9″ 225 pounds, Evans is a three-star on Rivals but a four-star on 247Sports. Initially coming out of Hartsville High School in Hartsville, S.C., he appeared to consistently be down to the Vols and the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Given the recent firing of USC head coach Will Mushamp, which just happened earlier in the week, it’s not surprising he decided to go back to the Vols. Evans announced his commitment to Tennessee football in a Twitter video Saturday afternoon.

Despite all the issues on the field, Jeremy Pruitt landing Evans amidst a four-game losing streak is pretty impressive. That’s especially true given how loaded the Vols are at running back now and on the recruiting trail.

More from Vols Football

• How to Win a GUARANTEED $200 Bonus Betting Just $5 on the Vols vs. Florida!
• Tennessee Football at Florida: Five Keys to a Vols Victory
• Week 3 SEC Power Rankings: Did Tennessee Football’s Win Help At All?
• Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?
• Tennessee Football: Top Five Performers in 30-13 Win vs. Austin Peay

Tee Hodge and Jabari Small are both freshmen in the program, and Len’Neth Whitehead and Dee Beckwith are athletes who have been spending time at the position. Eric Gray, meanwhile, is only a sophomore and will be back next year.

Three-star Jaylen Wright of North Carolina and four-star Cody Brown of Georgia are 2021 commitments at running back. Four-star Kaemen Marley of North Carolina and in-state three-star Elijah Howard are athletes committed who could also play the role. Simply put, Evans will have some competition for playing time, but could earn a spot. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, while Evans has the frame of a power back, he’s great in open space and can be used as a return specialist in addition to being a running back on passing downs. The Vols could spread out the field and find ways to use him.

Evans is the 27th commitment for Tennessee football’s 2021 recruiting class, which is a top 12 class on 247sports, a top 10 class on Rivals and a top five class on ESPN. However, if they want to maintain this talent, they will have to avoid what has looked like a late-season collapse recently.