While it’s hard to imagine what Sooners true freshman Nick Evers was thinking about four months ago, his life has changed pretty dramatically since.
Four months ago, he was a Florida commit and looked pretty locked into the Gators, who were finishing up a rocky season, which led to head coach Dan Mullen being fired.
Not long after, he was recruited heavily by Jeff Lebby to come to the University of Oklahoma. Evers would flip from Florida to the Sooners and sign during the early signing period.
Another month passed and he’s now a full-time student-athlete at the University of Oklahoma, enrolled, and working out with his new team.
Now, he finds himself on Athlon Sports’ list of true freshmen quarterbacks to watch for 2022.
It’s been a wild ride but one Evers’ has handled well. However, Dillon Gabriel is firmly entrenched as the starter according to Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby. That makes a lot of sense considering Gabriel has spent his freshman year in Lebby’s system and has three years of collegiate football experience. No other quarterback on the roster has thrown a meaningful pass in college football. This is where Athlon Sports thinks Evers has a shot to play this year.
Oklahoma’s quarterback room was hit hard by transfers this offseason. Spencer Rattler departed for South Carolina, and Caleb Williams joined former Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley at USC. The new Sooner staff used the portal to land a starter (Dillon Gabriel from UCF), but depth behind him is thin. If Gabriel has to miss major time this year, Evers could get the call as the starter. – Steve Lassan, Athlon Sports
They would be correct. There’s no reason to doubt that Evers is likely QB2 after the Sooners break for summer after spring ball. What’s most important is that Evers will need to be coached as if he is going to be the starter simply due to the fact the Sooners do not have the requisite bodies or experience behind him. What Evers does have is raw talent.
The Sooners would be wise to hit the post-spring practice transfer portal for another seasoned quarterback. Even with that as a possible solution that’s not a given because selling someone on coming in to be the backup would be hard.
Assuming that they can’t, Evers development looms large and it’ll be on Jeff Lebby, Matt Holecek (offensive support analyst that helped with QBs at Ole Miss under Lebby), and Brent Venables to prepare the former four-star from Flower Mound, Texas.
Evers is a true dual-threat with a very live arm. He still needs some seasoning and rounding out of his game. A winter and spring with Jerry Schmidt will help him physically mature but getting reps against an actual defense is where we will really see the maturation of the signal caller truly happen.
The Sooners season could hinge on the readiness of their backup quarterback as you’re always just one play from the starter going down for an extended period of time. The Sooners brain trust will have to put a concerted effort into making sure Evers is at least ready to not just play but also succeed in case of an emergency.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.
[listicle id=55159]