Justin Evans Found Confidence In 2023, Now It’s Time For The Next Step

What’s next for Justin Evans?

After not appearing in a game as a true freshman in 2022, the young Nebraska offensive lineman stepped up in a big way in 2023 following Ethan Piper’s season-ending knee injury, playing in all 12 with five starts as a redshirt freshman.

It’s Evans’ versatility as an interior lineman able to play both guard and center that helped put him in position to see 314 snaps in his second season of college football. At 6-foot-1 and 315 pounds, Evans is short, but powerful, and makes life hard for defensive linemen who want to get under him. His background has a high school wrestler has improved his footwork and balance, too.

Evans started at left guard against Michigan State, Maryland and Wisconsin and started at center (for one play before going to left guard) against Purdue. In the season debut against Minnesota, Evans started the game as the sixth O-lineman in a run-heavy package.

Evans recently joined Huskers Radio Network to talk about his 2023 and the upcoming 2024 campaign, where he’ll fight for a starting guard job, most likely on the left side, and be the top candidate for backup center.

“I felt like, just as a person and as a player, I grew a lot because I had to go in on such short notice,” Evans said. “But that just shows my preparation and that I was ready for the moment. So going into next year I feel super confident.”

Evans spent the spring working at both guard and center. The focus has been more left guard than right, he said. Nebraska’s interior depth doesn’t look half bad, with others like Florida transfer Micah Mazzccua and Henry Lutovsky looking to push for a starting role. Turner Corcoran, who’s coming off foot surgery, could factor into the guard discussion as well.

Evans’ ability to mentally and physically handle playing two different positions on the O-line is his ticket to playing time.

“It’s important for me, especially for me being a shorter guy, I feel like I have to know every position because you never know when I might have to go at right (guard), might have to go at center,” Evans said.

As football fans know, the center is the quarterback of the offensive line. It’s a crucial spot that, if it doesn’t have a smart leader at the helm, it can impact the entire offense in a negative way.

That can be a lot to put on one’s shoulders, but Evans doesn’t mind.

“You’re in control of the offense, everybody relies on you. You kind of take on that leadership role,” Evans said of why he likes playing center.

Nebraska of course has a good center returning in Ben Scott, who showed up in January 2023 from Arizona State and earned the starting center spot in August. The sixth-year player was a consistent and solid blocker up. Because of his own versatility and background as a tackle at Arizona State, Scott has a great chance at being the next Nebraska offensive lineman taken in the NFL Draft.

“Ben has been a big help, whenever I have a question I go to him, being that he is the starting center,” Evans said. “I look at him like a big brother to help me.”

In the spring, O-line coach Donovan Raiola talked to the media about why Evans has found early success while being a still-developing O-lineman.

“Everyone looks at him like, ‘Ah, he’s this big, he’s this, this and this,’ but he’s way bigger than how he looks,” Raiola said. “The way he plays, the standard he holds himself to and just being a part of the unit. He does a great job, but his biggest attribute is his toughness. I love that.”

Evans’ best game as a starting left guard might have come against Maryland. On the example below, Nebraska is faced with a second-and-7 at its own 9-yard line in the second quarter. The Huskers come out in 12 personnel (one back, two tight ends) and appear to use split-zone blocking with running back Emmett Johnson.

Evans did well helping left tackle Teddy Prochazka by doubling the 5-technique before climbing to the inside linebacker. This was a well-blocked run from the unit as a whole:

Later in the quarter, Nebraska is staring at a fourth-and-2 on Maryland’s 42. The Huskers go with six offensive linemen (Lutovsky is the sixth) along with the two best blocking tight ends on the roster, Luke Lindenmeyer and Nate Boerkircher, who’s sent in motion:

In the example above, Evans and Prochazka again combine to double a D-lineman, this time one who was aligned in the B gap. Evans showed good awareness of when to detach from the double and got enough of blitzing linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II (11).

Evans’ blockon Hyppolite redirected Johnson’s track, which allowed for a first-down run.

Like every offensive lineman, Evans won and lost reps. He’s still young and learning. The hope is, with the game experience from 2023, plays like these will be limited in 2024:

While he’s a strong run blocker, Evans showed good play in pass pro, too.

On the example below, try as hard as you can, Husker fan, to not pay attention to the hop throw of Jeff Sims that was picked off. Instead, watch Evans, who isn’t occupied in his pass protection after the snap but goes looking for work and finds it by knocking down the 4-tech who was engaged with Prochazka:

Another plus pass-pro rep came here, on the example below. Maryland runs an end-tackle stunt, but Evans and Prochazka pass it off well to keep the pocket intact and quarterback Chubba Purdy upright:

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