KaTron Evans makes it 2-for-2 on Tennessee 2021 defensive tackle commits who are still firm in their stance with Tennessee following the firing of defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh Sunday evening.
It isn’t a head coaching move or even that of a coordinator, but anytime you take a primary recruiter and/or future position coach out of the mix, it’s always a good idea to check the pulse.
“I still feel the same about the program,” the four-star told Volquest Tuesday night. “I’m still going to be a Volunteer.”
Surprisingly, Evans was first notified of the firing on Tuesday by a fan on social media.
“A fan asked me what I thought about the move and I didn’t know at the time,” Evans admitted. “It caught me off guard. I was surprised.”
As of Tuesday evening, the 6-foot-5, 315-pound athlete said he is scheduled to speak with Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt on the phone ‘soon.’
Like fellow commit Isaac Washington, Evans was in the midst of building a relationship with Brumbaugh off the field. The two spoke regularly throughout the week while Brumbaugh was on staff the past eight months.
“We had a pretty good relationship for the time he was here,” the St. Frances standout said. “But I was talking to Tennessee way before coach Brumbaugh joined the staff.”
Evans is also confident in Pruitt who is taking over defensive line coaching duties for the remainder for the season.
“He’s a busy guy being the head coach and stuff like this comes with it,” Evans said of Pruitt. “He knows what he wants and can definitely do it.”
Evans is rated as the No. 5 prospect in Maryland, per Rivals, and is tabbed the 12th-best player at his position in the 2021 class. The prep senior owns a 5.9 Rivals Rating and is slotted as the No. 113 prospect in the country by the publication.
Furthermore, Evans won’t be alone when coming to Knoxville. Tennessee freshman defensive tackle Dominic Bailey, a former Rivals 2020 four-star, hails from St. Frances as well. He was also teammates with fellow Vol commit Aaron Willis last season.
“It’ll be really cool to be there with them,” Evans projected. “Already having a teammate up there in Dom [Dominic Bailey] is great. It will feel good having people I know.”
UT tight ends coach Joe Osovet played a major role with all three of the Baltimore area recruits.
Unfortunately, Evans and the rest of St. Frances are sitting out the 2020 fall season due to the coronavirus pandemic, but plan to be on the field in the spring of 2021.
“I think we are starting around March. I’ll still be here as I am a full-year student this year,” Evans concluded. “It will be a quick transition going from the season to training for college, but football is still football. It will just be a different time and different weather.”
The four-star plans to sign with Tennessee in February.
