⚡ CFB Dashboard

After missing the majority of last season with an injury, Utah safety Rabbit Evans is grateful to be back on the field with his teammates for his final season of college football. "I'm just blessed to be able to come out here again and have fun. I missed it a lot, so I'm excited being back. It's been good," Evans said. The journey back from injury wasn't easy for Evans. At this point last year, he was slated to be the starter at strong safety. But an injury not connected with the season-ending one limited him during fall camp and the first two games of the season. While not being on the field was hard, there were bigger things that plagued Evans. "Being away from my teammates, I had a little mental battle. But other than that, though, just being away from the guys, being away from just playing the game I love, that was really the hardest part for real," Evans said. Despite the struggles, Evans learned a lot about the game from the sideline. "Everything kind of slowed down when I was out. The only thing I could do was watch football. So, I was able to learn a lot and learn different things, learn different schemes, and understand the defense a lot more. So it was a blessing in disguise being out too," he said. As Evans gets back up to playing speed, there have been a lot of changes around him in the program. He has a new defensive coordinator in Colton Swan and a new position coach in Derrick Odum. The acclimation to Swan hasn't been that hard for Evans. "He implemented the same culture as Scalley, and it's been a smooth transition, honestly, just from him calling the plays," he said. As for Odum, things are different but in a good way. "He allows us to play a little bit more just free, allowing us to trust our instincts and just play freely, play with each other. As long as we're on the same page, we're all good," Evans said. Evans, along with Nate Ritchie, Jackson Bennee, and Nate Tilmon, make up a strong core of returners who are expected to anchor the safety rotation this year. "I've been learning a lot from the other guys, and it's been good with me teaching other guys as well. We a family, we come every day, just trying to get better with each other, just help each other out as best as we can," he said. Evans has also grown into a leadership role with some of the younger guys in the safety room this spring. "Patience is everything. They are young, so they feel like they should be playing now, but like it's a long journey. And I just try to tell them guys, just be patient. Make sure you know what you're doing, make sure you know the scheme, know your assignment, and know everything's gonna play out the right way. So that's kind of why I try to tell them," Evans said.