Leading the team in tackles is nothing for Josh Evans.
He has dealt with challenges that extend beyond the gridiron, and his support system helped him become the team leader he is today.
Evans revealed in October that his mother died of cancer when he was in eighth grade.
Now, the New Jersey native has Hurricane Sandy on his mind. His family has been without power since the storm made landfall on Oct. 29.
Evans depends on his father and his teammates to help pull him through hardship.
“My roommate, Jelani Jenkins, is also like a brother to me,” Evans said. “We talk about ball or school all the time. I’d probably say family, coaches and friends were a main factor in me going out and having a good season so far.”
Evans said he has transformed from an immature player to one who devotes more time to studying film and meeting with coaches.
After a hamstring injury hampered Evans during his junior season, he has started every game his senior year.
Evans is second on the team with two interceptions and first with 62 tackles. Linebacker Jon Bostic is next with 52.
Evans ranks fifth in tackles among Southeastern Conference defensive backs.
“He’s just a better overall football player,” Buck linebacker Lerentee McCray said. “He’s a better safety. He’s a better person. He’s a better everything. He just worked to develop his craft. He’s gotten a lot better.”
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn pointed to Evans’ offseason strength work as a reason for improvement. Quinn is pleased with Evans’ results.
The former Rivals.com four-star safety approached coaches during the summer because he wanted to improve his defensive calls.
He entered this season with a chip on his shoulder. Evans wasn’t pleased after recording only 10 tackles and one interception in the first four games of the 2011 campaign.
The senior recorded 26 stops during the same span in 2012.
“We bring him down in the box and as a tackler he is more physical,” Quinn said. “The tape shows that. I think the second thing — and I really noticed it when we started spring practice — his communication and the mental quickness needed for safety really improved. He had better recall of the calls and had the adjustment faster.”
Quinn, also from New Jersey, gives Evans a mentor outside of football. The two share conversations about more than just his improved play.
Coach Will Muschamp named Evans the defensive player of the game after the senior recorded a career-high 12 tackles and an interception in Florida’s win against Missouri.
Muschamp cannot remember a missed tackle from the safety this season, which he said is critical coming from the last line of defense.
“Josh is a tough young man,” Muschamp said. “He’s a guy that will throw his eyes in there all the time.”
Evans isn’t just watching out for oncoming ball carriers. His last two home games in The Swamp await him, with the first coming against Louisiana on Saturday.
“It’s going to be very emotional,” Evans said. “You come in, and you never think these four years are going to go by so fast, but here it is before my eyes.”
Contact Adam Pincus at apincus@alligator.org.
Florida safety Josh Evans chases Georgia wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell at EverBank Field during the Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday, October 27, 2012. Georgia won, 17-9.
