Evan Mathias Royster (born November 26, 1987) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. The ...

. He was drafted in the sixth round of the

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York ...

by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

. He played college football at

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State becam ...

, where he was a three-year starter and an all-time leading rusher.

High school career

Royster attended

Westfield High School Westfield High School may refer to: * The Westfield School, Perry, Georgia * Westfield High School (Westfield, Indiana) * Westfield High School (Massachusetts), Westfield, Massachusetts * Westfield Technical Academy, Westfield, Massachusetts * W ...

Chantilly, Virginia Chantilly is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Fairfax County, Virginia. The population was 24,301 as of the 2020 census. Chantilly is named after an early-19th-century mansion and farm, which in turn took the name of an 18th-century ...

, where he totalled 6,384 yards on 750 carries (8.5 avg.) and 90 touchdowns and helped Westfield win three Concorde District Championships. As a sophomore, he ran for 1,690 yards and 22 touchdowns leading Westfield to their first state championship in school history. He added 2,160 yards and 30 touchdowns in his junior year. During his senior year, Royster amassed 2,200 rushing yards and again tallied 30 touchdowns. He was a first-team all-state selection and ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' first-team All-Met. Regarded as a three-star recruit by '' Rivals.com'', Royster was listed as the #26 running back prospect in the class of 2006. He chose Penn State over offers from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...

, and

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

. While at Westfield High School, Royster was one of the most coveted

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensi ...

prospects in the country. He scored 33 goals as a senior and played in the prestigious North-South All-American Lacrosse all-star game. He was heavily recruited by traditional lacrosse powerhouses such as

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

and

Johns Hopkins Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland where he remained for most ...

. Royster became the second player in Westfield Bulldog football history to have his jersey retired. The Bulldogs retired Royster's #24 jersey during halftime of a 2012 game when the Bulldogs went up against Fairfax High School Rebels. Royster's #24 was second to Eddie Royal's #5 when Royal had his jersey retired in 2009 when the Bulldogs went up against the Chantilly High School Chargers.

College career

Royster

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

ed during his freshmen year at

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High ...

. Royster, recruited out of

, chose Penn State over other NCAA

Football Bowl Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). A ...

(formerly known as Division I-A) programs across the country like the

Virginia Tech Hokies The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams representing the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in intercollegiate athletics. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 22 v ...

, the

Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divisi ...

, the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as th ...

and the

Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divis ...

. Royster made his college football debut on September 1, 2007 against the

FIU Golden Panthers The FIU Panthers (also known as Florida INT Panthers) are the athletic teams representing Florida International University, an American public university located in Westchester, Florida. The Panthers currently compete in National Collegiate Athl ...

. He played a significant role in the Penn State offense for the 2007 season. He was the second leading rusher behind Rodney Kinlaw, rushing for 513 yards on 82 carries for a 5.3 yards per carry average. He scored the game-winning touchdown in the third quarter of the 2007 Alamo Bowl against the

Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname " Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Agg ...

. Royster made his season debut against the

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (, ) are the athletic teams that represent Coastal Carolina University. They participate in Division I of the NCAA as a member of the Sun Belt Conference in most sports, having joined that conference as a full ...

on August 30, 2008 at

Beaver Stadium Beaver Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium on the campus of Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania. It has been home to the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten Conference since 1960, though some parts o ...

. Royster and the offense helped guide the Nittany Lions to a 66-10 defeat of

Division I FCS The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athlet ...

Chanticleers. Royster saw limited action in the rout. He had 64 yards on 8 carries for a career-high 3

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...

s. Royster was pulled from the game following his third touchdown at the beginning of the third quarter when Coach Paterno sat all his starters in favor of the backups. On September 6, 2008, against the

Oregon State Beavers The Oregon State Beavers are the athletic teams that represent Oregon State University, located in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I ( Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for c ...

, Royster put up 141 yards on 17 carries. He added 3 touchdowns in the 45-14 blowout win before being taken out of the game. He was named the Big Ten Co-Offensive player of the week. Royster had his second straight 100-yard game against the

Syracuse Orange The Syracuse Orange are the athletic teams that represent Syracuse University. The school is a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Until 2013, Syracuse was a member of the Big East Conference. The school's mascot is O ...

on September 13, 2008. He gained 101 yards on 13 carries in the 55-13 victory. In Penn State's 45-3 rout of the

Temple Owls The Temple Owls are the athletic teams that represent Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The current athletic director is Arthur Johnson. The owl has been the symbol and mascot for Temple University since its founding in the 188 ...

, Royster rushed 9 times for 73 yards and tacked on a touchdown. Royster picked up 139 yards on 19 carries in Penn State's 38-24 win over Illinois. In the second Big Ten matchup of the 2008 season, Royster powered Penn State past

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

with 141 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. He also added 53 receiving yards on four catches. Royster added 60 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries in Penn State's 48-7 thrashing of the

Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level (NCAA Di ...

on October 11. His contributions led to Penn State being ranked number 3 in the country in the October 13

AP poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broa ...

. Against the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

(who had beaten Penn State 9 straight times leading into the October 17 tilt), Royster set a career rushing high. Royster ran for 174 yards on 18 carries, with a 44-yard TD run in the first quarter. He also added 3 catches for 13 yards in the 46-17 homecoming victory. On October 25, 2008, Royster rushed 19 times for 77 yards in Penn State's game against

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

. He tacked on 20 receiving yards on 3 catches in the Nittany Lions' 13-6 triumph. The win against the then 9th-ranked Buckeyes was Penn State's first victory at The Horseshoe since 1978. Leading the then 3rd-ranked Nittany Lions against the

Iowa Hawkeyes The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 22 sports, 8 for men and 14 for women; a 15th women's sport will be added in 2023. The teams partici ...

, Royster set a career-high with 26 carries. He managed 90 yards and a touchdown in the shocking 24-23 upset loss to the Hawkeyes in Iowa City. On November 15, 2008, the Nittany Lions squared off against the Hoosiers of Indiana University. Royster rushed for 63 yards on 12 carries in chilly, rainy atmosphere of Beaver Stadium. Bouncing off three tacklers, he added his 11th rushing touchdown of the year on a 19-yard run in the third quarter. After leading 10-7 at the half, Penn State pulled away for a 34-7 victory. Royster got off to a slow start, getting just 102 yards on 26 carries vs. Akron and Syracuse, but rebounded vs. Temple, rushing 19 times for 134 yards. The next week vs. Iowa Royster got just 69 yards on 17 carries, but vs. Illinois he got 105 yards on 17 carries, with a long of 20 and a touchdown. Against Eastern Illinois, he got 94 yards on just eight carries, for an 11.8 yards per carry average. His next three games versus Minnesota, Michigan, and Northwestern, he got over 100 yards in each of those games, averaging over 6 yards per carry overall in those 3 games. Following Penn State's victory at the

2010 Capital One Bowl The 2010 Capital One Bowl was the sixty-fourth edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. The game was played on January 1 and matched the LSU Tigers against the Penn State Nittany Lions. ...

, Royster announced that he would forgo the

2010 NFL Draft The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the fir ...

and play his senior year at Penn State. Royster completed his senior season as Penn State's all-time leading rusher having passed

Curt Warner Curtis Edward Warner (born March 18, 1961) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). A two-time All-American at Penn State University, Warner was drafted by the Seattle S ...

's nearly 30-year-old record during the

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

game. He completed the season with 1014 rushing yards, making him the only Penn State running back with three 1,000+ yard seasons. His career totals amounted to 3,932 yards on 686 carries, with 29 rushing

s. Royster was selected to play in the 86th

East-West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

played on January 22, 2011, at the Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

College statistics

Professional career

2011 NFL Combine

Washington Redskins

2011 season

Royster was drafted 177th overall in the

by the

. He was expected to compete with former Redskins' running back,

Ryan Torain Ryan Devon Torain (born August 10, 1986) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State University. He has also played for th ...

, and fellow 2011 Redskins' draftee,

Roy Helu Roy Ziegler Helu Jr. (born December 7, 1988) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Nebraska. Helu set the Redskins' fran ...

, but Royster did not make the 53-man roster and was cut on September 3. On September 4, 2011, Royster was signed to the practice squad. He was elevated to the Redskins active roster on November 22, 2011 when the Redskins waived

Tashard Choice Tashard J. Choice (born November 20, 1984) is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills and the Indianapolis Colts. He played college football at Georgia T ...

following

Tim Hightower Timothy Michael Hightower (born May 23, 1986) is a former American football running back. He played college football at the University of Richmond and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He also played f ...

's season-ending injury. In Week 12 against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...

, Royster made his NFL debut. Royster would have his first career start in Week 16 against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...

, getting 132 yards on only 19 carries. In Week 17 against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

, Royster recorded 113 yards on 20 carries while suffering rib injuries. At the end of his rookie season, Royster recorded 328 yards on 56 carries making him the second leader in rushing yards behind fellow rookie,

, and beating the original starting running back,

2012 season

Royster was expected to compete for the starting spot in the 2012 season against

and

, but lost the competition to rookie Alfred Morris. Before starting the season, he changed his jersey number to 22, his college jersey number. He scored his first career touchdown in Week 9 against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

. In the Week 15 win over the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

, he would score his second career touchdown.

2013 season

With the return of Helu, Royster was made the third-string running back and played more on special teams. He was placed on injured reserve after suffering a high ankle sprain after the Week 14 loss to the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

2014 season

The Redskins released Royster on August 30, 2014 for final roster cuts before the start of the 2014 season, losing the third-string running back position to former Penn State teammate,

Silas Redd Silas Raynard Redd Jr. (born March 1, 1992) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Penn State and USC, and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Washington Redskins in 2014. His football career ended af ...

Atlanta Falcons

2015 season

Royster signed with the Atlanta Falcons on August 16, 2015. He was waived/injured by the Falcons on August 26, 2015. On the following day, he cleared waivers and was reverted to the Falcons' injured reserve list. On September 1, 2015, he was released by the Falcons with an injury settlement.

Personal life

On May 30, 2014, Evan married his longtime girlfriend Jaclyn McDonald. Evan is the younger brother of former ''Parade''

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n and

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

wide receiver Brandon Royster. He is also the younger brother of Cosmo's 2008 Virginia Bachelor Kyle Royster.

References

External links

Washington Redskins bio

*

Cory Giger, ''

Altoona Mirror The ''Altoona Mirror'' is a daily newspaper located in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It is the hometown newspaper for Altoona and serves all of Blair County as well as parts of surrounding counties. History The newspaper was founded on June 13, 1874 as ...

'', December 22, 2008.
Penn State: RB Evan Royster is eager to embrace expanded role in offense
Ron Mussleman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 16, 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Royster, Evan 1987 births American football running backs Living people Penn State Nittany Lions football players Sportspeople from Fairfax, Virginia Players of American football from Virginia Washington Redskins players Atlanta Falcons players