Samson Joseph Evans (born October 15, 1999) is an

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

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 American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

who currently plays for the

Eastern Michigan Eagles The Eastern Michigan Eagles, formerly known as the Normalites and the Hurons, are the athletic teams for Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. The Eagles compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ...

Early life

College career

Iowa

Evans redshirted two season at Iowa before deciding to enter the

NCAA transfer portal The NCAA transfer portal is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) application, database, and compliance tool created to manage and facilitate the process for student athletes seeking to transfer between member institutions. It is i ...

Eastern Michigan

Evans transferred to

Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal school (teachers' ...

. In week 5 of the 2020 season, he rushed for 61 yards and his first career touchdown in a 53–42 win over

Western Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for a region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Generally, it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Peninsula's Lake ...

. Evans finished the 2020 season with 202 yards and a touchdown on 41 carries, while also bringing in six receptions for 46 yards. In the 2021 season opener he rushed for 11 yards and three touchdowns in a 35–15 win over

Saint Francis St. Francis or Saint Francis may refer to: Roman Catholic saints *Francis of Assisi (1181–1226), Italian founder of the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans) *Francis of Paola (1416–1507), Italian (Calabrian) founder of the Order of the Minims * ...

. In week 10, Evans rushed for 62 yards and two touchdowns in a 34–26 loss to

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. He finished the 2021 season with 316 yards and 13 touchdowns on 83 carries, while also catching 19 passes for 107 yards. Evans had a hot start to the 2022 season, rushing for 89 yards and two touchdown, as he helped Eastern Michigan beat

Eastern Kentucky Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

42–34. In week 3, he rushed for a school record 258 yards and a touchdown in a 30–21 win over

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...

, and was named the MAC offensive player of the week. In week 6, Evans rushed for 90 yards and three touchdowns in a 45–23 win over

. In week 8, he rushed for 88 yards and three touchdowns in a 24–21 defeat to

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Or ...

. The next week, Evans rushed 24 times for 133 yards and two touchdowns in a 34–28 win over

Akron Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 census. The Akron metropolitan area, covering Summit and Portage counties, had ...

. In Eastern Michigan's season finale, he rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown, while also bringing in two receptions for 14 yards, as he helped the Eagles beat

Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula of the United States, U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said t ...

38–19. For his performance, Evans was again named the MAC offensive player of the week, after becoming the Eagles all-time rushing touchdowns leader. In the 2022 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, he rushed for 82 yards and two touchdowns to help the Eagles end their season with a 41–27 victory against

San Jose State San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the List of oldest schools in California, oldest public university on the West Coast of ...

. Evans finished his 2022 season with 1,166 yards and 15 touchdowns on 249 carries, while also hauling in 15 receptions for 93 yards, and throwing a three-yard pass for a touchdown. He earned second-team all-MAC honors. Evans was named a preseason first-team all-MAC ahead of the 2023 season. He was also named to watchlists of multiple awards, such as the

Doak Walker Award The Doak Walker Award honors the top running back in college football in the United States. Established in 1990, it is named in honor of Doak Walker, a former running back who played for the SMU Mustangs from 1945 to 1949 and in the National Foot ...

, the

Maxwell Award The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...

, and the

Walter Camp Award The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football player of the year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS head coaches and sports information direc ...

Professional career

References

External links

Iowa Hawkeyes bioEastern Michigan Eagles bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Samson 1999 births Living people Players of American football from Illinois American football running backs Eastern Michigan Eagles football players Iowa Hawkeyes football players