Darren Evans (born November 9, 1988) 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 with ...
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)#Offen ...
. He was signed by the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2011. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
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 ...
.
Early years
Evans attended
Warren Central High School in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. As a sophomore, he had 309 attempts for 2,248 yards and 27 touchdowns.
As a senior, he was awarded
Indiana's Mr. Football Award in 2006 (an honor given to the top high school football player in the state of Indiana) with 288 attempts 2731 yards and 61 touchdowns.
College career
2008 season
On November 6, 2008, Evans broke
Mike Imoh
Michael U. Imoh (born July 21, 1984) is a former professional football player, a running back for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.
Early years
Born and raised in Fairfax, Virginia, a suburb southwest of Washington, D.C., ...
's school single-game rushing record, rushing for 253 yards against
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the 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; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. Evans is also the only player in school history to rush for a touchdown during each of his first six games.
Evans was named most valuable player in the 2009 Orange Bowl after gaining 153 yards on 28 carries, and scoring a game-clinching touchdown.
In 2009 summer practice, Evans tore the
anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...
in his left knee, which forced him to miss the
2009 season.
College statistics
Professional career
Indianapolis Colts
Evans was signed by the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
following 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 C ...
on July 26, 2011. Evans was released on September 20 but added to the practice squad on the 22nd. Evans was re-signed to the active roster on October 15, 2011. He was released by Indianapolis on August 31, 2012.
Tennessee Titans
Evans was signed to the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
practice squad September 3, 2012. He was released on April 19, 2013.
References
External links
Virginia Tech Hokies bioInterview with Evans and his coach
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Darren
1988 births
Living people
American football running backs
Virginia Tech Hokies football players
Players of American football from Indianapolis
Indianapolis Colts players
Tennessee Titans players