Husky Roster Review: Evans Had Fast Spring Start, Slow Finish

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated May 15, 2025 12:05 PM ET

Omari Evans needed only the first University of Washington spring football practice -- in fact, just a handful of plays near the end -- to show what he could do for the Huskies.

Almost in a row, the Penn State transfer, whose full name is Donovan Omari Evans, hauled in three passes in Dempsey Indoor to create an immediate stir.

He caught a 30-yard throw from Tulane transfer Kai Horton.

He got his hands on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Shea Kuykendall, formerly of Northern Colorado.

Evans brought that first practice to an emphatic close when he high-pointed another ball from Kuykendall, beating cornerback Elias Johnson who had him well covered, for a sensational 15-yard scoring catch.

Any wonderment over why Evans left Penn State and entered the transfer portal, outside of seeking a bigger role, seemed to be alleviated.

"It's always funny when you recruit a guy and there's people who say good things and bad things about him -- there were some questions about his hands," UW receivers coach Kevin Cummings said. "He's goes out there in his first practice and has three phenomenal catches."

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

A 6-foot, 190-pound senior from Killeen, Texas, Evans played quarterback for his high school team and made the move to wide receiver as a college player to better utilize his reported 4.4 40-yard dash speed.

At Penn State, he had become a part-time starter at best. With the Huskies, he has a chance to be more than that.

Unfortunately for Evans, following his memorable UW debut, he couldn't keep his spring momentum going.

In the fourth Husky practice, he caught passes for 18 and 12 yards, but seemed to pull something in his leg and climbed atop a training table in Dempsey Indoor to have trainers administer to him.

Evans never really got his legs back. He had multiple aborted attempts to return to practice. He caught just one other scrimmage pass. He headed to the locker room with a staffer before another practice ended. He sat out the Spring Game.

At least now he has three and a half months to heal and see if he can become that fully involved passing target for the Huskies.

OMARI EVANS FILE

What he's done: In three seasons at Penn State, Evans caught a modest 30 career passes for 564 yards and 7 touchdowns, including 21 receptions for 415 yards and 5 scores this past fall. On a big stage, he had a 38-yard TD grab against Boise State in the CFP quarterfinals.

Starter or not: Evans started six of the 38 games he played for the Nittany Lions and came out with the UW's No. 1 offense to begin spring practice. However, his wide receiver slot opposite junior Denzel Boston and sophomore Rashid Williams still would seem to be the one most in question, with sophomore Audric Harris and junior Kevin Green Jr. also strong candidates to start and Evans trying to stay healthy.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Husky Roster Review: Jordan Washington Has No Speed Limit

Husky Roster Review: It's Rashid Williams' Turn to Start

Jonah Coleman Felt He Would Have Been Drafted Had He Entered His Name

This article first appeared on Washington Huskies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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