Ohio State Buckeyes beat out by unexpected school for a recruit they wanted to land in Columbus

 On3 vice president of recruiting Steve Wiltfong had previously put in expert precision for the Buckeyes to land Evers, but it didn’t end up holding true in the end. Ohio State is still in the running for a host of talented offensive lineman, including five-star Felix Ojo. It’s very possible that the team ends up recovering quite well, and this is nearly a blip on the radar. 

6-3, 280-pound Texas standout is considered to be a near consensus four-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms. The 247Sports Composite ranking currently has Evers pegged as the No. 208 overall player, No. 14 interior offensive linemen, and No. 27 player in the state of Texas for the 2026 recruiting class. 247Sports is the lowest in Evers in the industry, pegging him as a three-star player and the No. 28 interior offensive linemen nationally.

While the rankings are a bit all over the place right now, the offers for Evers are extremely impressive. Outside of his previous finalists, Evers has put together a very impressive offer list. Some of the top programs who have offered him include Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Missouri, Florida State, UNC, Utah, Wisconsin, Colorado, Arkansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Pittsburgh, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF, Georgia Tech, Baylor, Cal, Arizona, Stanford, Purdue, and Northwestern among others.

At only about 6-3, Evers is a bit of an odd body type to stick at offensive tackle. Some have liked Evers there, while other programs prefer him on the interior. Regardless, he is a very smooth mover that has a lot of upside on the college level.  

SMU managing to keep Evers in the state of Texas was a massive victory for the Mustangs. Their names have become more and more prominently mentioned by top recruits, and that should only continue. They have always have a strong donor base from an NIL perspective. Now that they are having a ton of success on the field under head coach Rhett Lashlee, their impact on the recruiting trail should only continue to trend toward.