Rabbit Evans is giving Utah exactly the kind of season the Utes thought they were getting a year ago.
Instead of a breakout, though, last fall became a detour. An injury forced Evans into rehab and recovery, and the time away only made this year’s surge feel bigger. Now healthy, he’s showing up everywhere for Utah’s defense - in coverage, near the line, in the box, and even on the scoreboard after his touchdown against Cincinnati.
Morgan Scalley said the change was obvious once Evans got back to full strength.
“Once he got to 100%, you could see it,” Scalley said. “You could see the difference, and it’s like, OK, he’s back to being himself.”
That version of Evans has been one of Utah’s most reliable defenders. Pro Football Focus has him at an 85.3 overall defensive grade and an 89.1 coverage grade.
PFN ranks him first among 442 graded FBS safeties with a 92.8 impact rating. The numbers match what Utah’s staff has been seeing on film and on the field.
“He is right now a complete player,” defensive coordinator Colton Swan said. “He is from A to Z as far as just things that we need out of him.”
The trust Utah has in Evans didn’t come out of nowhere. Scalley’s interest in him started before he ever arrived in Salt Lake City, helped along by a connection with the coaching staff at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas.
When Scalley first watched Evans, the movement jumped out immediately. He saw fluidity, quickness and flexibility.
Later, in Evans’ first season with the program, Scalley put him in man coverage against one of Colorado’s top slot receivers and liked what he saw.
“He was money in man coverage,” Scalley said. “Really good hips.”
Utah had hoped that promise would turn into a bigger role last season. Then the injury hit, and the focus shifted to getting back.
“We expected last year to be kind of his breakout year, and all of a sudden the injury happens,” Scalley said.
Coming back meant more than just getting cleared. Evans had to rebuild trust in his body, work through the hesitation that can follow a leg injury and get back to moving the way he used to. As that confidence returned, so did the traits Utah had been waiting on.
“He’s very instinctive. He’s got great body control. He’s not afraid to strike,” Scalley said.
This season, that versatility has made Evans a weapon Utah can deploy all over the field. Most of his snaps have come at free safety, but he’s also lined up in the box, in the slot, out wide at cornerback and even along the line. That kind of usage asks a lot: range, physicality and the ability to see the offense from multiple angles.
“He defends the run exceptionally well, and he’s very physical,” Swan said. “He can come down into the box and play like he’s a linebacker. And then on top of that, he defends the pass extremely well.”
The passing-game production has stood out most. Evans has been charged with allowing just three catches on seven targets for 30 yards and no touchdowns, while also picking off two passes and breaking up two more, with over 250 snaps in coverage played. Another PFF note from the season said he had allowed two catches on 193 coverage snaps, along with two interceptions, two pass breakups and a 20.8 passer rating allowed.
Swan said Evans’ processing speed and leadership have grown along with his game, and teammates are noticing that too.
“He’s a playmaker, and he flies around,” Jackson Bennee said. “He makes interceptions, tackles.
He can do it all, play man. He’s a leader.”
The injury comeback also gave Evans and Nate Ritchie a shared experience that tightened their bond. Ritchie said the two leaned on each other through rehab and built a connection that carried over into the season.
“I think through that process we became pretty good homies,” Ritchie said. “Got a lot of good chemistry. We’re able to bounce ideas off each other.”
That made Evans’ scoop-and-score against Cincinnati even more fun for the people around him. Ritchie said he was the first teammate racing downfield to celebrate with him.
“I was so excited for him,” Ritchie said. “Those are always the dream plays, to be able to make those plays.”
Evans said the touchdown started with a simple decision Utah practices: fall on the ball when traffic is tight, or scoop it up when there’s room. He saw the opening, grabbed it and took off. Then one more thought hit him.
“Don’t get caught by the quarterback,” Evans recalled thinking.
It was his first touchdown since high school, and after everything that came with last season, it carried real meaning.
Now another big stage is waiting. Utah’s next test comes in the Holy War, a game Evans said he’s especially eager to experience.
“Since I’ve been here, this is honestly my first game where I’m actually playing in it for real,” Evans said.
He’s looking forward to the atmosphere, the crowd and the matchup with BYU. Utah will need his range and versatility against quarterback Bear Bachmeier and an offense that can challenge defenses both through the air and on the ground.
After a year in which injury delayed what looked like a breakout, Evans is finally getting the chance to play the way Utah always believed he could. And this time, he’s getting to enjoy it.
“I just want to experience that, experience the fans, the crowd, you know, the atmosphere,” he said. “I just can’t wait.”
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