Heath Evans
 |
 | |
| No. 44 – Myrtle Beach | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Tight End |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | April 17, 2014 (aged 47) Melbourne, Australia |
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight: | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Peninsula |
| College: | UCLA |
| ISFL Draft: | 2037 / Round: 2 / Pick: 3 |
| DSFL Draft: | 2036 / Round: 5 / Pick: 7 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Retired |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Heath Evans (born April 17, 2014) is a retired American football tight end who played for the Orange County Otters and the Arizona Outlaws (Previously played for the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers in the DSFL). He played college football for University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Contents
Early years
Heath Evans was born in Melbourne, Australia and is the child of Geoffrey Evans and Margaret Evans. As a child, Heath showed outstanding natural athletic ability and was a cross sport athlete at an early age, playing rugby, AFL and basketball. By the age of 13 Heath had been selected for junior state teams in both rugby and basketball, however his big moment first came when he was signed to a three year contract by the Melbourne Rebels Rugby Academy at 14 as a part of their developmental squad, becoming the youngest player to be signed in super rugby history.
These accolades saw Heath receiving attention from across the country and even worldwide in some cases. At 16 years old, Heath strapped on football pads to play for the Melbourne University Royals as an offseason fitness activity and his force was felt immediately. Though generally at his age players would be in the junior leagues, not only did Heath play in the seniors - he was also named league Rookie of the Year. After being selected to represent Australia at the IFAF world cup, college scouts in the US reached out to make scholarship offers and Heath committed to UCLA on his 17th birthday.
College career
Coming into his first season with the Bruins, Evans was redshirted as they wanted his football skills and technique to develop before having him play regular season games. The only game Evans played his first season was the spring scrimmage, where he made a couple of catches but did not impress in the blocking game.
In his second season playing for UCLA, Evans earned the role of backup tight end. Through this season Evans was also used as a slot receiver and full back. Evans was seen practicing at safety and defensive end through the season but did not play an in game snap on defense.
During his third and final season at UCLA Evans was a standout and team favourite. He moved to the starting TE role and played 97% of the offensive snaps over the course of the season. As the Bruins struggled to find a defensive rhythm and were struggling with injuries, Evans also played safety on and off through the second half of the season - to the frustration of many.
Evans declared for the DSFL 2036 draft.
College career statistics
| Receiving | Rushing | Kick Returns | Punt Returns | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GP | Rec | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | Yds | Avg | KR TD | Yds | Avg | PR TD |
| 2034 (S19) | UCLA | 12 | 13 | 133 | 11 | 18 | 1 | 15 | 75 | 5.0 | 12 | 1 | 125 | 12.5 | 0 | 180 | 9 | 0 |
| 2035 (S20) | UCLA | 14 | 37 | 488 | 13.2 | 27 | 7 | 62 | 310 | 5.0 | 12 | 3 | 457 | 24.2 | 0 | 545 | 13.8 | 1 |
DSFL career
Evans was drafted by the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers in the 5th round of the draft at pick 7, making him the third Tight End drafted in the 2036 DSFL draft. Evans started his career out slowly, with a preseason that left much to be desired - but after the regular season begun he began to make an impact. While the Buccaneers had a focus on their running game in 2036, Evans made himself a primary target on the team, amassing 37 catches, good for second on the team and first among rookie tight ends. Though Evans lacked a nose for the end zone with only two touchdowns over the season, he more than made up for that by being an impact player in the blocking game, leading to 27 pancake blocks on the season which saw him lead the league excluding offensive linemen, even after the addition of James Angler saw his blocking production drop significantly. In week 7, Evans had his biggest game with 7 catches for over 70 yards, earning him the offensive player of the game for the Buccaneers.
The post season saw mixed success for Evans, while his blocking numbers dropped away substantially, he saw more targets and therefore more yards in the receiving game than he had enjoyed before. Due to the success of Evans and all of the rest of the players on the 2036 Myrtle Beach Buccaneer squad, the team found themselves playing for and ultimately winning an Ultimini trophy. In the Ultimini Game Evans had 4 catches for 63 yards with a long of 30 and 2 pancakes.
Evans will be eligible to be drafted in the 2037 ISFL draft and expects to be an early round pick.
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
245 lb (111 kg) |
4.36 s | 4.27 s | 7.60 s | 27.8 in (0.71 m) |
118.2 in (3.00 m) |
32 reps | 20 |
DSFL career statistics
| Receiving | Blocking | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GP | Rec | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | Pancakes | Sacks Allowed |
| 2036 (S21) | MBB | 14 | 37 | 491 | 13.3 | 32 | 2 | 27 | 1 |
ISFL Career
During the 2037 ISFL Draft, Heath Evans heard his name called out by the Arizona Outlaws at fifteenth overall (Round 2, pick 3) and signed a three year, 3m deal with no options. With such a large draft class and not a lot of older/experienced players, the Outlaws were seen to be in rebuild mode and Evans has been determined to be a significant part of that as their first offensive prospect in the 2037 draft.
Through his first season with the Outlaws Evans saw a decent level of personal success, being a frequent target for quarterback Jay Cue. While his average yardage was relatively low, he managed to have 62 receptions on the season including two touchdown grabs. Evans once again led the league in non offensive line pancakes with a total of 34 on the season showing his versatility across all areas of the game. Unfortunately this did not lead to success for the Outlaws organisation finishing with a record of 4-7-1 on the season. They will continue to look to rebuild and open their window for contention in the next few seasons.
While Heath had an outstanding rookie campaign, he was not nominated for offensive rookie of the year, however he has received a nomination for tight end of the year and is being strongly considered for a spot on the pro bowl roster. With the success Evans has seen in his first ISFL season alongside the success he found in the DSFL - he was primed to have a great career with potential to be very successful.
The ISFL season of 2038 saw Heath Evans enter his sophomore year with the Arizona Outlaws, with the league having changed to a 16 game schedule and the Outlaws organisation almost in its championship window, by all accounts Evans was set to have a booming season. Unfortunately for Evans, almost every significant statistical category saw a decline in success. The only area Evans improved on over his rookie season was catches (62 increased to 70, a decrease in average catches per game though) and instead of allowing two sacks, he allowed no defenders to get to his quarterback Jay Cue.
Many critics assigned the blame for Evans' poor season to the usage in the scheme as a third or fourth option, however Evans himself put the blame on his offseason focus; "I have to be better and last season letting two sacks happen, I put too much of my time and focus into improving my pass blocking and my averages suffered because of it". Though most felt his season was below expected levels of performance, the awards committee put Evans up for a nomination as Tight End of the Year, though he would eventually lose this to Austin McCormick for a second season in a row.
Heath Evans entered the final season of his contract in 2039. The 8-8 Outlaws narrowly missed playoffs in the 2038 season and expect to have their championship window open fully in 2039.
As the 2039 season began Evans found himself with a slightly different role on the team, instead of playing as a full back/tight end, the Outlaws began to use him as a part time slot receiver alongside his natural tight end role. While eventually the Outlaws would find themselves missing out on a chance in the playoffs, being pushed out as the fourth option in a four way tie for the top of the ASFC - Heath Evans season was an incredible one. Evans appears to be a natural at the slot receiver position, and his athleticism led to Jay Cue looking his way all throughout the season as a safety outlet or downfield option. Not only did Evans' 106 catches lead the league, he broke the Arizona Outlaws team record for single season catches as well. Averaging 10 yards per catch saw him total 1064 yards alongisde five touchdowns. During the 2039 season Evans signed a three season extension with the Outlaws with mutal options. At the end of the 2039 season, Heath Evans was protected by the Arizona Outlaws from the 2040 expansion draft.
The stellar performance for Evans through the 2039 season culminated with winning his first Tight End of the Year award, and a spot in the pro bowl as a Tight End. Evans was also nominated for (but did not win) Offensive Breakout Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year.
ISFL Career statistics
| Receiving | Rushing | Blocking | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GP | Rec | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | Pancakes | Sacks Allowed |
| 2037 (S22) | Outlaws | 13 | 62 | 556 | 9 | 42 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 2 |
| 2038 (S23) | Outlaws | 16 | 70 | 538 | 7.7 | 41 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| 2039 (S24) | Outlaws | 16 | 106 | 1064 | 10 | 36 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 1 |
| 2040 (S25) | Outlaws | 16 | 101 | 1018 | 10.1 | 39 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 1 |
| 2041 (S26) | Otters | 16 | 76 | 1002 | 13.2 | 36 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 1 |
| 2042 (S27) | Otters | 16 | 83 | 864 | 10.4 | 74 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
| 2043 (S28) | Otters | 16 | 97 | 999 | 10.3 | 54 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 2 |
| 2044 (S29) | Otters | 16 | 70 | 803 | 11.5 | 75 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 2 |
| Career | 125 | 665 | 6844 | 10.3 | 75 | 38 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 283 | 9 | |
Achievements and records
Pick #39 by Myrtle Beach Buccaneers in the 2036 DSFL Draft
Season 21 Ultimini XIX Champion
Nominated for Season 21 DSFL Tight End of the Year
Picked #15 by Arizona Outlaws in the 2037 ISFL Draft
Nominated for Season 22 ISFL Tight End of the Year
Nominated for Season 23 ISFL Tight End of the Year
Winner of Season 24 ISFL Tight End of the Year
Nominated for Season 25 ISFL Tight End of the Year
Nominated for Season 26 ISFL Tight End of the Year
Nominated for Season 27 ISFL Tight End of the Year
Nominated for Season 28 ISFL Tight End of the Year
Nominated for Season 29 ISFL Tight End of the Year
Nominated for Season 24 ISFL Offensive Breakout Player of the Year
Nominated for Season 24 ISFL Offensive Player of the Year
Season 24 Pro Bowl starter
Season 25 Pro Bowl starter
Season 26 Pro Bowl starter
Season 27 Pro Bowl starter
Season 28 Pro Bowl starter
Season 29 Pro Bowl starter
