5-Star DE Desmond Evans Commits to North Carolina over Florida, More

Highly-touted defensive end Desmond Evans is going to play college football at North Carolina after announcing his commitment on Friday.

Evans revealed his decision during a pep rally at Lee County High School:

Hailing from North Carolina, Evans is one of the best players in the 2020 recruiting class. He's rated as a 5-star prospect, the third-ranked defensive end and the No. 32 overall player, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Evans has been lauded for his football skill dating back to his freshman year in high school. Adam Friedman of Rivals.com was gushing while describing the Sanford native in a 2016 article from Langston Wertz Jr. of the Charlotte Observer:

"This guy. His film is pretty freakin' special. You don't see guys come off the ball like he does and he has a natural aggression and quick-twitch nose for the ball. I don't want to blow him up too much, but I'm excited to see what he can do. He's got a frame that you can't teach and coordination to go with it."

Fast forward three years and Evans has filled out his body and stands at 6'6, 240 pounds. He plays a premium position and has consistently been a disruptive force in the backfield with 25 tackles for loss as a junior and 26 combined sacks in 2017-18. 

The Tar Heels will happily add Evans' unique skill set to their defensive line as they chase a conference title in 2020 and beyond. His addition is a huge boon to head coach Mack Brown's incoming class and a foundation piece to build around for the next few years. 

Brown is making a strong impression in the early stages of his tenure at North Carolina. The program had a solid recruiting class in 2019 with five four-star prospects among 25 commitments considering Brown wasn't hired until the end of November. 

In his first full recruiting cycle for the Tar Heels, Brown is showing the same prowess that made him so good at Texas. Evans is one of North Carolina's best in-state recruits, so keeping him at home will go a long way toward helping the program compete for ACC Coastal Division titles.