RECRUITING UPDATE: Evan Washington

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DeSoto (TX) pass-blocking ace brings mean streak to BR

By RICHARD MEEK
Tiger Rag Recruiting Contributor

Standing 6-foot-5 and tipping the scale at 290 pounds, Evan Washington is the largest offensive linemen to commit to LSU.

Washington hopes his impact to the Tigers is equally as prodigious.

“I’m going to do my best to help LSU get to the national championship game,” said Washington, a product of DeSoto (Texas) High School. “They are in contention every year and I want to be a part of that.”

Washington, the son of former NFL defensive lineman Marvin Washington, concentrated on basketball early in his high school career before joining the football team as a junior. His stock has since skyrocketed.

This past season he did not allow a sack and was selected to play in the recent Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando, Fla.

He also was chosen to the MaxPreps All-American team.

Scouts are enamored with Washington’s long arms, which should serve him well as a pass blocker. His agility honed from his years of playing basketball should also give him an edge on bulky defensive linemen.

“His upside is great,” DeSoto coach Claude Mathis said. “He has a mean streak in him that I love. He’s very aggressive. Once he gets his hands on you, he wants to destroy you.”

“He also has great feet because of playing basketball,” Mathis said. “He moves very well and uses his hands well.”

After keeping tabs on the maligned Tigers offensive front this past season, Washington is eagerly anticipating the opportunity that awaits him.

“I think I have a good chance of being a four-year starter,” said Washington, who is enrolled at LSU for the spring semester. “My biggest strength is my pass blocking. I’m real good (on running plays) at the hook. That’s where I get outside with my speed, block my opponent and open the way for the running backs.”

Mathis said Washington often only needed his brute strength and size to manhandle overmatched high school opponents but still was able to develop his blocking techniques.

“He’s excellent in both pass protection and run blocking but you can always improve in blocking,” Mathis said. “You must continue to improve , and once he does, he will be an All-American.
“He’s a very smart kid. He studies his opponents very well and knows what they are trying to do. I think he’ll get some playing time as a freshman. I know he’ll definitely compete.”

Washington, a four-star recruit who is ranked as one of the top offensive lineman in Texas, said his relationship with LSU offensive line coach Greg Studrawa and Les Miles’ offensive philosophy were the two reasons he chose the Tigers over rival suitors Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

“(Studrawa) is real cool,” Washington said. “I got along great with him and he’s a big reason I chose LSU.”

“I like the system because it’s more of a pro-style system,” he added. “I think I’ll play well in that system and it will in getting me prepared to get ready for the next level.”

For now, Tigers’ coaches will just be pleased to see him at spring practice.