The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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2016 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE the No. 7 player in Indiana and the No. 32 athlete in the country. With a wide range of skills, Evans could be used in a variety of ways, and ac- cording to Michigan passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch, that's exactly what the plan is. "Chris single-handedly put up incredible yardage as both a run- ner and a pass catcher," Fisch said. "Chris is somebody that is going to be used in many different phases of our offense. "He takes academics seriously, he takes games seriously, and he is go- ing to be very focused on learning our system and getting better once he arrives in the summer." Evans did do it all for Indianapo- lis Ben Davis, piling up 2,894 yards rushing, 1,627 receiving and scor- ing 59 touchdowns in three years of varsity action. After watching him do whatever he wants on the foot- ball field, Evans' high school posi- tion coach, J.T. Whittaker, thinks that Michigan got a great one. "He's so versatile," Whittaker said. "He could play outside wide receiver, slot, running back, and he even played quarterback for us a little bit. He's so smart to be able to learn all of that. His hands are ex- ceptional, his cutting is phenomenal, and if he gets into the open field it's lights out. "I can tell you he's a top-notch football player. He can be as good as anyone they put on the field at Michigan. In my eight years of coach- ing football in Indiana, he's the best football player I've ever coached by far. I've never had a kid that can do what he can do — offense, defense, special teams. "Then you add in how great of a kid he is off the field, in the class- room, in the weight room and as a teammate. He's a fantastic young man." At 5-11, 180 pounds, Johnson is the smallest receiver in the bunch, but had the most impressive numbers as a true wide receiver. During his se- nior campaign, Johnson reeled in 87 catches for 1,713 yards and a whop- ping 27 touchdowns, and helped lead Independence to a 15-0 mark and the Tennessee 5A state title. "We discovered Nate later on in the recruiting process and are thrilled that he is going to part of this class," Fisch said. "He is a slot receiver and a returner. He has the ability to play outside, but I see him playing inside at the outset. "He is one of those guys who can make every catch, even the acrobatic catches. He'll come in with no shy- ness about him whatsoever, and a determination to work hard and be real good." The No. 15 player in Tennessee and No. 79 wide receiver nationally committed to Michigan in Decem- ber but looked around soon after. He reaffirmed his pledge to the Wolver- ines on National Signing Day and explained how he came to his final decision. "It wasn't really that close. Michi- gan had everyone beat," Johnson said just after signing his National Letter of Intent. "I didn't want to have any