Utah State Safety Marwin Evans overcomes tragedy to excel on football field

LOGAN, Utah – Marwin Evans is having the kind of senior season most players can only dream of.

“This is my last year and I’m trying to make it a great one,” said Utah State’s 6-foot, 210-pound starting strong safety.

Which is exactly what Evans is doing. The native of Milwaukee, Wis., has started in all 12 games this season for the Aggies, recording 68 tackles, including 9.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

“He’s done a good job of developing and growing,” said safeties coach Joe Lorig. “There is still a long way to go with him, but he’s done a good job of accepting his role, being a good tackler and being a good leader as the only senior in that room.”

Evans’ most memorable moment as an Aggie occurred in Utah State’s dominating 52-26 victory against then 21st-ranked Boise State on Oct. 16. With the Broncos looking to put a touchdown on the board before the half, Evans made sure that didn’t happen when he intercepted the first pass of his career and returned it 90 yards for a touchdown, giving the Aggies an eye-popping 45-10 lead at the break.

“I didn’t even think they were going to throw it there, but he overthrew it and I caught it,” said Evans, who also forced a fumble against Boise State. “I saw the sideline and I wanted to turn a good play into a great play.”

What Evans has been able to accomplish this season is remarkable when you consider the personal tragedy he had to overcome and the path he took to Utah State.

At just 3 years old, Evans and his older brother, Marquise, lost their father, who was murdered. His death is still unsolved. Dealing with death is one of the hardest things that human beings have to cope with, but when a loved one passes away in such fashion, attaining closure becomes even more difficult.

And as difficult as it must have been for Evans to grow up without his father, he pushed through life’s tragedies rather than allow them to defeat him.

“Even if it’s your worst day, somebody probably has it worse than you,” Evans said. “Just stay strong day in and day out.”

He is quick to credit his mother, Jeanel Crawley, and maternal grandfather, Frank Bearden, for helping him through his darkest days.

“My mom did everything for us,” Evans was quick to point out. “She worked hard and tried to make sure we didn’t need for anything. I’m just trying to pay her back. My mom is a warrior and she’s a fighter. She’s a very strong woman and she did a lot for me. Hopefully, one day I can pay her back.”

Though he certainly didn’t have to, Evans’ grandfather filled the void of his father. In fact, he was the one who accompanied Evans on his recruiting visit to Rochester Community and Technical College (Rochester, Minn.), where Evans’ collegiate career began.

Following his freshman season at RCTC, Evans made his way to Highland (Kan.) Community College, where he earned honorable mention Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference honors as a sophomore.

“Before I went to Highland, in the spring of 2012, my granddad was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and he lost his ability to walk, so that was very hard for me,” Evans said. “Dealing with that was hard because my granddad was doing everything for me and my brother, and my cousins. He was there for everything. When that happened, it was pretty tragic.”

Utah State took notice of Evans’ playmaking abilities while at Highland and offered him a scholarship. He also had offers on the table from Wisconsin and Kansas State, but he stuck with the Aggies.

“It was the first school that offered me out of junior college and I liked the coaches,” Evans said. “I just wanted to show my loyalty and come out here. I really liked it on my visit.”

Evans redshirted during his first season at Utah State in 2013 and played in all 14 games as a junior, recording 10 tackles. However, he was dealt with even more tragedy in 2014.

“I got a call from my grandma about my granddad, that he was in the hospital in critical condition because he had an infection and they didn’t know if he was going to make it or not,” Evans said. “I had to fly home the week before the BYU game and that was another tough time.”

Fortunately for Evans and his family, Bearden did make it. The Vietnam vet is always close to his grandson’s heart as Evans honors him by wearing his dog tags.

Evans is majoring in sociology and minoring in criminal justice, and is on track to graduate in December. He would like to pursue a professional career in football, but if that doesn’t pan out, he wants to become an FBI agent.

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Posted in USU