Posted: Tuesday, January 13, 2009, 2:23 PM | 6 comments |
 

Evans gone, too
options
 

And then there were two.

Could Larry Johnson be next?

Penn State defensive end Maurice Evans is following in teammate Aaron Maybin's footsteps and is leaving college early to declare for the NFL Draft, according to team sources. The 6-foot-2, 265-pound junior had until Thursday to make a decision.

Maybin, a redshirt sophomore defensive end, officially announced his intentions today at a press conference at his high school in Ellicott City, Md. Some draft experts have Maybin going in the first round, but Evans' stock has dropped considerably since the beginning of the last season.

In September, Evans was arrested and charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana. He was promptly suspended from the team for three games. In his place, Maybin had an all-American season with 12 sacks. As a sophomore, Evans recorded 21.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. But this year his numbers dipped and he finished with just three sacks.

Defensive line coach Larry Johnson, meanwhile, is flirting with Illinois. Penn State's top recruiter, Johnson is reportedly being offered the defensive coordinator position with the Illini and a raise nearly double his current salary.

Right now, the ball appears to be in Penn State's court. Will the program be willing to offer Johnson a promotion and a raise? Stay tuned.

 
Posted by Jeff McLane @ 2:23 PM  Permalink | 6 comments
6
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:35 PM, 01/13/2009
    Evans - you're more of a dope than the dope you were smokin'. LJ Sr., take the money and run to Illinois, and good luck. You have been a class act during your years at PSU...
    — ksam
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:48 PM, 01/13/2009
    The team that couldn't get it done in the Rose Bowl is falling apart... next year they'll only fail to get it done in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.
    — DrexelDragonFan
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:52 PM, 01/13/2009
    or that bowl sponsored by Roady's... which makes the iowa loss and the poor performance against usc more frustating, as that may have been JoePa's last shot.. then again, i said that after they lost to Michigan in the last second a few years back
    — jim715
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:02 PM, 01/13/2009
    Evans, you have a chance to rehabilitate your reputation and become a number one draft pick after next season. Don't leave. Maybin is also not thinking clearly. He could develop into a superstar next year and really get the big bucks. Of course, with the threat of injury, the economy hurting the NFL's bottom line, and the possibility that he will be a number 1 this year, he has a reason to leave. Larry Johnson is a winner. Penn State needs him and should pay what it needs to in order to keep him. When will PSU build a successful basketball team.
    — ww2buff
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:49 PM, 01/13/2009
    Losing Larry johnson would be the worst loss of them all. He is a master recruiter.
    — wingslax35


6 comments
About Joe Juliano
Joe Juliano has been a staff writer for The Inquirer for 20 years, covering college sports, golf and the Penn Relays.

This season is Joe's fourth season on the paper's Penn State beat. He previously covered the Nittany Lions for United Press International from 1976 to 1984.

Joe McIntyre is a senior at Penn State majoring in journalism. He covered the Penn State football beat in 2011 for the Daily Collegian. Follow him on Twitter here @JoeMcIntyre5.
Advertise Here