COLLEGE STATION, TX — After an incredible career as an Aggie, Michael Evans finally got himself a Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in a historic Super Bowl performance Sunday night.
“It was really cool. I've been wanting him to get a Super Bowl because he’s been on such a bad franchise for so long. He’s such a good representative of our University,” says Mason Gold, a Texas A&M student and College Station native.
A&M was guaranteed to have at least one Aggie winning Super Bowl LV since the divisional round of playoffs where all eight teams had at least one Aggie on their roster. Sunday night, Evans played against former Aggie tight end Ricky Seals-Jones and safety Armani Watts, but it was Evans and the Buccaneers that came out on top.
“Especially watching the game, you’re like, ‘Okay, who do I go for? There are Aggies on both sides.’ But he [Mike Evans] is kind of the bigger name, especially on offense,” says Zach Turman, a junior at Texas A&M.
The former Aggie All-American was the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft. The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder has proven to be one of the top overall receivers in the NFL since then. This year, he became the first player in league history to have at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first seven seasons. This Championship season, breaking the tie with Randy Moss, who reached that mark in his first six seasons in the NFL.
“Sometimes the big game alludes to them all but for him to be able to play in that game [Super Bowl LV] and to contribute in that game [Super Bowl LV] and to win, it’s something they’ll never be able to take away from him being a Super Bowl Champion, so he as all the personal accolades and I know there is more to come but to get to this as a team it's a big deal,” says Mikado Hinson, Texas A&M Football’s Director of Player Development and close friend to Evans.
Throughout the season, Evans was a favorite target for Tom Brady in the red zone, finishing the regular season with 12 touchdown catches. After six seasons of never making it to the playoffs, those who know Mike Evans best say his work ethic and drive for greatness is what got him to be a Super Bowl Champion.
“He’s going to work hard. He’s going to do his best to lead and the way that he leads, he’s one of those guys who goes out there and grinds it out,” says Hinson. “So regardless if the wins are coming or are there, he’s not going to quit until they are there. So, it’s not an accident that they put ‘C’ on his chest the last couple of seasons.”
Longtime Aggie fans say watching Evans play with [Tom] Brady takes them back to his playing days at Kyle Field with Johnny Manziel.
“Seeing Mike Evans play with arguably one of the best quarterbacks of all time, it’s super cool to see because he got to play with a great one in college and now, he’s getting to play with probably one of the all-time greatest competitors in football,” says Gold.
The three-time Pro Bowler finished the 2020 season as the Buccaneers leading receiver with 70 catches for 1,006 yards and 13 touchdowns on the year.
Evans sending a message to Aggieland Monday saying, “Without God, I am nothing.”