Octavius Evans verbally committed Sunday to Boise State and became the region's 22nd senior football player to pledge to an NCAA Division I FBS program with just two full days remaining until National Signing Day

The Center receiver announced his decision through his personal Twitter account shortly after returning from his official visit to Boise, Idaho. He had seven other FBS choices including, closer-to-home options in Louisiana Tech, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.

Evans' commitment is the Broncos program's first-ever recruiting victory within the region. It previously extended offers to former Nacogdoches defensive backs Jaylon Lane and Brandon Jones, players that are now attending Texas Tech and Texas respectively.

Boise State hardly needs an introduction for what it achieved in the past decade. It was the premiere program among schools outside of the power conferences during the BCS era and was the first team of its kind to reach -- let alone win -- a major bowl game.

Times haven't changed much in Boise. The program posted double-digit win totals in seven of the nine seasons since toppling an Adrian Peterson led Oklahoma squad in the Fiesta Bowl at the end of the 2006 season.

Coached by Bryan Harsin, who will begin his fourth season in Boise this fall, the program most recently achieved a 10-2 regular season and won a share of the Mountain West Conference championship before falling to Baylor in the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl.

Harsin is an offensive-minded coach and played quarterback for the Broncos between 1995 and 1999. Regionally, he best known as Texas' co-offensive coordinator for the 2011 and 2012 seasons under Mack Brown, and he parlayed the experience into a one-year stint as Arkansas State's head coach before moving on to Boise State.

The Broncos program gave Harsin his coaching start at the Division I level after one year at Eastern Oregon upon exhausting playing eligibility. He had risen to tight ends coach by 2002 and was the team's offensive coordinator from 2006 until being hired away by Texas.

Evans (6-2, 186) was a focal point in a powerful Center offense his junior and senior seasons alongside quarterback Kyle Parks, who holds a handful of junior college opportunities and an offer from East Texas Baptist University.

Center reached the regional semifinal round of the 2015 Class 4A Division II playoffs and, upon being promoted to the Class 4A Division I level during last year's realignment, managed to make a bi-district playoff appearance out of District 9-4A Division I after clinching fourth place.

The District of Doom, as it's called, produced the division's eventual state champion in Carthage and a regional semifinalist team in Henderson. Carthage finished third in the league standings behind co-champions Henderson and Kilgore.

Evans caught 66 balls in 2016 for 852 yards and scored six times.

In addition to football, Evans is presently the starting point guard on the state's sixth-ranked Class 4A basketball team in the Texas Association of Basketball Coach's poll.

2017 East Texas Football Players With Division I FBS Offers

  • Tristan Allen, Atlanta, LB, 6-3, 206 — committed to Louisiana Tech; additional offer from UTEP (2)
  • Isaiah Allred, Van, WR, 6-3, 205 — offer from Texas State (1)
  • Judah Bell, Tyler Bishop Gorman, WR, 6-3, 180 — offers from Bowling Green, Coastal Carolina, Houston, Kansas, Memphis, Navy, New Mexico, North Texas, SMU, ULL, ULM, UTSA, Wyoming (13)
  • Noah Bush, Athens, LB, 6-1, 216 — committed to Air Force; additional offer from Army (2)
  • Lagaryonn Carson, Liberty-Eylau, DE, 6-4, 261 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, North Texas, Oklahoma, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M (9)
  • Terrell Cooper, Lindale, DE, 6-3, 240 — offers from Arkansas State, Memphis, North Texas, Texas State (4)
  • Trestan Ebner, Henderson, WR, 5-11, 180 — committed to Baylor; additional offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Colorado State, Houston, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi State, Missouri, North Texas, Ole Miss, SMU, Syracuse, UTSA, Texas A&M, TCU, Tulsa (20)
  • Montrell Estell, Hooks, WR/DB, 6-2, 180 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Baylor, Kansas, Notre Dame, SMU, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane (12)
  • Octavius Evans, Center, WR, 6-2, 186 — committed to Boise State; additional offers from Indiana, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Texas State, ULL (8)
  • Ted Fuller, Harleton, RB, 5-11, 195 — offers from ULM, Wyoming (2)
  • Tre Gatlin, Carthage, DE, 6-6, 210 —offer from Wyoming (1)
  • Quan Hampton, Texas High, WR, 5-8, 165 — committed to Kansas; additional offer from Texas State (2)
  • Austin Hawley, Gladewater, DB, 6-1, 200 — committed to ULM (1)
  • Kollin Hurt, Gilmer, DB, 6-3, 175 — committed to Louisiana Tech; additional offers from ULM, UTSA (3)
  • Jordan Johnson, Hooks, ATH, 6-0, 195 — offers from Air Force, Army (2)
  • Kayce Medlock, Arp, ATH, 5-10, 186 — committed to SMU; additional offers from Army, Colorado, Houston, Navy, Tulane, ULL, UTSA (8)
  • Damion Miller, John Tyler, WR, 6-1, 189 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Baylor, Houston, Kansas, Missouri, North Texas, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, SMU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech (11)
  • LaMarcus Morton, Gilmer, WR, 6-2, 175 — committed to Oklahoma State; additional offers from Arkansas State, Colorado State, Houston, Indiana, Louisiana Tech, Memphis, New Mexico State, Texas Tech, Tulsa, ULL, ULM, UTSA (13)
  • Javonta Mosley, John Tyler, CB, 6-1, 170 — committed to UTSA; additional offers from Arkansas State, Houston, Memphis, North Texas, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, ULL, ULM (10)
  • Cade Pearson, Texas High, QB, 6-3, 193 — committed to North Texas; additional offer from Wyoming (2)
  • Dhailon Phillips, Lufkin, WR, 6-3, 195 — committed to Texas State; additional offers from Air Force, Army (3)
  • Dez Robinson, Atlanta, LB, 6-3, 210 — offers from UTEP, Wyoming (2)  
  • Kordell Rodgers, Lufkin, QB/ATH, 5-10, 165 — committed to Texas State; additional offers from Arkansas State, ULM (3)
  • Makyle Sanders, Tyler Lee, S, 6-1, 177 — committed to North Texas; additional offers from Air Force, Memphis, Navy (4)
  • Bryson Smith, John Tyler, QB/ATH, 6-0, 170 — committed to Houston; additional offers from Air Force, Arkansas State, Baylor, Bowling Green, Memphis, New Mexico, North Texas, Purdue, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas, Texas State, Tulane, Tulsa, ULL, ULM, UTSA (18)
  • Cameron Sir Louis, TE, 6-3, 220 -- offer from Air Force (1)
  • D’Torian Smith, Tatum, DE/LB, 6-3, 225 — committed to Air Force; additional offers from ULM, UTEP (3)
  • Major Tennison, Bullard, TE, 6-6, 248 — committed to Alabama; additional offers from Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oregon, SMU, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA (14)
  • Josh Thompson, Nacogdoches, CB, 6-0, 182 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Arizona State, Arkansas State, Baylor, Colorado State, Fresno State, Houston, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisiana Tech, Minnesota, Missouri, North Texas, Ohio, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Penn State, SMU, TCU, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane, UCLA, ULM, Utah, UTSA, Washington State, Wyoming (29)
  • Lakendrick VanZandt, Henderson, RB/S, 6-1, 196 — committed to TCU; additional offers from Arkansas State, Baylor, Houston, Memphis, Oklahoma State, SMU, Southern Miss, TCU, Tulane, Tulsa (10)
  • Traveion Webster, Longview, S, 6-0, 197 — committed to ULM (1)

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