Kirby Smart highlights Anthony Evans' versatility, growth ahead of Week 3 Kentucky matchup

Georgia Bulldogs sophomore wide receiver and punt returner Anthony Evans is on tap for a larger role this year, which he has handled extremely well so far through the first two weeks of the season.

Evans returned three punts for 23 yards in the Bulldogs' Week 1 win over Clemson and added five more punts for 62 yards in Week 2's home win over Tennessee Tech on Saturday.

One of those punts from Saturday's 48-3 victory over the Golden Eagles included a career-long 46-yard return.

Evans also saw some action on offense, catching one target for 11 yards.

His ability to contribute and make an impact on both special teams and on offense hasn't gone unnoticed by head coach Kirby Smart, who highlighted his versatility and growth ahead of Week 3's matchup against Kentucky.

"Anthony is number one, tough. He's aggressive. He has a lot of confidence in his return skills, and he has a lot of confidence in his receiver skills," Smart said. "He has worked really hard at two positions in our offense, both the slot and the Z. You know, with some receiver injuries through camp and just not a lot of depth, he worked at two positions.

"First of all, to play those two positions in our offense, you have to be extremely smart, and he's gone out there and done a great job of repping at Z and F. I'm really proud of what he's done there. He's had a bigger impact on the games as a return and he works really hard at that. He takes a lot of pride. I'm hard on him as a returner because I have a high standard of what that position and decision-making should be. He's extremely aggressive, and I want him to keep being smart with the ball."

As a true freshman last fall, Evans saw action in eight games, returning four punts for 55 yards, including a long of 28 yards against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship. He later scored his first career touchdown in the Orange Bowl.

As long as Evans keeps up the good work at practice, a breakout year is in store for the Texas native.

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