Drew Evans is turning Achilles heartbreak into a 2025 proving ground

A year ago, Drew Evans was on the brink of the kind of Saturday every college football player dreams about. Indiana was 9-0, days from a showdown with Michigan that carried Big Ten title implications, and Evans was set to test himself against one of the nation’s most feared defensive lines.

That chance never came.

In a November practice, during a routine sled-pushing drill, Evans felt what seemed like a teammate’s foot slam into the back of his leg. Only no one was there.

Evans remembered stopping and looking around as if to ask, ‘Who just kicked me in the back of the leg?’ When he saw no one nearby, the truth hit harder than any block. Evans had just suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. His season was over before Michigan week even began. Surgery followed in the days ahead.

“Obviously, that was a really devastating moment… really kind of heartbreaking,” Evans said after practice Wednesday. “The Michigan defensive line, they were really tough last year and I thought that was a good opportunity to prove myself against some of the top guys.”

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Two weeks later, the Hoosiers would play Ohio State. A month later, they were in the College Football Playoff against Notre Dame. Evans could only watch from the sideline, carrying the weight of a missed chance.

The rehab started with nothing. For six weeks, he was barred from all physical activity. Walking came first, then a mini-milestone — stepping onto a lighter treadmill. The progress was measured in inches, not yards, and the pace felt like it would never pick up.

A small turning point came when the Wisconsin native returned to the weight room and began to see faint signs of strength in his right calf — the same leg he injured.

The physical grind was steep. The mental climb was steeper. Evans had never faced an eight-to nine-month recovery. Watching his friends take the field against the sport’s blue bloods was a constant reminder of what he had lost.

“It’s always hard to sit out and watch your friends play without you,” Evans said. “You just have to focus one day at a time.”

Those days dragged on, each without the game that had been a constant in his life.

“You realize how much you miss playing football,” Evans explained. “I missed football, a lot.”

Now, nine months removed from surgery, Evans is back on the field in fall camp. The right calf still doesn’t match the left in strength, but he’s a full participant in drills and contact. The moment that made it real came on day one of camp.

“The first fall camp practice. That’s when I was like, alright, I’m here. I’m back,” Evans said. “Right now it’s just shaking the rust off. Every day getting a little better… getting the fundamentals.”

Though he missed spring and summer reps, Evans stayed close to the team off the field. That, he believes, has kept his chemistry with teammates intact heading into the season.

And make no mistake — 2025 is personal. The sting of missing Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame still lingers. This fall, every snap is the chance to prove himself that he was robbed of late last season.

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“Oh yeah, big time,” Evans said when asked if he’s approaching the season with a proving-ground mindset. “On a day-to-day basis, you’ve got to be your best self every day and learn from your mistakes every day.”

For Evans, it starts small — a clean rep, a burst of speed, a little more push from the right leg. Each one pulls him farther from that November afternoon and closer to the player he was before the injury, maybe even better.

Because now, he knows exactly how fast the game can be taken away. And he isn’t going to waste a single chance to play it.

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