Washington has enjoyed more than its fair share of wide receiver talent during the past few seasons.
Rome Odunze. Jalen McMillan. Ja’Lynn Polk. Giles Jackson. Denzel Boston.
The Huskies will hope Omari Evans can add his name to the list.
Evans, a 6-foot, 189-pound wide receiver from Penn State, announced he will transfer to Washington for the 2025 season in a post on his social media accounts Wednesday night. Evans has one year of eligibility remaining after spending the past three seasons with the Nittany Lions.
He adds important experience to a young UW wide receiver corps that recently lost former five-star prospect Johntay Cook II following his abrupt departure from the team on Jan. 14.
Evans caught 21 passes for 415 yards and five touchdowns during the 2024 season as the Nittany Lions marched to the College Football Playoff semifinals. He played in 16 games, starting six, before entering the transfer portal shortly after Penn State’s 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.
During his three seasons at Penn State, Evans caught 30 passes for 564 yards and seven touchdowns.
Evans, from Killeen, Texas, was considered a three-star prospect by 247Sports’ composite ratings after playing at Shoemaker High, where he played cornerback and quarterback.
He was the No. 77 wide receiver and the No. 78 player in Texas during the 2022 recruiting cycle, and chose Penn State out of a final group that also included Vanderbilt and Rutgers. Evans also held offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Boston College, Cincinnati, Houston, Indiana, Kansas State, Maryland, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, SMU, Syracuse, Texas Tech, Utah, Virginia, Wake Forest and Washington State.
Evans played in 13 games as a true freshman in 2022, then appeared in nine games during his sophomore campaign a year later.
He emerged as an important part of James Franklin’s offense in 2024, ranking third in receiving yards behind Tyler Warren – the John Mackey Award winner as the nation’s best tight end – and Harrison Wallace III. Evans’ 19.8 yards per catch led the team.
However, his opportunities were limited by Penn State’s offensive scheme. Evans received only 38 targets in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus, 14 fewer than running back Nicholas Singleton, who finished the year with 375 receiving yards. For context, Warren was targeted 135 times during the past season.
Evans was predominantly used as a deep threat. His average depth of target was 20.8 yards, according to PFF, and his 59-yard touchdown catch against Kent State on Sept. 21 was the longest reception by a Penn State receiver in 2024. Evans also caught 80% of his contested catches, the highest percentage among Nittany Lions with more than two attempts.
At Washington, Evans will join a group looking to replace two of its three starting wide receivers. Jackson and Jeremiah Hunter ran out of eligibility following the Sun Bowl.
Evans potentially profiles as a replacement for Hunter, who caught 36 passes for 490 yards and a touchdown during his only season at UW.
The Penn State transfer is two inches shorter and about 20 pounds lighter, but his experience playing on the outside – Evans only spent 25% of his snaps in the slot, according to PFF, similar to Hunter’s numbers at UW in 2024 – may give him the edge against sophomore Rashid Williams.
A former Kalen DeBoer recruit, Williams was Hunter’s backup throughout the past season. He had 11 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown in 2024.
Washington also signed a host of young wideouts during its 2025 recruiting class: Deji Ajose, Marcus Harris, Chris Lawson, Dezmen Roebuck and Raiden Vines-Bright. Harris, Lawson and Vines-Bright – all composite four-star recruits – enrolled at UW in time for winter quarter.
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