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Nebraska’s Justin Evans was honored Thursday, as he was named to the 2026 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Watch List. Nominated by their schools, the members of the watch list have all demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.
Evans is in his fifth season as a Husker and has started the last two-plus seasons on the offensive line. He has made 32 career starts for the Big Red and will make his 40th career appearance on Saturday against Bowling Green. Evans, who served as one of Nebraska’s game captains for the opener against Ohio, helped the Huskers rack up 523 yards of total offense in the opener, including 248 rushing yards on nearly six yards per attempt. A second-team preseason All-American by The Athletic, he is also on the Rimington Trophy Watch.
The East Orange, N.J., native started all 13 games at center in 2025, paving the way for Emmett Johnson to earn first-team All-America honors while Nebraska set a school record for completion percentage. He started all 12 games at guard in 2024 and played in all 13 games, including five starts, as a redshirt freshman in 2023.
Off the field, Evans is a four-time member of the Tom Osborne and Brook Berringer Citizenship teams for his work in the community and is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten pick who has earned his degree in advertising and public relations.
The award, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field. A total of 20 semifinalists will be selected by a by a subset of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Selection Committee and announced on October 13. Three finalists will then be named for the award on December 14, and the winner will be announced at the award ceremony, which will take place in Spring of 2027.
Evans and the Huskers are in action this Saturday as they take on Bowling Green. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and will be carried on FS1 and the Huskers Radio Network.