PUTNAM COUNTY
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The strong play of Gatewood’s Evan Bennett (7) this season drew the attention of University of North Carolina recruiters, resulting in a full scholarship offer for the 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior. IAN TOCHER/Staff
In November, Gatewood football’s Evan Bennett received some great news via Twitter. It was a direct message from a football coach at the University of North Carolina inviting the junior running back and his family to visit Chapel Hill and attend a game on campus.
“They reached out to me and wanted me to come up on a game day visit,” Bennett said. “They sent my family some tickets. We got up there and the facility was actually amazing. It was perfect. It was immaculate. It was really nice and very updated.”
Bennett met with UNC’s staff and had a blast. He got to tour the team’s facilities and meet a lot of different faces, all of who knew his name, which left a great impression.
“I sat down with a lady and she was saying she was so happy I was there,” Bennett added. “I asked her a direct question: ‘How did y’all find out about me and know who I was?’ So, she called over their director of recruiting [Daniel Bernstein], and he said that he was going through high school film and ours [Gatewood] came across his screen. He said that it didn’t take more than a day for my film to be processed and they were like, ‘Yeah, we want this kid.’ I was really appreciative of that.”
Bennett and his family then continued their day by finishing a tour of the campus and facilities. The staff then asked if Bennett wanted to meet with co-defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen, who offered him a full-ride scholarship to UNC.
“I went into his office with my father and my brother, Noah,” Bennett said. “He starts pointing out these pictures on his walls and talking about the past athletes that he’s coached, what they were made of and their drive, talent and abilities to make plays. Plus, understand the information when it’s given to them. He told me I had an offer.”
Bennett said it felt like his heart stopped a little as he sat in the chair “super stunned.”
“I’m sorry?” Bennett asked. “He replied by saying he wanted me to come and play linebacker for him at the University of North Carolina. It was a really, really great experience. “My brother started tearing up for me. I was a little too stunned because it was my first offer, especially from a big school like that. They’ve got all those top-of-the-line athletes that they pull in, and they put people in the NFL every year.”
Bennett repeated he was “blown away” by the offer from the Tarheels. He also was very appreciative.
“It’s just crazy because I go to a GIAA school, but we show out every Friday night,” Bennett said. “I’ve been working hard every day at practice and in the summer towards getting an offer for a while. It was just finally good to be recognized for something. It was really good for what they did for my family while we were up there. I also can’t thank my coaches and teammates enough as well.”
Bennett, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound linebacker, just finished his junior season at Gatewood. He helped lead the Gators to a semifinal berth in the GIAA Class 2A playoffs.
He saw the field as a freshman but started out the season third on the depth chart at running back. Bennett then started six games in 2020 after several of his teammates got injured. He also played in the 2020 Class 2A state championship game against Brentwood.
“I think playing on that team that went to state and won it was the catalyst for me seeing a future for myself in football,” Bennett said. “I wanted to work toward playing at the collegiate level, so that definitely was one of my goals in the past few years. It was to work hard and gain a scholarship offer to play Division I football.”
Bennett has played for Gatewood football head coach Jeff Ratliff for the past three years. Ratliff said he’s appreciative of the work the 2022 GIAA Class 2A All-State selection put in since joining the program. He acknowledged Bennett as a “true leader.”
“I don’t know where to start,” Ratliff said. “First of all, he’s a great student in the classroom. He’s a National Honor Society member. Second, he’s a great player and teammate. He was a big part of that state championship team a couple of years ago in 2020. “Evan’s grown so much since and is the definition of a true leader in the classroom, weight room, in practice, and on the field,” Ratliff said. “We are very proud and fortunate to have him. The staff at North Carolina recognized and offered a great player.”