 Royster with theWashington Redskins in 2012 | |||||||||||||
| No. 35, 22 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1987-11-26)November 26, 1987 (age 38) Fairfax, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 216 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Westfield(Chantilly, Virginia) | ||||||||||||
| College | Penn State | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2011: 6th round, 177th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Evan Mathias Royster (born November 26, 1987) is an American former professionalfootball player who was arunning back in theNational Football League (NFL). He was selected in the sixth round of the2011 NFL draft by theWashington Redskins, where he played for three seasons. He playedcollege football for thePenn State Nittany Lions as a three-year starter and an all-time leading rusher.[1]
Royster attendedWestfield High School inChantilly, Virginia, where he totalled 6,384 yards on 750 carries (8.5 avg.) and 90 touchdowns and helped Westfield win three Concorde District Championships. As a sophomore, he ran for 1,690 yards and 22 touchdowns leading Westfield to their first state championship in school history. He added 2,160 yards and 30 touchdowns in his junior year. During his senior year, Royster amassed 2,200 rushing yards and again tallied 30 touchdowns. He was a first-team all-state selection andThe Washington Post first-team All-Met.[citation needed]
Regarded as a three-star recruit byRivals.com, Royster was listed as the #26 running back prospect in the class of 2006. He chose Penn State over offers fromMaryland,Nebraska, andVirginia Tech.[2]
While at Westfield High School, Royster was one of the most covetedlacrosse prospects in the country.[3] He scored 33 goals as a senior and played in the prestigious North-South All-American Lacrosse all-star game.[1] He was heavily recruited by traditional lacrosse powerhouses such asVirginia andJohns Hopkins.[3]
Royster became the second player in Westfield Bulldog football history to have his jersey retired. The Bulldogs retired Royster's #24 jersey during halftime of a 2012 game when the Bulldogs went up against Fairfax High School Rebels. Royster's #24 was second to Eddie Royal's #5 when Royal had his jersey retired in 2009 when the Bulldogs went up against the Chantilly High School Chargers.[4]
Roysterredshirted during his freshmen year atPennsylvania State University.[5] Royster, recruited out ofVirginia, chose Penn State over other NCAAFootball Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A) programs across the country like theVirginia Tech Hokies, theNebraska Cornhuskers, theFlorida Gators and theMaryland Terrapins.[6]
Royster made hiscollege football debut on September 1, 2007, against theFIU Golden Panthers with eight carries for 70 yards and a touchdown.[7] He played a significant role in the Penn State offense for the2007 season. He was the second leading rusher behindRodney Kinlaw, rushing for 513 yards on 82 carries for a 5.3 yards per carry average.[8] He scored theNittany Lions' last go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter of the2007 Alamo Bowl against theTexas A&M Aggies on a 38-yard carry.[9]
Royster made his season debut against theCoastal Carolina Chanticleers on August 30, 2008, atBeaver Stadium. Royster and the offense helped guide the Nittany Lions to a 66-10 defeat ofDivision I FCS Chanticleers. Royster saw limited action in the rout. He had 64 yards on eight carries for a career-high threetouchdowns.[10] Royster was pulled from the game following his third touchdown at the beginning of the third quarter when Coach Paterno sat all his starters in favor of the backups. In the following game, against theOregon State Beavers, Royster put up 141 yards on 17 carries. He added three touchdowns in the 45-14 blowout win before being taken out of the game.[11] He was named the Big Ten Co-Offensive player of the week.[12] Royster had his second straight 100-yard game against theSyracuse Orange on September 13, 2008. He gained 101 yards on 13 carries in the 55-13 victory.[13] On September 27, Royster picked up 139 yards on 19 carries in Penn State's 38-24 win overIllinois.[14] In the following game, Royster powered Penn State pastPurdue with 141 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. He added 53 receiving yards on four catches.[15] Against theMichigan Wolverines (who had beaten Penn State nine straight times leading into the October 17 tilt), Royster set a career rushing high. Royster ran for 174 yards on 18 carries, with a 44-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He added three catches for 13 yards in the 46-17 homecoming victory.[16] Royster finished the 2008 season with 191 carries for 1,236 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns to go along with 17 receptions for 155 receiving yards in 13 games.[17]
In the third game of the 2009 season, againstTemple, Royster rushed 19 times for 134 yards in the 31–6 victory.[18] On October 3, againstIllinois, he recorded 105 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown in the 35–17 victory.[19] In three games againstMinnesota,Michigan, andNorthwestern, he recorded at least 100 rushing yards in each, all victories.[20][21][22] Following Penn State's victory at the2010 Capital One Bowl overLSU, Royster announced that he would forgo the2010 NFL draft and play his senior year at Penn State.[23]
On September 25, 2010, Royster had 26 carries for 187 rushing yards in the 22–13 victory overTemple.[24] On October 30, he had 29 carries for 150 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns againstMichigan in the 41–31 victory.[25] In the following game, againstNorthwestern, he had 25 carries for 134 rushing yards to go along with a receiving touchdown in the 35–21 victory.[26] Royster completed his senior season as Penn State's all-time leading rusher having passedCurt Warner's nearly 30-year-old record during theMichigan game.[27] He completed the season with 1,014 rushing yards, making him the only Penn State running back with three 1,000+ yard seasons.[28] His career totals amounted to 3,932 yards on 686 carries, with 29 rushingtouchdowns.[29]
Royster was selected to play in the 86thEast-West Shrine Game played on January 22, 2011, at theCitrus Bowl Stadium inOrlando, Florida.[30]
| Year | Team | Rushing | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yards | Average | TDs | Receptions | Yards | TDs | ||
| 2006 | Penn State | Redshirt | ||||||
| 2007 | Penn State | 82 | 513 | 6.3 | 5 | 3 | 18 | 0 |
| 2008 | Penn State | 191 | 1,236 | 6.5 | 12 | 17 | 155 | 0 |
| 2009 | Penn State | 205 | 1,169 | 5.7 | 6 | 16 | 187 | 2 |
| 2010 | Penn State | 208 | 1,014 | 4.9 | 6 | 25 | 202 | 1 |
| Career | 686 | 3,932 | 5.7 | 29 | 61 | 562 | 3 | |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft11+5⁄8 in (1.82 m) | 212 lb (96 kg) | 30+3⁄4 in (0.78 m) | 9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) | 4.53 s | 1.58 s | 2.61 s | 4.18 s | 6.78 s | 34.0 in (0.86 m) | 9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) | 20 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[31][32][33] | ||||||||||||
Royster was selected in the sixth round with the 177th overall pick in the2011 NFL draft by theWashington Redskins.[34]He was expected to compete with former Redskins' running back,Ryan Torain, and fellow 2011 Redskins' draftee,Roy Helu, but Royster did not make the 53-man roster and was cut on September 3.On September 4, 2011, Royster was signed to the practice squad.[35]He was elevated to the Redskins active roster on November 22, 2011, when the Redskins waivedTashard Choice followingTim Hightower's season-ending injury.[36]In Week 12 against theSeattle Seahawks, Royster made his NFL debut. Royster would have his first career start in Week 16 against theMinnesota Vikings, getting 132 yards on only 19 carries.[37]In Week 17 against thePhiladelphia Eagles, Royster recorded 113 yards on 20 carries while suffering rib injuries.[38]At the end of his rookie season, Royster recorded 328 yards on 56 carries making him the second leader in rushing yards behind fellow rookie,Roy Helu, and beating the original starting running back,Tim Hightower.[39][40]
Royster was expected to compete for the starting spot in the2012 season against Roy Helu and Tim Hightower,[41] but lost the competition to rookieAlfred Morris. Before starting the season, he changed his jersey number to 22, his college jersey number.[42] He scored his first career touchdown in Week 9 against theCarolina Panthers.[43] In the Week 15 win over theCleveland Browns, he scored his second career touchdown.[44] He appeared in all 16 games. He had 23 carries for 88 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with 15 receptions for 109 receiving yards in the 2012 season.[45]
With the return of Helu, Royster was made the third-string running back and played more on special teams.[46] He was placed on injured reserve after suffering a high ankle sprain after the Week 14 loss to theKansas City Chiefs.[47]
The Redskins released Royster on August 30, 2014, for final roster cuts before the start of the2014 season, losing the third-string running back position to former Penn State teammate,Silas Redd.[48]
Royster signed with theAtlanta Falcons on August 16, 2015.[49] He was waived/injured by the Falcons on August 26, 2015.[50] On the following day, he cleared waivers and was reverted to the Falcons' injured reserve list.[51]
On May 30, 2014, Evan married his longtime girlfriend Jaclyn McDonald and now resides in Leesburg, VA along with their son, Roman. Evan became certified as an Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS) in 2020 and attained his Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification in 2024. In early 2025, he was appointed Vice President, Truist Wealth, at Truist Investment Services in Alexandria, VA.[52]
Evan is the younger brother of formerParadeAll-American andStanfordwide receiver Brandon Royster.[53] He is also the younger brother of Cosmo's 2008 Virginia Bachelor Kyle Royster.[54]
