Texas CB Sheroid Evans preparing for world of fashion design after football

The header on the Twitter page of Texas Longhorns cornerback Sheroid Evans says it all -- a patchwork of denim stitched together.

It’s a fitting image for the oft-injured sixth-year player, in multiple ways.

You see, while most ardent ‘Horns fans know about the repeated hamstring injuries, surgeries, and two ACL tears that required some heavy stitching, they may not know quite as much about the second Bachelor's degree that Evans is now pursuing.

He already has his degree in youth and community studies, but now he has a much more concrete idea of his post-football future, which he plans on being in the fashion industry after he completes his next degree in a different type of stitching — Textiles and Apparel.

By his own admission, the header image is just another indicator of his love for denim, which features heavily in his own clothing choices and designs.

The image that leads the Alcalde story and the above pictures illustrate Evans’ penchant for heavily distressed clothing that he says takes cues from Kanye West and A$AP Rocky.

Perhaps it makes sense for a player who has suffered so much distress in terms of injuries.

His designs often incorporate these elements as well, as he is currently working on a distressed denim motorcycle jacket. Evans’ design for the 2016 Lexus Design challenge was a black linen shirt with zipper details in the front and back and ripped-out hems, and a pair of tailored black jeans consisting of multiple dark denim panels.

And, in fact, Evans got his start distressing the jeans of fellow football players for $20 apiece, then discovered a talent for sewing and creating garments.

Meanwhile, he had to decide his body was too torn up from all the injuries to continue playing football.

During the spring, Texas head coach Charlie Strong recounted the conversation that he had with the 6’1, 194-pounder the year prior following a second ACL tear for Evans.

"He was all in," said Strong. "He came to me and said 'Hey Coach, I'd like to come back.' It was after the injury last year and he said he was going to rehab, he was going to work hard, and wanted to come back."

Even with so much young talent heading to campus in the 2015 class, Strong didn't hesitate in expressing his support for a player he never recruited and barely had a chance to coach.

"I would love for you to come back," Strong replied.

But it turns out that the thought process for Evans wasn’t that simple. One might even say that he was a bit distressed after the injury. A conversation with former Texas cornerback Aaron Ross turned things around.

Ross was a role model for Evans growing up and recounted his own story of needing two extra years of high school to gain his eligibility with the Longhorns.

With the needed inspiration the Fort Bend Dulles product returned to the football program, where he will likely operate as one of the first cornerbacks off the bench behind likely starters Davante Davis, Holton Hill, and PJ Locke, players much younger than the elder Evans.

"The thing you like about him is that he is so good with the younger guys," said Strong. "He's just trying to stand out there and coach them and make sure they're in the right spots."

Of course, Evans hasn't spent the last two and a half years working his way back from those knee injuries just to become a student assistant -- there's a reason he's still on the active roster. He still wants to play football. He can still play football.

"He's out there competing right now," Strong said. "For someone to be off two years and watch him come back and do what he's doing -- it's been fun to watch him, it really has."

If Evans manages to stay healthy and still has enough of the speed that helped him record the nation’s fastest prep time in the 200m all those years ago, there’s a chance that he could fulfill his potential and earn an invitation to an NFL tryout next year.

After everything that’s happened, however, Evans isn’t counting on that. In fact, his current back-up plan is to buy an Airstream trailer and do exactly what he used to do for his teammates — customize jeans as he travels the country in hopes of eventually opening up a brick-and-mortar business.

It may be a patchwork existence for a while, but Evans already knows how that goes.