Ole Miss TE Evan Engram benefits from competition with talented sister
Senior TE Evan Engram will be heavily featured in the Ole Miss offense on Saturdays this fall. Next fall, though, he’ll most likely be playing football on Sundays.
But the 6-foot-3, 227-pound Rebel said he wouldn’t be where he is today without his sister, Mackenzie, who is a junior on the Georgia women’s basketball team.
According to The Telegraph, Engram said his sister is the most talented athlete in the family because of her willingness to always compete:
“I’ll give her that. I’ll let her take that crown, for her sake,” Evan said. “We grew up pushing each other. I think she’s really good at basketball because of how many times I beat her one-on-one. I take some credit when she has some success.”
Mackenzie said the competition extended from basketball and football to the pool, where she said Evan had the advantage:
“We would see how many blue ribbons we could get,” Mackenzie said. “He had a stack of blue, and I was red, green, I wasn’t a very good swimmer. But everything was a competition for us.”
Heading into his senior season, Engram said he expects to be a bigger part of the offense after the departure of star WR Laquon Treadwell to the NFL.
But, he added, the more important thing is for the Rebels to have a good season as a team:
“I love to do whatever the team needs me to do,” Evan said. “But I also love getting the ball and making plays. I definitely feel our team can be really successful if I’m involved in getting the ball and getting more touches. It’s what I have to offer the team, and this offense is unique. I take pride in working to it. I’m not a person to cry for the ball. I’ll work to get the ball. If I get the ball this season, we’ll be successful on offense.”
Ole Miss opens the season on Monday, Sept. 5, against Florida State in Orlando.