OXFORD -- Even before Gary Patterson was pushed out at TCU late last October, Zach Evans was thinking about his next step.

The former five-star running back from Houston was having success in Fort Worth, but he was craving something different. Once Patterson was gone, Evans, who was nursing a season-ending injury at the time, finalized a decision that had been lingering in his mind.

Evans entered the transfer portal, and he did so with a destination in mind -- the Southeastern Conference.

"It's not a knock on TCU or anything," Evans said Thursday. "They're a great program. It's just the competition I wanted, the bigger stage. I just wanted that.

"That was in my head. The SEC was where I wanted to go. My top two coming into it were probably (Texas) A&M and Ole Miss, but I kind of knew already where I wanted to go. I didn't want to stay in Texas."

Evans rushed 92 times for 648 yards and five touchdowns last season for TCU, adding 10 receptions for 130 yards and another TD in the process.

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin had prioritized Evans in December 2019 when he arrived in Oxford after a successful stint at FAU. When Evans got into the portal two years later, Kiffin and the Rebels were on the phone quickly,

"'Come to the 'Sip. Be great,'" Evans said when asked about Kiffin's sales pitch. "He was just telling me how he could get me ready for the NFL."

Evans fashions his game after two NFL running backs with very disparate styles from different SEC programs. He loves the speed and explosiveness of New Orleans' Alvin Kamara (Tennessee) and he admires the raw power of Cleveland's Nick Chubb (Georgia).

"Some people say I model his running style," Evans said, referring to Kamara. "They say I'm a smooth runner sometimes. Then I just like Chubb's aggressiveness and physicality. I'm trying to use a stiff arm on the edges."

Kiffin is hoping Evans can combine all of those attributes and establish himself as the kind of back who can do everything on Sunday afternoons. He's working this spring to prove he deserves the lion's share of the work in Ole Miss' offense.

"Me personally, I felt like I was underused (at TCU)," Evans said. "That's not a knock on them and I'm not saying they didn't know what they were doing, but I just felt like I could've contributed a lot more to the team.

"Me personally, I feel like I have the ability to be an every-down back. I feel like I can do it all. I can do what you need done."

It's a challenge Evans is embracing. He's going against an SEC defense every day, looking forward to a 2022 slate that includes games against Kentucky,Vanderbilt, Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi State.

"I feel like it's a big difference," Evans said. "I feel like I have a point to prove. A lot of people feel like the competition in the Big 12 is weaker, so I just want to show that I can be able to adapt."