HOUSTON – Zachary Evans knew his mentions would be a bit of a minefield on Tuesday afternoon.

The five-star running back and the nation’s No. 1 overall player planned to release his top five later in the day, and there would be one notable exemption from that group: A Texas-based school. Evans dropped his top 5 on Twitter, a group that consisted of Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma.

No Texas. No Texas A&M. No in-state schools for the North Shore High School rising senior.

That will likely come as a shock to many as the Longhorns had long sat as Evans’ leader in the 247Sports Crystal Ball. And while Evans likes Texas following its 10-3 season, he said the Longhorns just aren’t quite there yet from a national perspective in his mind.

“It’s just … you don’t know how to put it,” Evans told 247Sports as a part of a wide-ranging interview. “I don’t want to be disrespectful. I ain’t saying (Texas) can’t win a natty. It’s just at the moment [Texas is] not quite there. You beat Georgia but you barely beat Georgia. What about when it comes to a Bama or go to a Clemson?

"Texas is a good school, they coming up. It's just ... I don't know."

Evans said competition is one of the most important aspects in his decision-making process, and he sees the schools in his top 5 as annual contenders with dynamic running back rooms that will push him. It should come as no surprise his group consists of a trio of SEC schools; the two others have made the CFB Playoff, with Ohio State winning the title in 2014.

“It just really comes with the competition,” Evans said. “They say the SEC is like the NFL, so I’m trying to be down pat.”

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound junior is rated as one of the best running back prospects in a generation. If he finished No. 1 overall in the 2020 class, he’d be the first running back to finish No. 1 in 247Sports Composite since LSU’s Leonard Fournette; other No. 1 overall running backs include Joe McKnight and Adrian Peterson.

Evans is a dynamic back who led North Shore High School to a 6A state championship last season. His testing numbers are elite with a 4.51-second 40-yard dash, a 37-inch vertical and a smoking 3.84 shuttle.

The five-star rusher told 247Sports he’d work through his top five and hoped to have a decision made before his senior season or at some point before the playoffs.

247Sports will have much more on Evans in the coming weeks with an in-depth profile of the nation’s No. 1 overall player.