Evan Royster Evan Mathias Royster ( born November 26 , 1987 ) is an American football running back for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Redskins . He played college football at Penn State University , where he was a three - year starter and an all - time leading rusher High school career . Royster attended Westfield High School in Chantilly , 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 , adding 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 and " Washington Post " first - team All - Met . Regarded as a three - star recruit by " Rivals . com " , Royster was listed as the # 26 running back prospect in the class of 2006 . He chose Penn State over offers from Maryland , Nebraska , and Virginia Tech . While at Westfield High School , Royster was one of the most coveted lacrosse prospects in the country . He scored 33 goals as a senior and played in the prestigious North - South All - American Lacrosse all - star game . He was heavily recruited by traditional lacrosse powerhouses such as Virginia and Johns Hopkins . College career . Royster redshirt ed during his freshmen year at Penn State . Royster , recruited out of Virginia , chose Penn State over other NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision ( formerly known as Division I - A ) programs across the country like the Virginia Tech Hokies , the Nebraska Cornhuskers , the Florida Gators and the Maryland Terrapins . Royster made his college football debut on September 1 , 2007 against the FIU Golden Panthers . He played a significant role in the Penn State offense for the 2007 season . He was the second leading rusher behind Rodney Kinlaw , rushing for 513 yards on 82 carries for a 5 . 3 yards per carry average . He scored the game - winning touchdown in the third quarter of the 2007 Alamo Bowl against the Texas A & M Aggies . Royster made his season debut against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on August 30 , 2008 at Beaver Stadium . Royster and the offense helped guide the Nittany Lions to a 66 - 10 defeat of Division I FCS Chanticleers . Royster saw limited action in the rout . He had 64 yards on 8 carries for a career high 3 touchdown s . 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 . On September 6 , 2008 , against the Oregon State Beavers , Royster put up 141 yards on 17 carries . He added 3 touchdowns in the 45 - 14 blowout win before being taken out of the game . He was named the Big Ten Co - Offensive player of the week . Royster had his second straight 100 - yard game against the Syracuse Orange on September 13 , 2008 . He gained 101 yards on 13 carries in the 55 - 13 victory . In Penn State ' s 45 - 3 rout of the Temple Owls , Royster rushed 9 times for 73 yards and tacked on a touchdown . Royster picked up 139 yards on 19 carries in Penn State ' s 38 - 24 win over Illinois . In the second Big Ten matchup of the 2008 season , Royster powered Penn State past Purdue with 141 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries . He also added 53 receiving yards on four catches . Royster added 60 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries in Penn State ' s 48 - 7 thrashing of the Wisconsin Badgers on October 11 . His contributions led to Penn State being ranked number 3 in the country in the October 13th AP poll . Against the Michigan Wolverines ( who had beaten Penn State 9 straight times leading into the October 17th tilt ) , Royster set a career rushing high . Royster ran for 174 yards on 18 carries , with a 44 - yard TD run in the first quarter . He also added 3 catches for 13 yards in the 46 - 17 homecoming victory . On October 25 , 2008 , Royster rushed 19 times for 77 yards in Penn State ' s game against Ohio State . He tacked on 20 receiving yards on 3 catches in the Nittany Lions ' 13 - 6 triumph . The win against the then 9th - ranked Buckeyes was Penn State ' s first victory at The Horseshoe since 1978 . Leading the then 3rd - ranked Nittany Lions against the Iowa Hawkeyes , Royster set a career - high with 26 carries . He managed 90 yards and a touchdown in the shocking 24 - 23 upset loss to the Hawkeyes in Iowa City . On November 15 , 2008 , the Nittany Lions squared off against the Hoosiers of Indiana University . Royster rushed for 63 yards on 12 carries in chilly , rainy atmosphere of Beaver Stadium . Bouncing off three tacklers , he added his 11th rushing touchdown of the year on a 19 - yard run in the third quarter . After leading 10 - 7 at the half , Penn State pulled away for a 34 - 7 victory . Royster got off to a slow start , getting just 102 yards on 26 carries vs . Akron and Syracuse , but rebounded vs . Temple , rushing 19 times for 134 yards . The next week vs . Iowa Royster got just 69 yards on 17 carries , but vs . Illinois he got 105 yards on 17 carries , with a long of 20 and a touchdown . Against Eastern Illinois , he got 94 yards on just eight carries , for an 11 . 8 yards per carry average . His next three games versus Minnesota , Michigan , and Northwestern , he got over 100 yards in each of those games , averaging over 6 yards per carry overall in those 3 games . Following Penn State ' s victory at the 2010 Capital One Bowl , Royster announced that he would forgo the 2010 NFL Draft and play his senior year at Penn State . Royster completed his senior season as Penn State ' s all - time leading rusher having passed Curt Warner ' s nearly 30 year old record during the Michigan game . He completed the season with 1014 rushing yards , making him the only Penn State running back with three 1 , 000 + yard seasons . His career totals amounted to 3 , 932 yards on 686 carries , with 29 rushing touchdown s . Royster was selected to play in the 86th East - West Shrine Game played on January 22 , 2011 , at the Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando , Florida . Professional career . Washington Redskins . 2011 Season . Royster was drafted 177th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins . 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 . He was elevated to the Redskins active roster on November 22 , 2011 when the Redskins waived Tashard Choice following Tim Hightower ' s season - ending injury . In Week 12 against the Seattle Seahawks , Royster made his NFL debut . Royster would have his first career start in Week 16 against the Minnesota Vikings , getting 132 yards on only 19 carries . In Week 17 against the Philadelphia Eagles , Royster recorded 113 yards on 20 carries while suffering rib injuries . At the end of the 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 . 2012 Season . Royster was expected to compete for the starting spot in the 2012 season against Roy Helu and Tim Hightower , but lost the competition to rookie Alfred Morris . Before starting the season , he changed his jersey number to 22 , his college jersey number . He scored his first career touchdown in Week 9 against the Carolina Panthers . In the Week 15 win over the Cleveland Browns , he would score his second career touchdown . Personal . He is the younger brother of former " Parade " All - America n and Stanford wide receiver Brandon Royster . He is also the younger brother of Cosmo ' s 2008 Virginia Bachelor Kyle Royster .