In early September, a small amount of marijuana was found at the campus apartment of Evans and defensive tackle Abe Koroma. Coach Joe Paterno immediately suspended both, and they missed three games.
Maybin, who wasn't even on the preseason depth chart, was elevated to the first team. He seized his opportunity, had an all-American season, and has seen his draft prospects skyrocket. When No. 6 Penn State clashes with No. 5 Southern Cal in today's Rose Bowl, Maybin will have the attention of ABC cameras, millions of viewers, and the Trojans' offense.
And it might not have happened had police not searched Evans' residence that Tuesday evening.
"I wouldn't necessarily look at it as if I replaced" Evans, said Maybin, who recorded 12 sacks and 19 tackles for a loss during the season. "Mo has absolutely been a key factor on this team this year with his production and his performance. . . . I don't think it has anything to do with me overshadowing" him.
When Evans returned, he was relegated to part-time duty. He finished with 31 tackles and three sacks after a sophomore season of 54 tackles - 21 1/2 for a loss - and 12 1/2 sacks. His draft stock plummeted, and even though he filed papers with the draft advisory committee, Evans will likely need his senior year to try to regain what he lost.
"Is it like a lost year? I don't think so," Evans said. "It was something that just happened. But I overcame it."
Evans and Koroma were charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana and are scheduled for a pretrial conference Jan. 22.
"I do regret it," Evans said, "but it's a lesson I learned."
Maybin, who was in Paterno's doghouse in the preseason for academic reasons, is learning what it's like to be in the maelstrom. Last week, he missed a team function and was briefly demoted to the second team.
