QB Jerod Evans Sees Situation at Tech That's "Almost Too Good to be True," Picks the Hokies

After toiling for the last two years in the relative obscurity of the junior college ranks, the tables have turned a bit for QB Jerod Evans.

Now Evans says he can scarcely believe his good fortune at finding his way to Blacksburg all the way from Texas' Trinity Valley Community College.

"It's almost too good to be true, the scenario I was put in and my whole trip," Evans said. "You couldn't map it, it just all came together. It was a great feeling."

Even though Saturday marked his very first visit to Tech, Evans made his pledge to the Hokies and new head coach Justin Fuente just a few hours after arriving. While it may have seemed sudden to many, Evans says his decision to choose VT over Missouri and Central Florida was ultimately an easy one.

"How I felt about them and how they felt about me was very mutual," Evans said. "We both were excited about each other, really. They were excited about me and elated that I committed, and I was excited about where they can take me and how they can evolve me even more from where I'm at already and bring me to the next level at the quarterback position."

Evans adds that Fuente's presence was a big part of that comfortable atmosphere. The new head Hokie first recruited Evans to Memphis when he was coming out of Mansfield HS two years ago, then reached back out to him a couple games into this season to let him know the Tigers were still interested.

"He gets me more than other coaches do at this point in time, so I kind of felt more comfortable with him than I did with other coaches because he's been recruiting me for so long," Evans said.

But Evans noted that he wasn't excited about Fuente's mentorship just because they've been in touch for a while — Fuente's reputation for grooming quarterbacks preceded him.

"That was also another factor, just the resume he has with quarterbacks and getting them to where they want to go as far as furthering their careers," Evans said. "That played a big part as well, because not only is he a great coach, but he's a great quarterback coach and knows how to deal with them."

Evans added that he got to meet most of the rest of the coaching staff on his trip, and said they "welcomed me with open arms." Yet with the team waiting to formally announce who will be taking over as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, Evans admits that he was curious about who'd ultimately end up as his position coach.

On that front, Evans said Fuente gave him an "inkling" that it would indeed be Brad Cornelsen filling the role, a position in line with previous reports that had Cornelsen following Fuente to Tech from Memphis.

Meeting the staff was just one part of Evans' visit, however. Not only did he get a chance to interact with some of the team's supporters, calling them "great, supporting fans that really enjoy their football," but also with the team itself.

Evans got a chance to watch one of the Hokies' bowl practices, and beyond taking the opportunity to snap a quick picture with Frank Beamer, he also got to know some of the Hokies.

He says he met "almost the whole team" as part of the trip, but, in particular, he got to spend plenty of time with receivers Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips and TE Bucky Hodges.

"It was just 'We like you, Jerod, and we're glad you're here,' with open arms," Evans said. "I mean, just excited, and I could feel it, and that's another reason I committed, the players were so excited to welcome me in."

The experience of watching that impressive group of pass catchers work a bit also had Evans starting to envision himself in the maroon and orange.

"Actually getting to see them practice and perform for the upcoming bowl game was like 'Wow,'" Evans said. "Those dudes are really nice, and they really have weapons, which I already knew, because Virginia Tech, you can't go to 23 bowl games without being any type of good, so I knew they were good."

All that added up to Evans pulling the trigger and committing before the visit was even over. Unsurprisingly, he says the coaches were "excited" about that decision and he wagers the scene of them offering their congratulations on his choice must've been a "sight to see."

Evans' brother Caleb, a 2016 QB out of Dallas' Bishop Dunne HS, says he's absolutely right about that.

"They were really excited, they all shook his hand and everything, welcoming him to the family and everything," Caleb said. "It was exciting seeing him commit."

But the younger Evans wasn't just there to offer his brother support — he's considering making his own college pledge to the Hokies.

"It was great, I met some nice people and I felt wanted here, so it was a great trip," Caleb said.

Both of the brothers spent Dec. 9 touring Missouri's campus, another program courting the pair, and decided to visit Tech together as well.

Unlike Jerod, Caleb doesn't have an offer from Tech just yet. He's currently considering offers from programs like Stephen F. Austin and Prarie View A&M, and fielding interest from UCF and Purdue as well, but he's certainly hoping the Hokies take a chance on him too.

"I took the official, so I know they have some interest in me, so hopefully they offer," Caleb said. "If they offered me, I'd definitely consider going there, because I've always wanted to play with my brother, so that would be a good experience for me, to be there under my brother, so I'd definitely consider it."

The elder Evans would love to see that happen, building on what he already feels is an atmosphere that thoroughly feels like home already in Blacksburg.

"It was really just the family, stable atmosphere," Jerod said. "I mean, I have six brothers and two sisters, so family and stability was one of the key parts of my decision, so I had to make sure I had that in whatever school I came to."

But warm and fuzzy feelings aside, Evans will be immediately thrust into contention for the starting job when he enrolls in January. After all, as 247Sports' top-ranked junior college passer with a 6'4", 225-pound frame that invites comparisons to Cam Newton, it's easy to see why he could find himself as an ACC starter in just a few months.

Yet Evans says he received only the same promise any other quarterback does; He'll get the chance to come compete.

"Like any school, you've got to go in there and compete and chances are, if I do what I'm supposed to do, and come in like I know I can, we'll see how far it goes," Evans said. "But that's the plan, to come in and compete. I've just got to do my part and come in to earn the starting job."

But if he can indeed swiftly seize the starting spot under center, then Evans sees the potential for him and his new teammates to accomplish some incredible things.

"The situation that they're in, they're set up to accomplish what we all want to accomplish, and the goals that we want to accomplish are pretty big," Evans said. "These guys really want it, they're hungry."