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."
Comments
Mentorship, friendship, let's see any other ships uhm yes championship.
Awesome write up. Kid seems like an absolute stud and just the type of guy we want repping the orange and maroon. It'd be dope if somehow he gets to play with his brother, even if the younger Evans has to make a position change or whatever.
Kinda thin on tight ends these days.
Ya really upbeat read. I couldnt stop grinning.
Is it just me or did it just get hot up in here after reading this article?
It was hot in here until you posted the GIF.
Dewd, everybody needs a little lovin'!
No, not her. She has procreated way too many times for this world...
We do not need another Honey Boo Boo.
I dont know, that flabby donut of a neck is pretty appealing.
FTFY
edit: so it's really hard to see..cuz font..but the 'e' in 'appealing' is struck
Niiiiiice
FTFY
also, this:
I went the minimalist route thinking it would be clever. Backfired. You cleaned up shop. Thanks...have a leg
also, this
She's all yours!
Flip remark meant in jest. JEST, I say. I dint say she rated MY lovin'. Even at closing time at 117 in my early twenties when a bottle of Bud was a buck ten each.
Me too. Merry Christmas!!!
Yep, I knew that. And a very Merry Christmas to you as well.
Edit: And as a response to your chicks dig scars thing, I must admit, I dig scars on chicks. Tough is tough, am I right?
Would absolutely love it if both Evans ended up at Tech. Fuente could pick up where CFB left off and have his first pair of recruited brothers.
I'll tell you what's too good to be true: the state of hokie football following the legend's retirement. Who would've thought we'd be what looks to be 10 steps ahead of where we are following his departure
With where the program was, and where it was trending to, and the master AD doing his part I've been expecting it. To say that Whit couldn't hire a coach that could do this is, well, exactly why we brought Whit in
Yeah...it had been years since VT had signed a highly rated QB recruit.
Right? I read this article and then passed out from happiness
I like that Jerod is not afraid of the competition. Great job by the coaching staff . I cant wait for 2016. Go Hokies!
A few years ago we had a Taylor handing off to Evans....now we'll possibly have a Evans throwing to Taylor (Jimmie). Of course he'll have veterans Ford, Phillips and Bucky "Rodgers" to throw to first.
I thought Jimmie Taylor was recruited as a DE.
http://247sports.com/Player/Jimmie-Taylor-69287
Great article. Love the staff landing Evans.
Coach Fu is really answering the recruiting question. Coach Beamer retired at just the right time. Sometimes events lineup in an advantageous way.
Everything is still shiny and new and flashy right now. One ingredient left to be added to keep this all going:
JUST WIN.
You echo my thoughts exactly. I'm almost holding my breath just hoping our new toys don't break by the day after Christmas. Can't find any fault in being excited, though, unless it's the 8 months before we actually get to play with them. And I thought LAST offseason was long and hard to take. Wonder if my ticket from last year's shortened ride on the Hype Train will entitle me to a good seat in this year's club car.
The spring game baring bad weather is going to be fun.
Shoot, the weather was bad last year, we had a blast
I meant bad enough to not have.
I was there that year too, that sucked
I don't want any of our current toys to break the day after Christmas either!
The Hype Train may get crowded this year. I'm on it because it really does feel different this time, with all of the offensive changes coming and some good new players on board.
I agree with your sentiment, however we could not have asked for a smoother transition from a coaching and recruiting point of view. It is very exciting right now and all the cards from the dealer seem to the ones we need. We will soon see.
And hoping that CJF completely understands that he doesn't have to go after the same recruits as he did at Memphis (going forward)...he can actually compete and have a real chance at top level talent. (unless he's installing the flexbone)
Any big ugly dudes out there who think they'd like protecting a QB like Evans, Lawson, Jackson, come show your stuff. You will be welcomed too.
I am worried with all the QB's we are courting and signing, hopefully it does not mean Motley and/or Lawson are heading out the door. That aside since he is going to be here for spring ball it will be nice to have a thorough competition for the starting role and a whole spring in the new offense for whoever ends up behind center in Bristol...
If you read the comments in the post (here) announcing Evans' commitment the general consensus is that the competition for the starting job will be competitive. If Evans wins out, Motley stays (5th year senior) and the smart move is for Lawson to red shirt and have the starting job in '18 and '19.
That is a really quick recap but check out the post. There is a lot of good info and opinions in the comments.
Lawson Commited to Miami but then saw how good Kayya was and realized he was 3 years out from starting so the Hokies QB issues were real appealing for no red-shirt and lots of game time. Granted the Coaching has now changed but if Lawson isn't the starter I'm wondering if he doesnt transfer to Miami and sit one year on his redshirt then get the starting job in 2017, at Miami or another school.
ACC to ACC transfer would be at least a 2 year sit. And I doubt we would grant his release to one of our biggest rivals.
"All" of the QBs? VTs not doing anything unusual. The QB room will have on scholarship:
1 r-Senior
1 Junior
1 r-Sophomore (maybe?)
1 Sophomore
1 Freshman
That's pretty much what any decent program should strive to have. That doesn't mean somebody isn't happy and might transfer, but that's not unusual either. The staff can't ignore continuity and worry that somebody who might not be the best QB on the roster at present might be unhappy.
This is a redundant statement, but if one thing's for certain, the best QB on the roster will be happy...
QB by committee? /s
I wouldn't sweat it if Motely decided to leave. I would much rather have Lawson than Motely. Lawson knows how good of a QB coach Fuente is...he wont have a better shot at the NFL than with Fuente as his coach.
Why would Motley even think of leaving? He's only got one year of eligibility left.
I believe he is expected to graduate before the next season begins...thus is potentially eligible to transfer and play without sitting out a season.
I admit, I forgot about taking the Leal route...if he gets a real life job offer. But strictly from a football point of view, I don't see many places (if any) where he would be able to go and have a better chance at a starting job than he does at VT. Or, in other words, if he doesn't win the job at VT, where would he win it, because there are very few upsides for another team to invest in him.
It's college football. Players are required to leave at some point and that sometimes - for a variety of possible reasons - creates a QB vacuum.
You don't think there's a few programs - not necessarily Power 5 programs - that could use a Rent-a-QB who has actually started a handful of Power 5 games?
The problem is that's it's hard to tell what you have in Motley. He was a relatively unrecruited Wing-T QB. His on field performance was admirable, but I don't think you instantly say, "yeah that guy's my starter".
Same reason Leal left.
Or what marcb2 said. Either one.
I may not be close enough to the program to make this assessment but here goes. There's a reason that Lawson hasn't made the grade and it seems to me from the things I've read (and the things I've read into the things I've read) it's not his athletic ability but more his attitude. i get the feeling he has an expectation to be given preferential treatment because of his ability and he doesn't get its about so much more. Aptitude and attitude are very very important and I just get the feeling he may not have those two at the same level of his athleticism.
Or maybe he's a true freshman. Tyrod Taylor wasn't ready as a true freshman (even in a much simpler offense). Let's give the kid a couple years before we start commenting on his attitude.
I know, right?
Lofty expectations will get after ya.
or maybe SL's offense wasn't ready for primetime and needed the most veteran signal caller who has trained under excellent coaches (SMU coach not to be named)
VT offense has been offensive for far too long...Motley looked like LT in SL's offense (taking too much of a pounding to be an effective QB - have you seen what teams try to do to QBs? - if not look at what we try to do to them)... to me, SL is kinda like Chip Kelly... "he can't say sh**"
JMHO, but when these guys all look much better competing in the spring, don't say I didn't tell you
Or maybe SL just played the best player at the time. Lawson was a freshman. Motley had been in the system a while.
I'd anticipate some improvement on the offense next year just by virtue of another year of experience for some of VT's best players, and the fact that the O-Line has been improving.
I think this is kind of the downside to message boards. There have been maybe two comments about Lawson's attitude from anyone in the program, and both were plenty vague. But we keep commenting on this and our stupid lizard brains see more and more people discussing it and turn it into a consensus that must be true because it's been talked about so many times. When in actuality, there were a couple of off-handed comments that could maybe be construed as negative, and a bunch of chatter about that keeps getting repeated.
Not intended to slight you at all either, just musing on why it may seem like this is the case.
Ah, the message board echo-chamber...where rumors and speculation become facts and the often boring truth gets lost in the shuffle.
I have no inside knowledge about Lawson. But I watched him a bit celebrating on the sideline after the UVA win. He did not look to me like a guy who is unhappy with VT or concerned only about his personal outcomes.
Ok, so #sauces and all, but I do happen to have some info from someone in the know that this is pretty much exactly the issue.
I've heard that there is some real disconnect between Lawson and his teammates, and that they are not at all thrilled with the way he comports himself in practice or meetings.
But as with all #sauced material, take it w/ a grain of salt.
Brothers you say? 6 you say? Cha-Ching!!!
I'm really glad that it seems that Fuente is continuing to put an emphasis on that side of the program. It is who we are and it's one of our biggest selling points. You can go to Alabama and be a cog in the machine or you can come to Tech and be part of the family.
I definitely agree. And Im also glad to see there are still kids that put an emphasis on that side of the program as well.
GET MAMA FULLER ON THE PHONE!
Just make sure Gray says hello
No chance of that happening.
Let me preface this by saying no one knows for certain what the future holds.
But for just a moment, let's allow ourselves to assume that Evans has the goods. Let's say he's a difference maker. If nothing else, let's assume he's a very good fit for the offense that Justin Fuente will install. Let's also appreciate that without a coaching change, there is exactly zero chance that we get this commitment. Frank and Lefty were not going after this guy.
If Evans works out and makes the transition to Fuente's spread a little more seamless, we might look back at this out-of-left-field commitment as a pivotal moment in the program.
JUSTIN Case you're wondering. This makes me happy.
He Fuent out and got a great QB.
Anybody else think Frank looks like he just got finished coaching a Ron Cherry officiated game?
It must have been windy in the Beamer Barn
Something ruffled his feathers.
Excited, yes. Cautious about next yr though with a TOUGH schedule (UT, ND, UNC all away from Lane)
Haven't we been better on the road for about the past 3 years now? Man, that was sad to write.
We took UNC to OT with the current team. If we are better next year with a QB upgrade and the returning O players having more experience, no reason we can't compete with UNC again. UT will likely be ranked, but that game is at a neutral site, so I see us being competitive. NOT sure how good ND may be. We may lose them all, but I'm looking for at least one win in those games.
I think you're putting way too much emphasis on our schedule being "TOUGH" next year. Also, we've done just about as well away from Lane as we have done at home recently, if not better.
I do agree that UT, ND and UNC are going to be our toughest match-ups. You might even add Miami to that mix depending on how quickly Richt can get them turned around. With the talent he'll have to work with I expect them to be pretty dangerous by mid season.
Outside of those 4 games, though, our schedule is pretty soft. The best teams we have left to play include Pitt and Duke. It's really likely that we'll be able to manage 8-4 or 9-3 with our current roster and competent coaching. I think it's also fair to assume that Fuente and his staff are competent offensive coaches. Bud is a known commodity. This team really doesn't have that much further to go to achieve a .667 win % or better for 2016.
Now, I'm not saying that my expectations are that high. With the sweeping changes to the offensive staff and huge question mark at QB it's silly to expect that kind of drastic improvement from a 6-6 team. New coaches deserve some time to get the current players on the same page and start bringing in new guys who are starting with a clean slate under the new regime. My expectation for Fuente in his first season is to show steady progress over the course of the season. If we go 6-6 again I'm not going to be dusting off my pitch fork. Building takes time.
That being said, though, I think Fuente has proven his ability to turn an offense around quickly (3 years at Memphis is pretty dang quick IMO) with limited resources. VT has plenty of talent for him to work with and I would not be surprised at all if he manages to squeeze a top 50 offense out of our current roster. Given how weak our schedule is that could result in an 8 or 9 win season.
Pitt, Duke, and Miami all beat us this year. Yes if we are expecting to be better we would expect to beat them, but I don't believe our schedule is soft. Pitt is definitely improving, Duke has been tough under Cutcliffe, Miami is still a challenge and will likely be more so under Richt, GT always gives us problems, so does BC. UNC, Pitt, Duke, Miami, and GT are all already really good to fairly good teams, and most will be improving along with us. I think we can win 8 or 9 games next year, but it's going to be challenging.
just because we lost to those teams this year doesn't mean they are tough teams. VT was 6-6 this year. Pitt had a good year going 8-4 and have a good defensive coach. They are a good team. Duke was a 7 win team this year. Cutcliffe is a good coach but he's still coaching at Duke and he's missing some pieces. Miami won 8 games on the back of Kaaya. GT won a whopping 3 games. BC doesn't like to score points.
A lot of those collective wins came against ACC teams. The ACC isn't as tough as the Big10, Big12, SEC, or Pac12. The ACC is undeniably the weakest of the P5 conferences so don't pretend that because we lost to teams in our own division that means they are tough teams. The SEC West is a TOUGH division. Any team in that division can say they have a TOUGH schedule. The ACC Coastal is not the same gauntlet by any stretch of the imagination. Two of the best teams we play next year are out of conference(technically...I'm including ND since they're not an ACC member in football). Our conference schedule may be challenging for us, because we're a 6-6 team right now, but it's a relatively soft schedule when you look at the big picture. We don't play any scary teams in our conference. They're all decent-to-good teams but they all have flaws and none of them are going to have 11 or 12 win seasons in the next 4 years.
I believe that under Fuente, and with the talent we have, VT will quickly be elevated over a majority of the conference simply because the ACC isn't very good right now. It won't take much to win the Coastal. With modest improvements on Offense this team could cruise through league play because our league is soft compared to the other P5 leagues. Outside of Tennessee, ND, UNC, and maybe Miami(give them a couple years under Richt) the rest of our schedule is full of teams that won't scare anybody. It's soft.
I agree with all of this. Additionally, the saddest part of our recent decline over the last 4 years is that most of our losses have come at the hands of some bad, average, and okay teams. The Coastal has been as weak as it's ever been during our decline, which makes it all the more frustrating.
For Reference, to help put into context how good teams were according to their schedule:
Coastal Division SOS (National ranking):
11. GT
33. Miami
56. UVA
74. Pitt
76. UNC
86. VT
98. Duke
Source
Note: SOS rankings do not include FCS opponents
awww yiss!!
Video/podcast about Jerod talking about why he chose VT
I haven't had a chance to watch the whole thing yet but at least we now know how to pronounce his name.
475 yards and 8 touchdown in one game? Lawlz.
So with Evans we have what 5 scholarship Qbs?
Motley - r. Sr.
Evans - Jr. (?)
Durkin - r. So.
Lawson - So.
Jackson - Fr.
Am I the only one that still likes Motley to win that competition?
Motley had similar stats to Brewer even before the benefit of McMillian being the sure-fire back. Sure he isn't Fuente's guy, but I think his familiarity with the weapons gives him a leg up on the competition.
Evans will for sure push Motley, but I still think he takes a year to get in the flow of real college football.
Durkin has to move to TE right?
Lawson has the tools, but the recent comments suggest to me that he isn't quite ready to play savior just yet.
Jackson will for sure redshirt, as I still say Lawson should have.
I'm rooting for Motley. I think he can be a good QB with 1st string reps. He has the arm (and height) to utilize the center of the field. He has potential. He just needs practice to get the timing down on the deep balls and to better work throw some of the more mental aspects of the position. I won't be upset if Evans comes in and wins the starting job in a true competition, though.
I think we have a coach that will actually be honest about an open competition and honor the results. Thats pretty special in today's age.
Why would any coach not play his best player at a position?
Seniority, "their guy vs. someone else's guy" and recruiting promises. Just to name a few off of the top of my head.
That coach wouldn't be employed for long. Winning games keeps a coach in his job, not playing the guy who will win those games is stupid and I don't see happening. Now might a kid get more breaks under certain circumstances of course but if one kid is clearly better in practice I don't see a coach passing him over.
I think you're underestimating the ego's that most coaches have and how hard it may be to objectively say who is "better."
The other 8 coaches could tell him.
Love Motley's toughness. Love that he's a local kid. I just don't see how he wins it. Nothing he showed this season makes me believe he is ready to lead a P5 school--aside from his toughness, every school needs a QB with that trait and we've been lucky enough to have 2 this season. With that said, I have no idea who will win spring. I take film with a grain of salt. You only see the good stuff and there's always the question of how good the competition really is. I think Motley has as good as shot as anyone. Everyone is really a wildcard.
With that said, I'm really looking forward to the Spring game.
QB Depth Chart Prediction:
1. Evans
2. Lawson
3. Jackson (rs)
Motley plays his final year somewhere else
If Motley's not playing for us next year, it'll be because he's no longer playing football.
Probably true
I have seen very little to suggest Lawson should move past Motley on the depth chart.
I'll be perfectly happy with whomever wins the battle, but I think Motley and Evans are probably going to be neck & neck.
If that turns out to be the case, then I think a lot of folks on here are a little overexcited about Evans
Until I see Evans face P5 defenses behind our O-line, I don't see any reason to get overexcited.
Yeah, he looks like the real deal, and I'll be plenty excited if he runs away with the QB competition.
But Motley just isn't that far off IMO. He has improved considerably from when he joined the team, and if that improvement continues, no reason to think he couldn't start.
For what it's worth.
To me bringing in Evans, and Moore for that matter, Fuente is demonstrating is ability to improvise, adapt and overcome adversity. He knows what he has in Evans because he has recruited him for so long. I think if he applies the same to our while O next season will be fun. Go Hokies!