http://www.chatsports.com/ncaa/a/here-are-12-best-wrs-college-football-2...
Not that familiar with ChatSports, and there's nothing mind-blowing about the info in the piece (or even the writing of it, for that matter). But check out who made #4 on the list (& #1 in our hearts and game programs). Pretty cool.
Also, thought this might be an interesting jumping-off point for a convo about the QB competition - but from a slightly different angle. I generally think of packaging offensive personnel as "who/what combo of players will best compliment the QB?" For the first time in a long time, we have the reverse task: deciding which QB will be the best fit for our established skill players.
Watched most all the tape I could find on Evans, Lawson, and Jackson (we pretty much know what Motley can do, but I do wonder if the coaching change will help or hurt him, scheme-wise or mentally). Feeling pretty confident that it'll be a 3-horse race of Motley, Lawson and Evans - I'd bet the ranch arrow on Jackson redshirting, and Jack Click...is Jack Click. No offense, Jack.
So? All three are dynamic players, with strong arms and can keep defenses honest with their ability to scramble/run. But CJF does not strike me as a coach who would just throw the best athlete out there. Might be decided based on intangibles - leadership, limiting mistakes, grasp of system.
Fire away. LET'S GO...
Comments
I have feeling it's going to be Evan's, but I really want Lawson to win it out. We could also end up red shirting Lawson like he should have been last year.
I'm really thinking Motley
I would be Extremely surprised in motley is the starting qb next year! Extremely!
My bet is Evans. He has experience in a spread scheme and will likely pick up Fuente's offense faster than Lawson, who I think has only played in pro style offenses
I want Lawson.
How many weeks into last season until you were chanting that? I know I heard you in Lane!
I haven't seen anything from Lawson to make me want him over Motley or Evans.
What have you seen in Evans and Motley that make you want him over Lawson?
Well, Evans threw for 3,200 yards in 8 games in JUCO a year ago, and Motley has managed games for us at least decently when stepping in. Dwayne Lawson has thrown for 51 yards in college.
This is rather ridiculous reasoning for being against Lawson. First off, he has 51 D1 yards to Evans' 0. And you completely neglect the fact that he was criminally misused last year. Given that the actual backup was so underprepared, what exactly were you expecting from the freshman that was really only brought in for obvious QB dive plays? Lawson can't be blamed for inexplicable coaching blunders.
Nope, I'm not blaming Lawson for anything. Yes he was underused. That doesn't change the fact that his game experience counts for next to nothing. Yeah, Evans' experience is only JUCO, but that's clearly different than throwing for 3,200 yards in high school.
Just because Lawson was underused and we all THINK he has pro potential doesn't mean he gets an auto-start.
I'm with you. The "Lawson for starter" campaign is essentially based on an assumption that he's as good as everyone hyped him up to be. I think he's got all the potential in the world, but in his limited time on the field, he bobbled a couple snaps and threw half his passes into the dirt. He has a lot of work to do. Meanwhile, Motley was a serviceable starter and Evans looks like he has great skills against post-HS competition in a good JUCO program. I think it will be an interesting spring/summer competition, for sure. If Lawson can get everything together, the guy could be a force. But I've seen nothing yet on field that makes me think he's ready. Could that be due to having him rushed onto the field? Maybe, even probably. But you're right that everything about him is based on speculation and hope.
Motley can't stay healthy and really didn't come from a QB heavy system in the wing-t. He played serviceable in a system that he was in for 3 years and I give him props for that, but the future is now.
Everyone is on the same level with this coaching staff. They are all starting from ground zero. If Evans or Motley wins it outright so be it. I would much prefer to go through some growing pains with the QB of the future then a 2 year stop gap.
If we can get 2 years of a starting Evans followed by 2 years of a starting Lawson who would have 3 Spring practices under Fuente before he starts, I think that's ideal. Yes, that means redshirting Lawson this year, but he should have redshirted last year.
This is what I would consider ideal as well, with Motley being used situationally this season, as he has been in the past.
While I agree completely I think this is also the case for Evans and somewhat the case even for Motley...
-Lawson has shown his stuff at the high school level and shown he has the raw talent and athleticism but as we all know high school success and raw talent doesn't always equate to success at the ACC level.
-Evans has shown his stuff at about a half of a level higher than Lawson (JUCO) but again, JUCO success and raw talent doesn't always equate to success at the ACC level. Honestly it seems that Evans is the frontrunner for so many because he's the shiny new toy on the roster.
-Now Motely has of course shown he can have moderate success at the ACC level, but as many Motley supporters are quick to point out Fuente's less cerebral system has the potential to cater more to his strengths. This is of course not even considering the improvements that he may make under the "QB Guru's" tutelage.
The point is that while we all have our opinions the reality is that there are still question marks with each candidate that will have to answer for them to really be able to make their case and earn that starting spot.
Now with all this said what is exciting to me is the amount of serious potential we have in these guys. As homer fans we often find ourselves making some pretty big leaps in an attempt to justify a players potential. However with these 3 guys we honestly don't have to do that. Even though there are some questions marks with each of them (which is basically always going to be the case with anybody at any position) I definitely think it's safe to say that with 3 guys, all with serious potential, all battling it out, that at the end of the day somebody is going to step up and do some big things for us this Fall.
I disagree that Evans seems like the frontrunner solely because he's the shiny new toy. Fuente had been recruiting Evans for a while at Memphis. His recruiting profile got too big for Memphis, but obviously Fuente maintained a great relationship with him, so when he took the Tech job he jumped at the opportunity to bring him onboard. Bringing on a JUCO transfer with only 2 years of eligibility signals that the coaches likely think he can make an immediate impact. Maybe some of it may be new toy syndrome, but I think Fuente brought "his guy" in for a reason. Not saying he will ultimately win the job this fall, but I would consider him the favorite going into the spring.
I actually don't disagree. If I had to take a guess at who will be under this Fall I would probably settle with Evans as well. Oh and as far as the "shiny new toy syndrome" I certainly didn't intend to peg all Evans supporters in that camp, but I do think many are.
However while the coaches are obviously big on Evans as they have been recruiting him for some time now, I think it is important to recognize that when Fuente extended the offer to Evans he had no idea the potential he already had in Motley and Lawson. Now obviously he had done some minimal research but he had not had the time or resources to properly evaluate the returners yet.
I agree completely with you that the coaches definitely see the potential in Evans to be the man this year (they wouldn't have recruited a JUCO if they didn't think he could) but I just don't think this in and of itself givens him an automatic edge over the other two.
Either way the one thing we can all agree on is that Fuente and Co. will give all 3 guys a fair shake and when the dust Settles (pun intended) the best man for the job will be under center against Liberty.
Completely agree. This will likely be the most intense QB competition in VT football history. I definitely think the competition will benefit everyone and bring out the best in each player. I can't remember a time when our QB depth was this incredible, at least on paper right now. We obviously know Click's role, and it seems like Jackson will redshirt this year, but you can make a great argument for why any of the top three could win it. Spring football can't get here soon enough.
Oh, I'm not for crowning anyone the starter without one hell of a competition. But you seemed to be using questionable reasoning as to WHY you were against Lawson. That's all. Wasn't necessarily saying your overall point was wrong, but how you got to it seemed to be way off base.
So you've come to this visual conclusion about Lawson in comparison to Evans based on limited visual exposure to both and a cursory analysis of Evans' JUCO stats?
I'm not making a judgement about Evans per se; certainly very good players can be found in the JUCO ranks. But if a guy like Andrew Ford is considered one of the top JUCO QBs, I question the depth of JUCO talent and the validity of JUCO stats as a comparator.
I haven't really come to any conclusions other than that I have been given no reason to want Lawson to start over Motley or Evans due to lack of post-high school experience. Lawson could win the job and be a great starter, but I have no reason to buy it at this point.
See Below: I still dont understand why people are underselling Evans. Of course, this is all in fun for two weeks when well get to see them/hear about/speculate until August. But, I have a feeling Evans is much better than people are realizing. Yes, he played in JUCO, but he dominated the Junior College competition. He was on-track to be the all time JUCO leader in both yards and TD's thrown. In 8 games he doubled the production of Ford, and that doesnt include his Rushing stats.
Im glad Lawson and Motley have stepped up and made it clear they are stepping into the ring ready, but I think, if Evans stays humble and works hard, whoever beats him, is going to have to be a really good player, which is a good thing. Im pumped for this competition.
Word is that Lawson has worked hard to rectify those things that had him at odds a bit with some of his teammates, which speaks very highly of his character & motivation. I thought it was a crime to burn his shirt last year for the amount he played.
Motley has all the tools physically. If he picks up the scheme, he's far from an afterthought to run the O. I'd love to see him win the battle, as I think he's been a great team player.
Evans.... looks great on tape against lesser opponents. Kind of like the 4/5 star high school QB everyone drools over, but you don't really know what you have until you see him against Div 1A game speed. Spring practice, summer workouts and Fall Camp will tell the tale there.
Either way, I think we can all be thrilled with our prospects no matter who wins the battle.
Two horse race between Evans and Lawson. I think if it ends up being close, Evans gets the nod just for eligibility reasons. I'd like to see both get time against Liberty, and have a definite starter from Tennessee on.
I expect Evans to win the job over Motley. I think Lawson will be third string and will hopefully redshirt before being the #2 in 2017.
This is how I see it playing out as well. Lawson becomes the back up with three years of eligibility remaining in 2017.
Lawson or Evans just anyone but motley
I don't really care who wins the job.
IMO, Lawson redshirting is a moot point. He's not going to be at VT for 5 years. He'd be 24 yr old senior and a 25 yr old in rookie camp.
If he is an NFL talent, he's one case where (at his age) staying the extra year might actually be detrimental. If he's not NFL ready by age 23 - going on 24 - an extra yr isn't going to make much difference and he likely is headed elsewhere with a 3 yr old kid living a long way from Blacksburg.
I think the missing variable in this statement is Fuente. If Fuente were to make Evans into another draft-caliber quarterback, Lawson's stock would likely be higher after starting for VT.
The kid being in the equation certainly makes me want to say, "dude, go be with your kid. He won't be three again."
I'm not missing anything. Even if Evans starts 2 yrs and Lawson redshirts, he would start as a redshirt Jr. If he doesn't redshirt, he starts as a 4th yr senior. If he isn't ready to start in his 4th yr on campus, his time will have passed.
Either way, see above...
Perhaps. We shall see what happens, either way!
True. It's just my opinion looking at the facts as they are. I don't know Lawson personally and for all I know he loves Blacksburg and the college life and is in no hurry to leave for the NFL or his kid.
Yeah, a lot of truth here.
Yes, there are good points here.
However, Darren Evans brought his wife and kid to Blacksburg (remember the kid sleeping through his beat down of Maryland?)
I would like to see if Lawson will spend his whole college career at VT, since, even with a young child, Blacksburg has a low cost of living and he would have a lot of support. Not a bad place to be: training for a potential big time career, getting an education, supporting your family.
Might be tough to do, but you could do a lot worse.
There is a reason Fuente went after Evans right from the get-go. He's been scouting this kid for a long time. My money is on Evans winning the job.
If Evans can live up to the hype, I think he walks in and takes it. I know that Lawson really didn't get any real chance to show anything, which was a waste, but I think this kid comes in with proven leadership skills and college competition (I know its Juco), but those guys tend to be ahead of the curve.
I don't think it matters one bit who actually wins the job. The reality is that someone (who is pretty good) is going to win it. The one thing Evans will do is add competition and that is a good thing. Fuentes will figure out who will work best and the offense will be much better for it.
As to the article, the VT skill positions will be loaded this year & that is any QB's dream!
Unfortunately, our typical OL play is every QB's nightmare. That said I'm hopeful to see that steadily improve and that we have the talent under center to buy us a little leeway there.
In five years we've gone from, "Hey, do you think our tight end can play quarterback?" to "Among our fifth-year senior with starting experience, our number one JUCO recruit or our four star developmental project, who would you like as a starter?"
Aren't they the same thing?
Mike? Mike O'Cain? How you been, man?
YYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSS
Thass some quality TKP right there. Hahahahaa
Just to throw something out there because I dont really have a dog in the race, I hope its truly open and the best player takes the field, I think itll go to Evans more than likely, I think people are underselling him for some reason.
For reference:
In 8 games he threw for 3164 yards, that was good for 3rd most in the JUCO ranks, and the highest yards per game. He threw 38 touchdowns (also good for 3rd most in the league) to only 3 interceptions completing 62% of passes. Andrew Ford, someone we are all familiar with, against the same level of competition, only threw for only 1764 yards in 9 games with 23 touchdowns and 6 interceptions completing 56%. Also, Chad Kelly - whos been doing pretty well at Ole Miss - in 12 games threw for 3906 yards (5th overall) 47 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
I have no idea what kind of offenses any of them ran, but it is something to compare it to until spring starts, also added Skyler Howard whos been doing pretty well at WVU, he was the number 1 ranked QB the year before.
How Kelly and Howard fared against FBS competition:
Clearly Im not saying Jerod Evans is the front runner for the Heisman, but are we really the ones qualified to say he isnt the obvious runaway leader this early into preseason? I'll leave that to the experts and let you decide.
Since the comparison was made when he transferred, how do Evans' numbers stack up to Cam Newton as a JUCO?
Cams numbers were harder to find, I had to pull them from Wikipedia:
Cam was the Number 1 JUCO QB and a composite 5 star athlete, who also went to win a national championship his first year at the FBS level, having less statistical success than our own Jerod Evans had against similar levels of competition at the JUCO level. Im just pointing out figures and in no way saying that he'll be the first person to win back to back heismans and national championships in the same years.
Found Cam's full JUCO stats on the NJCAA site. He had a 61% completion percentage that year with .417 Ints/Game.
http://www.njcaa.org/sports/fball/2009-10/teams/BlinnCollege/players/Cam...
Nice Find! I didnt look in the archives. I think something to take from that is Cam also had 16 rushing touchdowns. I think Evans may have only had 4 or 6?
Also, just for reference, the JUCO FOOTBALL RECORD BOOKS Bo Wallace leads for both Passing Yards 4,604 yards in a season and Touchdowns in a season with 53.
Evans only needed 1440 yards and 15 touchdowns in 4 games to be the all time JUCO statistical leader, thats all hypothetical, and honestly that would have required him to have 360 yards per game and 3.75 TDs over those 4 games, but it just shows he would have been pretty close, and again I think people are really underestimating him for some reason. If anything, he's at least as strong of a JUCO QB as Chad Kelly and seems like much more level headed.
We shall see, its encouraging to hear the praises from the locker room for Lawson lately, it doesnt seem like hell go down without a fight.
It's absolutely insane that Evans only played in 8 games and put up those numbers. In looking at both Newton's and Evans' rushing stats, Cam totaled 655 yards, just over 6 yards per carry, averaged about 55 yards per game, and had 16 Tds in 12 games. In only 8 games, Evans totaled 414 yards, 5.4 ypc, averaged about 52 yards per game, and had 4 Tds. Had he played in 12 games like Cam, his rushing yardage was on track to at least basically equal Cam. Cam definitely did more damage with rushing TDs, whereas Evans will look to attack you through the air first and foremost. No wonder there are Newton/Evans comparisons, but Evans passing stats are just off the charts.
After seeing these stats and being reminded that Cam Newton won right out of JUCO, I am now fully onboard the Evans hype train!
via GIPHY
Thanks, really puts it in perspective how dominate Evans was in JUCO. I saw enough of his highlights to see how bad the defenses were he faced, but these guys faced bad JUCO defenses too and didn't do what he did.
I really don't have a lot of concern about QB. If Evans is healthy, he's the starter.
Why did Evans only play in 8 JUCO games? Is that how many games are in one season?
i don't know, he hurt his knee at Air Force (or Air Force prep, whatever that is), so maybe he was still recovering from that? Or did he play a year at JUCO in between?
Someone in TKP mentioned something about an injured hand. Im not 100% sure if it was his non-throwing hand, but for some reason that sticks out.
According to his JUCO coach, he missed the last two games of their season due to a fractured wrist on his non-throwing arm.
http://www.roanoke.com/sports/columns_and_blogs/blogs/andy_bitter_virgin...
Edit: Wrong line of comments.
Can we rename this thread? I do not see a single comment about a wide receiver unless you count TE's.
Ohhh so that's how we got on this tangent about QBs