When Jerod Evans would drop by the office of Clay Patterson, his offensive coordinator at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Tex., he often wanted to talk quarterbacks.
“Did you see how DeShone Kizer handled the crowd?” Evans asked Patterson after the Notre Dame quarterback nearly engineered a comeback win at Clemson last season. Evans would ask Patterson’s wife, who worked in public relations and marketing, for advice on what he should and shouldn’t say in front of the press.
“He wanted to make sure he was as good as the D-I quarterbacks who got that training when they were freshmen,” Patterson said. “It shows what kind of dude he is, man. He wants to be the best at everything.”
In his first year as Virginia Tech's quarterback, Evans has finally reached the national stage. On Saturday in Orlando, he and the 23rd-ranked Hokies (9-3, 6-2 ACC) will play No. 3 Clemson for the ACC championship.
In doing so, Evans will face off against the embodiment of all the characteristics he admired in junior college.
Long before Deshaun Watson sauntered into July's ACC football media days in a sleek dark suit, he was an early favorite to win the Heisman Trophy following a third-place finish in 2015. His star was dimmed somewhat with the arrival of Louisville's Lamar Jackson, but Watson still has led the Tigers (11-1, 7-1) into contention for consecutive College Football Playoff berths — and earned a victory over the younger Jackson when the two met head-to-head.
In all, Watson, a junior from Gainesville, Ga., has thrown 34 touchdown passes this season, tied for seventh in the nation, and rushed for four. His 3,626 total passing yards rank sixth in the nation — part of the reason the fiercely competitive Evans expressed more admiration for Watson than any player he has faced this season.
Watson was one of the guys Evans studied.
"I saw Deshaun Watson and the way he leads his team, the way he throws the ball, the way he runs the ball — kind of, to me, like the total package when it comes to being a dual threat," Evans said Monday. "Can throw and run but very accurate down the field, especially against Alabama [in last season's national championship game]. So yeah, I definitely watched him and seen how he played and the way he plays the game and his demeanor — when they're down, he's never down. I like that about him.
“I think he’s the heartbeat,” Evans added when asked about Watson again later in the week. “I think he’s the engine that makes the machine run.”
Evans filled a similar role with the Hokies, without the national attention and outside expectations.
He has passed for 26 touchdowns and 3,039 yards, both single-season program records. Evans is also Virginia Tech’s leading rusher with 883 yards and eight touchdowns. Behind him, the offense averages 452.9 total yards, the most by the Hokies since the 1999 team advanced to the national championship game.
“He can make all the throws. He can make any run,” Watson said of Evans this week. “He’s a hard worker, and regardless if he’s banged up or not, he’s going to go out there and be able to play for his team and do great things — for instance, I watched when he played Pitt and had a banged-up ankle and missed a couple snaps and came in and led the team. He’s a great competitor.”
But the 22-year-old missed out on all-ACC honors, which were announced Tuesday. He predictably lost to Jackson and Watson, who were named to the first and second team, respectively, and rather less predictably was edged out of the third team by North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky.
In response, Evans tweeted: “The disrespect !!! Bet that.”
He played down his reaction later in the week, flashing a wry smile when he was asked about the tweet. To Evans, years of preparation and a season of exceeding expectations now come down to Saturday. He will have one last chance to prove himself — opposite the type of quarterback he aspired to be a year ago.
“All that matters is that I have my coaches behind me, I have my players behind me — my players had a couple of choice words. As long as they behind me, the fans behind me, my coaches, that’s all I can ask for,” Evans said, shuffling from side to side behind the lectern in Blacksburg. “I’ll just keep doing my job, and eventually everything will come back. I’ll get what I deserve.”
