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Jerod Evans didn't need to fax in his letter of intent to Virginia Tech. He was already enrolled and on campus. It's bad for signing day fireworks, but awesome for Tech fans that know better. Getting acclimated to the campus, learning the facilities, learning a playbook....it's all made easier by enrolling early. Evans is the lone 4* selection in the 2016 Virginia Tech recruiting class. He isn't the only quarterback in the group, as he joins Joshua Jackson from Michigan. If that doesn't make you happy, don't forget we have sophmore Dwayne Lawson as well. Coach Fuente talked about the benefit of healthy competition during today's Signing Day Live broadcast. After witnessing the post-Brewer Hokies last season, you understand how important depth is.
Thanks for all the warm welcomes! It means a lot. But now it's time to get to work #HokieNation
— Jérod Evans (@rodfor6_) December 16, 2015
Spring practice should be incredible in the backfield. Realistically, all three players could be the starter next season. Lawson has the benefit of "playing" last year, but I'm betting Fuente's play book is much different than Frank Beamer's. Joshua Jackson has the size at 6'2" 200 lbs, and was the 12th ranked dual threat quarterback in the country according to 24/7.Jackson had several other offers including Boston College, Oregon State, and Minnesota. Both of the players have the potential to have special careers. Evans has the biggest chance to catch the proverbial lightning in a bottle. During signing day, I heard comparisons everywhere from Logan Thomas to Cam Newton. Realistically, it probably lands somewhere in the middle. JUCO quarterbacks can be really, really good (Newton), to the ho-hum (Mike Adens).
The concerning fact for me is that we haven't produced a decent starting quarterback since Logan Thomas. For the past one and half seasons, Michael Brewer was at the helm. Brewer was a transfer from Texas Tech, and literally walked onto campus with the job in hand. When Brewer went down, our next best option was Brenden Motley. Motley played quarterback at Christiansburg High School, and never threw for more than 1000 yards in any season there. Motley did his best in relief duty, but lackluster line play and a porous defense didn't do him any favors. The fact that we had such a dramatic drop off from QB1 to QB2 was disappointing. Scott Loeffler after the Ohio State game looked inconsolable. Most of that was feeling terrible for Brewer, but Loeffler knew the awful truth that there was nobody on the bench that could run his offense. Cardale Jones was not ready to come in the game for us when Brewer went down.
Fuente understands the importance of depth at QB, and has a plan in place to address it. Getting Evans was the clutch pick up for the Hokies. It gives an experienced edge to a quarterback group that has very little. Best case scenario is that Evans has a huge year, giving Lawson and Jackson time to adjust to the Fuente system. As we have seen in years past, plans change almost always, but the luxury of having Evans will make it much less painful if the unexpected occurs.