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Arkansas LB Brooks Ellis Says Jerod Evans Reminds Him of Dak Prescott

Jerod evans belk bowl media day
[caption id="attachment_4600" align="aligncenter" width="700"]Jerod Evans at Belk Bowl Media Day [Credit: Harley Taylor] Jerod Evans at Belk Bowl Media Day [Credit: Harley Taylor][/caption]The Belk Bowl is almost here as the Virginia Tech Hokies and Arkansas Razorbacks went through their final public event in the Belk Bowl's Media Day before tomorrow's game in Bank of America Stadium. With Jerod Evans being the star of the Virginia Tech offense as the leading passer and rusher, Arkansas LB Brooks Ellis was asked about Evans and if Evans could be compared to another quarterback that Ellis and the Razorbacks have faced. https://twitter.com/techlunchpaild/status/814130559173664769 Ellis told media that Evans reminded him a little of Dak Prescott and also to Mississippi State's replacement for Prescott to a lesser extent, Nick Fitzgerald. The comparison is high praise for Evans who has been quite good in his first year at Virginia Tech as someone who should have received some sort of All-ACC honors but was stuck behind the top 2 in the Heisman and the man many believe will be the top QB selected in the 2017 NFL Draft should he choose to declare as expected. While the comparison from Ellis is quite lofty, it makes a lot of sense with the styles of both players as they are both big, mobile quarterbacks that aren't afraid of contact when running the ball. Prescott ran for at least 10 touchdowns and 550 rushing yards in all three years that he was a starter while having over 4,400 total yards of offense as a junior that included 986 rushing yards whereas Evans has had 4,068 total yards of offense so far this season including 759 on the ground plus 10 touchdowns. Both players also were critical difference makers in taking their programs to the next level with Prescott being the driving force behind Mississippi State's rise all the way to the top ranking briefly in 2014 with Evans being a catalyst for the 2016 resurgence of Virginia Tech under Justin Fuente. Both quarterbacks also brought their programs back to relevance in their junior seasons with Prescott having a strong senior season that he capped off with Belk Bowl MVP honors and Evans now having the chance to follow in Prescott's footsteps playing in Charlotte in the Belk Bowl as a junior. https://twitter.com/techlunchpaild/status/814134762189312007 Bret Bielema also emphasized the size of Evans stating that Arkansas has focused on making sure that defensive players wrap up on tackles in practice to prepare them for facing the physical running style of the nearly 240-pound Jerod Evans. That running style has at times caused Evans to get sacked in situations when he decides to tuck and run too soon, but also has helped him break a few tackles and get some extra yards throughout the season. While Evans isn't on the level of Prescott yet, the sky seems to be the limit for Evans as he had the arm, mobility, and physical running style to put up that type of production along with having another year to get coached up by Justin Fuente with everyone seeing how well guys like Andy Dalton and Paxton Lynch turned out to be after being coached by Fuente for a couple of years.

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