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I’M HERE AT THE DRAKE TAILGATES AHEAD OF THE VALPO GAME AT NOON. HERE THERE IS ONE COACH ON THE DRAKE STAFF WHO HUNG UP HIS CLEATS FOR A CLIPBOARD. HERE’S HOW ONE PHONE CALL CHANGED HIS ENTIRE PERSPECTIVE. IN MY HEART, I THINK I WANTED TO KIND OF BE DONE WITH MY PLAYING CAREER. JOE EVANS SPENT SIX YEARS IN THE PHIL PARKER DEFENSE. YOU KNOW, JOE ENDED UP IN MY ROOM IN THE SPRING OF 2019. HE WAS A LINEBACKER THAT GOT FIRED. AND SO WHEN YOU CAN’T PLAY LINEBACKER, YOU END UP PLAYING DEFENSIVE LINE AS THE VOICE OF THE D LINE. HE RACKED UP 28 CAREER SACKS, FOURTH MOST IN PROGRAM HISTORY, AFTER GOING UNDRAFTED IN 2024, HE DECIDED TO WRITE A NEW CHAPTER. I WAS HAVING DINNER WITH MY PARENTS. I WAS LIVING AT HOME AND I GOT A CALL FROM COACH COX AND HE WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, SEEING IF I WAS INTERESTED ON BEING THE DEFENSIVE LINE COACH HERE AND MY FIRST THING I WANTED TO DO WAS GO TALK TO COACH FERENTZ. AND HE GAVE ME, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF INSIGHT. AND I AND I ASKED HIM, YOU KNOW, WHAT HE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY? AND HE TOLD ME IT WAS AN ABSOLUTELY NO BRAINER. JOE ISN’T THE TRUNK OF THE EVANS COACHING TREE. HIS FATHER WAS THE HEAD COACH AT JOHNSTON. HIS UNCLE COACHED AT IOWA CITY. REGINA AND HIS GRANDFATHER. HE WAS A HALL OF FAME COACH AT MOUNT PLEASANT. I KNOW JOE IS DOING GREAT THINGS AT DRAKE. COACHING IS IN HIS BLOOD. I GOT TO GIVE CREDIT TO COACH BELL HERE, RIGHT? THERE’S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE DID AT PRACTICE THAT, YOU KNOW, I’M IMPLEMENTING HERE AT DRAKE. AND JUST THE WAY HE WENT ABOUT HIS DAY, COACH BELL DID A GREAT JOB OF, YOU KNOW, EVERY DAY WE HAD A QUOTE, YOU KNOW, I’LL START MY DAY, YOU KNOW, WITH THE D-LINE WITH LIKE MAYBE LIKE A MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO. THE DOGS D-LINE HAS THREE SACKS AND SIX QB HURRIES THROUGH THREE GAMES THIS SEASON. EVANS SAYS HE’S TRYING TO GIVE THEM ALL THE TOOLS TO BE SUCCESSFUL. FOR MY GUYS RIGHT NOW, I JUST LOVE THE BUY IN THEY HAVE AND IT REMINDS ME A LOT OF IOWA AND THE GUYS THAT I’VE BEEN AROUND. MAYBE HE’LL TAKE MY JOB ONE DAY. MAYBE HE WILL. JEFF, I KNOW WE GOT TO COVER JOE EVANS AT IOWA. NOW WE GET TO COVER HIM AT DRAKE. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT OF JOE EVANS IN EITHER UNIFORM? JOE EVANS IS AN ALL TIME GOOD GUY. REALLY LOVED INTERVIEWING HIM. DID A STORY ON HIM TWO YEARS AGO. GOSH. TIME FLIES. YOU KNOW, HE’S AN AMES NATIVE, RIGHT? HE WENT TO AMES HIGH SCHOOL, ENDS UP IN IOWA CITY. I REMEMBER WHEN THEY PLAYED OHIO STATE. WHAT WAS IT, 2022 ON THE ROAD IN THE HORSESHOE. HE GOT A SCOOP AND SCORE TO SILENCE THE CROWD. THEY SCORED FIRST IN THAT GAME. ULTIMATELY, IOWA LOST THAT GAME, BUT STILL SEE JOE EVANS ON THE BIG STAGE. LIKE THAT WAS REALLY COOL, AND IT’S AWESOME TO SEE THAT HE’S NOW IN DES MOINES COACHING IT UP WITH JOE WOODLEY. SHANNON. YEAH, HE TELLS ME THAT HE’S REALLY HAPPY IN DES MOINES. I RAN INTO HIM OUTSIDE OF WORK AND IT’S WEIRD TO I’M NOT GOING TO GET HIT BY A CAR HERE. IT’S KIND OF WEIRD TO SEE HIM IN A COACH’S UNIFORM, BUT MY FAVORITE MOMENT WAS CY-HAWK IN AMES WHEN THEY WON IT. IT WAS HIS VERY LAST CY-HAWK AND COOPER DEJEAN WENT UP TO JOE EVANS AND PUT HIS ARM AROUND HIM AND GOT REALLY TEARY EYED AND EMOTIONAL. AND IT’S RARE TO SEE PLAYERS LIKE THAT THAT BIG AND STRONG AND ATHLETIC REALLY GET EMOTIONA