JMU Football: The Future is Bright for JC Evans

The James Madison football team’s current quarterback room is full of questions. After Alonza Barnett III suffered a non-contact injury on the Dukes’ final offensive play against Marshall on November 30, it’s unclear who JMU’s starter will be next season. There is currently little to no information regarding Barnett’s injury. However, things don’t seem to be trending in the right direction for Barnett, after JMU recently picked up two new quarterbacks through the transfer portal; Camden Coleman and Matthew Sluka. But could Boca Bowl star player JC Evans play a role this season for JMU?

Who is JMU quarterback JC Evans?

Evans was a true freshman last season with the Dukes, where he played in just three games throughout the entire season. Evans first saw the field against Louisiana Monroe on October 5, where he had a single carry for five rushing yards. On October 10, against Coastal Carolina, Evans had four carries, adding 11 rushing yards to his season total. Evans ended up redshirting to retain a year of eligibility.

Despite barely seeing the field during the regular season, Evans finally got a chance to shine in the Boca Raton Bowl against Western Kentucky on December 18. Alonza Barnett could only watch this contest from the sidelines, which meant that Billy Atkins would step in at the helm. However, that didn’t stop Evans from getting his fair share of touches, as well.

Evans ended the game with 10 carries for 64 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. He also completed a one-yard passing touchdown, which wound up being his only completion all season long. This performance earned Evans the Boca Raton Bowl Offensive MVP.

What makes JC Evans so special?

There are a few things in particular that make Evans an extremely intriguing player. One of those reasons being his size. Evans has a 6-foot-5-inch frame, weighing 211 pounds. He’s also extremely effective running the ball, having a perfect combination of both speed and agility.

While Evans is somewhat lean for his height, that helps him become more nimble as a runner. When you watch Evans run, he shows many similarities to NFL signal callers such as Anthony Richardson, Josh Allen or Joe Milton. Just like those quarterbacks, Evans also has a cannon of an arm. That said, he needs to continue working on accuracy, and would highly benefit from more in-game reps.

Evans will be entering 2025 as a redshirt freshman, although I wouldn’t expect him to see the field very much at all. When you look at how experienced both Coleman and Sluka are, I don’t see a world where Evans would ever be ahead of them on the depth charts. There’s no doubt that JMU head coach Bob Chesney and the rest of the coaching staff will prioritize Evans’ development next season.

How will JMU use Evans in 2025?

However, that doesn’t mean that JMU won’t incorporate Evans at all in 2025. I think a perfect fit for Evans this season would be similar to a utility player like Tayson Hill. JMU could occasionally bring Evans into the game for a designed run, let him pick up however many yards he can, and then sub him back out. If executed properly, I think that would be an extremely effective way to still allow Evans to be involved in the offense.

The future is bright

No matter how much JMU decides to utilize Evans this upcoming season, it’s important to remember that Barnett is a redshirt junior, Coleman is a junior, and Sluka is a redshirt senior. There’s obviously no guarantee that Evans stays in Harrisonburg throughout the remainder of his college career. Yet if he does, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him earn a starting role just a few years down the line. And once Evans is fully able to show off his impressive arm strength, that will just add another dimension to his game which will cause lots of havoc for opposing defenses.