Quinn Evans is a fifth-year senior corner who transferred to Northwestern from Stanford this year for his final season of eligibility. He was a backup for the first three games, but earned a starting spot for the Wildcats' win against South Dakota and is listed as a co-starter with Demetrius Dugar this week against Indiana. InsideNU caught up with him after practice for his thoughts on how the season has gone, the move from Stanford and more.
When you first came to Northwestern, what did you expect your role to be?
I don’t think any football player every comes into a season not thinking they’re going to play, so I had hoped I could contribute to the team as much as I can and I’m pretty fortunate to be able to play as much defense as I do now so I’m excited.
When you were looking at schools to transfer to, was playing time one of the biggest factors?
(I was) looking for a school with great academics, as well as a great football team. So I’m just happy I was able to get out there and be apart of that. Every football player has a lot of confidence in their ability, so playing time — if you’re good enough to get out there and play, you’re good enough to get out there and play.
What other schools did you look at?
Only Northwestern.
If NU hadn’t worked out would you have stayed at Stanford or gone somewhere else?
I have no idea. I honestly have no idea.
Was it important to you to get your first start last week?
Every time you get an opportunity to start it’s really exciting, especially for the first time, with a brand new team, I was extremely excited to get out there and be able to play and help the team get a victory.
Is that the most you’ve played in a game in awhile?
Most definitely. There and Vanderbilt are the two most games I’ve played.
Has this season been memorable when you look back on your whole career?
Oh yeah, certainly. It’s a brand new school, playing in a brand new conference with a brand new great group of guys, so how could you forget something like this.
Have you improve your play since coming to NU or was it a matter of learning the playbook?
I’ve definitely improved. Coach (Mike Hankwitz) and coach (Jerry) Brown have definitely taught me a lot of new things that I had never thought about before, so I consider myself pretty fortunate in that regard. So I definitely think I’ve improved as a player.
Do you feel more comfortable with the playbook now?
I definitely feel a lot more comfortable. Like I said, any time you’re going to be apart of a new defense there are going to be some hitches during camp. Luckily we were able to work those out and here I am.
Is playing defense here different from Stanford?
Every defense is different, so yeah. But at the end of the day, defense is defense, man coverage is man coverage no matter where you go.
Do you like one of the two systems better?
(laughs) Northwestern.