8/14/2019 football Edit

A.J. Cole set to join Johnny Evans as NC State's pro punters

Tim Peeler

The Wolfpacker contributor

Evans kicked for three seasons in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns. (NC State media relations)

The surprising news that former NC State punter A.J. Cole is in line for that job with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders had not reached the ears of former Wolfpack All-American Johnny Evans by mid-morning Wednesday.

But no one is happier for Cole, who was signed as an undrafted free agent after the Raiders spring mini-camp and appears to have won the starting job over the now-released Johnny Townsend, who kicked for the Raiders last year as a rookie.

“Good for him, good for him,” Evans said by phone. “I am so happy for him.”

For now, Evans remains the only former NC State player who has ever punted in an NFL game, which he did 214 times for a 39.5-yard average for three seasons (1978-80) with the Cleveland Browns. That is likely to change when the Raiders host the Denver Broncos Sept. 9 to kick off the 50th season of Monday Night Football.

That’s a cool coincidence for Evans, whose two most memorable NFL games were played on Monday night. The first was against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 24, 1979, following the Cowboys’ second consecutive Super Bowl appearance. Dallas was just emerging into its America’s Team era, and to play them with Dandy Don Meredith and Howard Cosell in the TV booth was a big deal for Evans.

The second was against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 3, 1980. Evans had been in a bit of a slump during his third season, but the prime-time appearance against the Bears was his third consecutive strong performance.

Evans will never forget one sequence in particular. The Browns were backed up on their own 20-yard-line at Cleveland Stadium.

Evans got off a strong 46-yard punt that the Bears fair-caught for no return, but a penalty flag forced Evans to kick a second time from five yards further back. This time, he boomed a 48-yarder that was also fair-caught for no return.

Again, a five-yard penalty backed the Browns up. On his third try, with his back against his own end zone, Evans boomed the longest punt of his third season, a 56-yarder that was again not returned.

It may not have been on par with his famous 78-yard quick kick at Penn State or the 65-yard punt he had as a rookie, but it all happened on national television in a 27-21 win for the playoff-bound Browns.

Evans, who led the ACC in punting three consecutive seasons, believes Cole is well-prepared to be an effective NFL punter, something he would not have said about himself when he was the Browns’ second-round draft pick (39th overall pick) in 1978.

Evans spent little time on his punting during practice with the Wolfpack, since he was the regular quarterback throughout his career.

In fact, when he was named an All-America as a junior while averaging 46.1 yards per kick, Evans went seven consecutive weeks without practicing his kicks because of a leg injury.

Instead, he took 10 warm-up punts in pregame drills and did just fine. As a senior, his second year as the Pack’s starting quarterback, he hardly ever practiced punting.

But punting is a more specialized job these days.

“In my day, which is now more than 40 years ago, there was a big difference between college punters and professional punters.”

— Former Wolfpack All-American Johnny Evans

“In my day, which is now more than 40 years ago, there was a big difference between college punters and professional punters,” said Evans, who has long worked for the NC State football radio team.

“In college, we didn’t play the field position game that they do now. We did coffin-corner kicks, but there wasn’t much need for pooch punts or other special talents that A.J. is proficient at.”

At 6-foot-4, Cole has size and leverage to generate powerful kicks, said Evans, who still owns NC State’s career record at 44.0 yard per kick. Cole, who is third all-time on the NC State books with a 42.2-yard average, also has strong leadership abilities, which is not always the case with specialists.

“Having been around A.J. while traveling with the team, I got to see how he reacts with the rest of the players,” Evans explained. “He was always right in the middle of everything, always someone other players looked to. He wasn’t just an eyewitness.”

And, Evans notes, he’s in a place that historically values a good kick. The Raiders had long-time All-Pro punter Ray Guy. Last year, Cole was one of eight finalists for the Ray Guy Award, given to college football’s best punter.

“Ray was the greatest punter of all time,” Evans said, with admiration in his voice. “That’s a pretty good legacy to be part of.”

Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu.