Varsity - The Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics

Varsity - December 12, 2013

Varsity is the free Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics, covering Badgers football, basketball, hockey and more each week.

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T LUCAS AT LARGE BY MIKE LUCAS // UWBADGERS.COM McEvoy finds familiar faces in UW bowl foe 20 anner McEvoy got texts Saturday night from friends on the South Carolina campus alerting him to the prospect that the Gamecocks would be matched against Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl. "It's pretty funny how things have worked out," he said. It really wasn't that surprising to McEvoy, who started out his college career at South Carolina and anticipated the matchup. "I had a pretty good idea," he said. "I've been saying it for weeks." Mostly he had been saying it around his current Wisconsin teammates ― McEvoy is a redshirt sophomore ― and a couple of his former South Carolina teammates, offensive linemen, no less. It's a survival instinct. Once a quarterback, always a quarterback. "I've got to stay with the O-linemen," agreed McEvoy, passing along an unnecessary reminder, "I was playing quarterback there." The Badgers recruited him out of Arizona Western College to play quarterback. But he wound up switching to wide receiver and then to safety, where he's now starting in certain packages. Monday, he was back at the QB position during a developmental practice for younger players. It was only temporary, for now, but UW coach Gary Andersen wanted to give him some snaps. "He's going to compete as we move through time here at the quarterback spot," Andersen said. "He came here to be a quarterback. He will finish the year as a starting // VARSITY December 12, 2013 safety. "We'll do everything we can, like we do at every position, to continually create competition. Tanner deserves that right. This is an opportunity for him to get out there and play in these practices." In the Capital One Bowl, McEvoy will line up at safety against one of the quarterbacks, Connor Shaw, that he used to compete with for reps during his freshman season at South Carolina. "He's a great competitor," McEvoy said of Shaw, who has thrown for 2,135 yards and 21 touchdowns while being picked off just once in 259 throws. "He knows how to keep the ball moving." Shaw, a senior, and his backup, Dylan Thompson, a junior, blocked McEvoy's movement on the Gamecocks depth chart, which prompted McEvoy to reassess his future in August of his sophomore year. Feeling like he wasn't going to be able to get into the mix anytime soon, he decided that he needed to go somewhere else where he could play. It wasn't that easy of a decision. Especially since his mother went to school at South Carolina, and so did his aunt and uncle. Plus, the Gamecocks were among the first programs to really show interest in McEvoy as a quarterback. He played just one season at the position in high school. Up until his senior year at Bergen (N.J.) Catholic, the 6-foot-6 McEvoy had been utilized primarily as a wide receiver and defensive back. McEvoy ultimately chose South Carolina over North Carolina. He was in the same recruiting class with defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. "Everyone knew how great he was then," McEvoy said. Though it didn't work out for him with the Gamecocks, he left the program in good terms; even coach Steve Spurrier wished him well. "I like the way things have worked out for me," McEvoy said. In the days leading up to the Jan. 1 game, McEvoy is fully expecting to get a lot of questions about not only his brief stay at South Carolina but the strengths of the USC program. If he can't answer them all, Andersen will. "We talk about it all the time at Wisconsin," Andersen said. "We want to compete and have the opportunity to play against the best." "This team," he said of the Gamecocks, "has obviously shown it's one of the best in the country. Playing in a big-time bowl against a big-time opponent we have great respect for them." McEvoy has the distinction of going back to the Capital One Bowl for a second time in the last three seasons with different teams. In 2012, he was there for South Carolina's 30-13 win over Nebraska. He was redshirting then. Now, he's thinking safety first. "I'm really looking forward to it," he said of his return trip to Orlando with the Badgers. "I'm feeling more and more comfortable with my position and my confidence is rising on defense."

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