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I appreciated Big Ten Media Days last week for the chance to meet a few of the players and get to know them better. One of those players was senior safety Albert Evans, who used to be the inexperienced rookie playing with the likes of David Pender, Brandon King, and such. He is now the seasoned statesman of the secondary with 33 games of career experience on special teams, linebacker, and safety.
Albert Evans -Sr.
Hometown: Gary, IN (Portage HS)
Safety
6', 208 pounds
2011 Projection: Starter at safety
I admire Albert's leadership ability. He is someone that plans to take a vocal role in leading this team in 2011. In fact, he even sort of called me out on Twitter saying I was going to "write about all the teams we're losing to this year," since I had predicted a number of losses to this point. I had to talk to him after that and ask him about all the negative media attention.
Ultimately, he believes this team just needs to be fully healthy. He doesn't use the injuries last season as an excuse, but he recognizes they were a factor. Mostly, as a senior, I think Albert wants to end his Purdue career on a high note.
On the field he has been a solid contributor. Last season he had 37 tackles in 10 games (all starts), two sacks, and his first career interception (which he called one of his most exciting moments at Purdue) against Wisconsin. He has an additional 32 tackles in his career on special teams and at safety. Most notably, he was the player int he middle of the mob holding up the P after the upset of Ohio State in 2009.
The final thing Albert wanted me to mention is his dog. Yes, Albert has a soft spot for rescue animals. Lula Mae Evans is a rescue lab that Albert enjoys spending time with. I can relate, as my mother has a chocolate lab named Murphy that still loves me to death even though I moved out six and a half years ago.
Boilermakings Notes:
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