Evan Berry
{{Short description|American football player (born 1995)}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Evan Berry
| image =
| caption =
| currentteam =
| number = 29
| position = Wide receiver
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|11|4}}
| birth_place = Fairburn, Georgia, U.S.
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 11
| weight_lb = 207
| high_school = Creekside (Fairburn)
| college = Tennessee
| undraftedyear = 2018
| pastteams =
| status =
| highlights =
- Consensus All-American (2015)
- SEC Special Teams Player of the Year (2015)
- First-team All-SEC (2015)
- Second-team All-SEC (2016)
}}
Evan Lawrence Berry (born November 4, 1995) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver. He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers.{{Cite web |title=Evan Berry |url=http://www.utsports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/evan_berry_902675.html |access-date=December 1, 2016 |website=University of Tennessee Athletics}}{{Cite web |last=Rucker |first=Wes |date=December 15, 2015 |title=Vols' Berry reflects on special season |url=https://247sports.com/college/tennessee/article/govols247s-weekly-tennessee-vols-football-team-chat-49424844/ |access-date=December 1, 2016 |website=GoVols247.com |publisher=CBS Interactive}} While primarily a safety, he was selected to All-America team as a return specialist in 2015.{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Patrick |date=December 17, 2015 |title=Evan Berry's role could expand to defense after special season |url=http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/sports/college/story/2015/dec/17/evberrys-role-could-expand-defense-after-spec/340837/ |access-date=December 1, 2016 |website=Chattanooga Times Free Press |publisher=WEHCO Media |location=Knoxville, Tennessee}} He is the younger brother of former Tennessee Volunteers and former NFL safety Eric Berry, and his twin brother, Elliott, also played at Tennessee.{{Cite web |date=November 4, 2013 |title=Volquest: Berry twins commit to UT |url=http://www.wbir.com/story/sports/college/vols/2013/11/04/volquest-berry-twins-commit-to-ut/3431719/ |access-date=December 1, 2016 |website=WBIR}}
College career
Berry attended and played college football at the University of Tennessee from 2014–2017 under head coach Butch Jones.{{Cite web |title=Evan Berry College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/evan-berry-1.html |access-date=February 11, 2024 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}
In his freshman year in 2014, Berry split kickoff return duties with Devrin Young while Cameron Sutton and Jacob Carter dealt with the punt returning duties. He averaged 29.5 yards per return on 14 attempts on the season.{{Cite web |title=2014 Tennessee Volunteers Stats |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/tennessee/2014.html |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}
Berry's sophomore season in 2015 was very productive. He handled most of the kick return duties on the season while Sutton and Alvin Kamara handled punt returns.{{Cite web |title=2015 Tennessee Volunteers Stats |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/tennessee/2015.html |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}} In the season opener against Bowling Green, he had a 67-yard kickoff return.{{Cite web |last=Kress |first=Houston |date=September 6, 2015 |title=5 Observations from Tennessee's 59–30 Win |url=https://www.rockytopinsider.com/2015/09/06/5-observations-from-tennessees-59-30-win-over-bowling-green/ |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=Rocky Top Insider |language=en-US}} Two weeks later, against Western Carolina, he had an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.{{Cite web |last=Dopirak |first=Dustin |date=September 20, 2015 |title=Tennessee pounds Western Carolina 55–10 |url=http://knoxblogs.com/volsbeat/2015/09/20/tennessee-pounds-western-carolina-55-10/ |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=Vols Beat |language=en-US}} On October 3, against Arkansas, he returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.{{Cite web |last=McComack |first=Larry |date=October 3, 2015 |title=VOLS: Evan Berry kickoff return vs. Arkansas |url=https://www.thedailytimes.com/sports/vols-evan-berry-kickoff-return-vs-arkansas/image_00910fae-e217-5993-8ad9-03344d115efd.html |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=The Daily Times |language=en}} On October 31, against Kentucky, he had a 100-yard kickoff return for his third of the season.{{Cite web |last=Stephenson |first=David |date=November 1, 2015 |title=VOLS: Evan Berry TD return vs. Kentucky |url=https://www.thedailytimes.com/vols-evan-berry-td-return-vs-kentucky/image_50892f72-2117-59c1-b28e-c0431f6b544d.html |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=The Daily Times |language=en}} In the Outback Bowl, against Northwestern, he had a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown to end the 45–6 victory for the Volunteers.{{Cite web |date=January 2, 2016 |title=Tennessee routs No. 13 Northwestern |url=http://www.secsports.com/article/14481102/tennessee-routs-no-13-northwestern |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=SEC Sports |agency=Associated Press}} Overall, on the season, he averaged an NCAA-leading 38.3 yards per kick return on 21 attempts.{{Cite web |title=2015 Leaders |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/2015-leaders.html |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}} His 804 total kickoff return yards and three kickoff return touchdowns led the SEC in 2015.{{Cite web |title=2015 Southeastern Conference Leaders |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/conferences/sec/2015-leaders.html |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}} For the 2015 season, Berry earned Consensus All-American honors.{{Cite web |title=Consensus All-America Teams (2010–2017) |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/awards/all-america-2010-2019.html#2015 |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}
In his junior season in 2016, Berry was the primary kick return until suffering a knee injury against Tennessee Tech, which kept him out of the remainder of the season.{{Cite web |last=Strange |first=Mike |date=November 7, 2016 |title=Evan Berry to miss rest of season for Tennessee |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/football/2016/11/07/berry-suffers-knee-injury/93423282/ |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=Knoxville News Sentinel |language=en}} He recorded a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against South Carolina.{{Cite web |last=Stephenson |first=Creg |date=October 30, 2016 |title=Watch Tennessee's Evan Berry return kickoff 100 yards for touchdown vs. South Carolina |url=https://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/10/watch_tennessees_evan_berry_re.html |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=AL.com |language=en-US}} Overall, he averaged a SEC-leading 32.9 yards per kick return on 14 attempts.{{Cite web |title=2016 Tennessee Volunteers Stats |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/tennessee/2016.html |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=2016 Southeastern Conference Leaders |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/conferences/sec/2016-leaders.html |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}
Berry's final season with the Volunteers was limited to only two games due to his prior injury. He totaled four kick returns for a 35.8 average.{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Mike |date=November 6, 2017 |title=Vols' Evan Berry out for season, Jarrett Guarantano 'probable' at Missouri |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/football/2017/11/06/vols-evan-berry-out-season-jarrett-guarantano-probable-missouri/836047001/ |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=Knoxville News Sentinel |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=2017 Tennessee Volunteers Stats |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/tennessee/2017.html |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}
For his collegiate career, Berry finished first in NCAA and SEC history with 34.3 kickoff return yards per attempt and his four return touchdowns are tied for the most in SEC history.{{Cite web |title=Kickoff Return Yards Per Return Career Leaders and Records |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/leaders/kick-ret-yds-per-ret-player-career.html |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Southeastern Conference Career Leaders and Records for Kickoff Return Yards Per Return |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/conferences/sec/leaders/kick-ret-yds-per-ret-player-career.html |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Southeastern Conference Career Leaders and Records for Kickoff Return Touchdowns |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/conferences/sec/leaders/kick-ret-td-player-career.html |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}
=Collegiate statistics=
| class="wikitable"
! colspan="6" style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; background-color:#f77f00 ; color:#ffffff;" | Evan Berry ! colspan="4" style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold;" | Kick Returns |
| style="font-weight:bold;" | Year
| style="font-weight:bold;" | School | style="font-weight:bold;" | Conf | style="font-weight:bold;" | Class | style="font-weight:bold;" | Pos | style="font-weight:bold;" | G | style="font-weight:bold;" | Ret | style="font-weight:bold;" | Yds | style="font-weight:bold;" | Avg | style="font-weight:bold;" | TD |
| 2014
| SEC | FR | DB | 8 | 14 | 413 | 29.5 | 0 |
| 2015
| SEC | SO | DB | 13 | 21 | 804 | 38.3 | 3 |
| 2016
| SEC | JR | DB | 8 | 14 | 460 | 32.9 | 1 |
| 2017
| SEC | SR | DB | 2 | 4 | 143 | 35.8 | 0 |
| style="font-weight:bold;" | [https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/evan-berry-1.html Career]
| style="font-weight:bold;" | Tennessee | style="font-weight:bold;" | | style="font-weight:bold;" | | style="font-weight:bold;" | | style="font-weight:bold;" | | style="font-weight:bold;" | 53 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 1,820 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 34.3 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 4 |
Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2018 NFL draft, Berry signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns.{{Cite web |last=Ramey |first=Grant |date=April 28, 2018 |title=Evan Berry gets undrafted free agent deal with Browns |url=https://247sports.com/college/tennessee/Article/Tennessee-Vols-Football-Evan-Berry-gets-undrafted-free-agent-deal-with-Browns-117801754 |access-date=April 29, 2018 |website=247 Sports}} He was waived on August 28, 2018.{{Cite web |date=August 28, 2018 |title=Browns sign OL Earl Watford; release 6 |url=https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/browns-sign-ol-earl-watford-release-6 |access-date=November 12, 2022 |website=ClevelandBrowns.com}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- [https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/evan-berry-1.html Collegiate statistics] at Sports Reference
- [https://utsports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=890 Tennessee Volunteers bio]
{{2015 NCAA Division I FBS College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{Southeastern Conference Football Player of the Year navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Evan}}
Category:People from Fairburn, Georgia
Category:Players of American football from Fulton County, Georgia
Category:American football safeties
Category:American football return specialists
Category:Tennessee Volunteers football players