2025 Boston College Eagles Position Preview: Linebackers
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Veteran leadership.
That is a theme of the linebacker room for Boston College entering the 2025 season.
The Eagles have multiple veterans leading the way this upcoming season.
At the helm is Daveon “Bam” Crouch, who had a massive season in 2024, notching 77 total tackles in 13 games. Joining Crouch is Jaylen Blackwell, who is returning from an injury that sidelined him all of the 2024 season, Bryce Steele, who saw time in four games last year after returning from battling thymoma, a rare form of cancer, and Owen McGowan, who boasted 28 total tackles before suffering a season-ending injury in November.
The Eagles also returned nearly every player at the position minus Kam Arnold, who signed a UDFA deal with the Washington Commanders, Sione Hala, who entered the transfer portal and went to Weber State, and Joe Marinaro, who was out of eligibility.
Along with multiple returners, Boston College also added a pair of players through the transfer portal in Jason Hewlett (Michigan) and E’Lla Boykin (Barton College).
Projected Depth Chart
Starters/In The Rotation: Daveon Crouch, Bryce Steele, Jaylen Blackwell, Owen McGowan, E’Lla Boykin, Palaie Faoa, Jason Hewlett.
Backups: Tim Hays, Billy Van Pelt, Kemori Dixon, Griffin Collins, Caden Bowling, Sean Howard, Juan Zabal, Zacari Thomas.
2025 Boston College Linebackers
Daveon Crouch- Senior, 6-1, 227 lbs
Crouch is entering his fourth season with the Eagles. In 2024, he appeared in all 13 games and tallied 77 total tackles (34 solo and 43 assisted), 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass breakups, three quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles.
Bryce Steele- Redshirt Senior, 6-1, 225 lbs
Steele is entering his fifth season with Boston College. Last year, he played in four games and notched eight total tackles (five solo and three assisted). He missed most of the 2024 season and all of the 2023 season after battling thymoma, a rare form of cancer.
Jaylen Blackwell- Redshirt Senior, 6-1, 226 lbs
Blackwell is entering his sixth season with the Eagles. He missed the entire 2024 season with an injury. In 2023, he had 11 total tackles in seven games before getting injured.
Owen McGowan- Redshirt Senior, 6-0, 232 lbs
McGowan is entering his fifth season on the Heights. In 2024, he saw time in nine games and recorded 28 total tackles (13 solo and 15 assisted), one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, and two pass breakups.
Tim Hays- Redshirt Junior, 6-1, 224 lbs
Hays is entering his fourth season with Boston College. He did not appear in a game in 2024 due to injury.
Billy Van Pelt- Redshirt Junior, 6-1, 218 lbs
Van Pelt is starting his fourth season at Boston College. He did not appear in a game last year.
Kemori Dixon- Redshirt Freshman, 6-1, 222 lbs
Dixon is entering his second year with Boston College. In 2024, he played in one game and did not record a stat.
Griffin Collins- Freshman, 6-4, 232 lbs
Collins is entering his first season at Boston College. As a prospect, he was rated as a three-star in the class of 2025 and ranked No. 1,309 nationally, No. 131 in linebackers, and No. 7 in the state of Mass., according to 247Sports Composite.
Palaie Faoa- Redshirt Sophomore, 6-1, 222 lbs
Faoa is entering his third season on the Heights. In 2024, he appeared in eight games and recorded one solo tackle. He mostly saw time on special teams.
Caden Bowling- Redshirt Freshman, 6-3, 218 lbs
Bowling is entering his second season with the Eagles. In 2024, he redshirted the season.
Sean Howard- Redshirt Freshman, 5-10, 194 lbs
Howard is entering his second season at Boston College. In 2024, he redshirted the season.
Juan Zabal- Redshirt Sophomore, 6-1, 233 lbs
Zabal is entering his third season with the Eagles. In 2024, he saw time in nine games, primarily on special teams.
Zacari Thomas- Freshman, 6-2, 215 lbs
Thomas is an incoming freshman for the Eagles. He is a part of the class of 2025. He was rated as a three-star and ranked No. 1,360 overall, No. 137 in linebackers, and No. 154 in the state of Ga., according to 247Sports Composite.
Jason Hewlett- Junior, 6-2, 227 lbs
Hewlett is entering his first season with the Eagles after transferring from Michigan during the offseason. In 2024 with the Wolverines, he saw time in nine games and made three total tackles, two solo and one assisted.
E'Lla Boykin- Sophomore, 6-3, 230 lbs
Boykin is entering his first season with the Eagles after transferring from Barton College during the offseason. In 2024 at Barton, he made 55 total tackles (23 solo and 32 assisted), 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, one pass breakup, and one quarterback hit.
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Kim Rankin is the lead writer for Boston College On SI. The 2020 graduate of the University of Alabama. She joined Alabama Crimson Tide On SI in February 2024 covering baseball, softball, football, men’s basketball, and more for BamaCentral, but has also contributed to Missouri Tigers On SI. She previously worked as the brand manager at Tide 100.9 FM in Tuscaloosa, Ala. She has covered a wide variety of events including SEC Championships, NCAA Regionals, and bowl games.
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