BC Has an Entirely New QB Room Highlighted by Mason McKenzie: How Have the Backups Fared?

On Wednesday, QBs coach Jonathan DiBiaso went into depth on the Eagles' two primary backup quarterbacks this year and where they stand from a coaching perspective.

Boston College Athletics.

By now, less than two weeks out from Boston College football’s 2026 season opener at Cincinnati, most fans of the program and followers of the ACC have heard of Mason McKenzie, the Eagles’ starting quarterback who transferred to the Heights from Saginaw Valley State this offseason after a decorated Division-II stint.

But only those who have really paid attention this preseason know a thing or two about BC’s backup and third-string options.

Those would be redshirt freshman Grayson Wilson, an Arkansas transfer, and true freshman Femi Babalola, who recently turned 18 years old and joined the program over the winter after completing his high-school career at Ravenwood in Brentwood, Tenn.

After the last fall-training camp practice open to the media on Wednesday, BC quarterbacks coach Jonathan DiBiaso, who is entering his fourth year with the team and third as the quarterbacks coach, spoke on the development and maturity of each signal caller in the Eagles’ entirely new-look QB room this year.

That included both Wilson and Babalola, who, according to DiBiaso, have taken tremendous strides since their arrival.

Both still have zero in-game playing experience at this level, but the way they have handled backup responsibilities to McKenzie throughout spring ball and camp has impressed the staff greatly.

“I just like that our guys have really taken coach’s coaching and are applying it in practice,” said DiBiaso. “For the past couple days, we’ve done a really good job of taking care of the football, being more vocal, driving the train when they take the field.”

Understanding how to operate Bill O’Brien’s pro-style offense takes some adjustment, and it requires the quarterback to really inherit that field-general role.

What that does is hold the quarterbacks accountable for the rest of the offense, and both Wilson and Babalola have processed this fact rather quickly and with a leader’s attitude.

“Big time,” DiBiaso said of how Wilson and Babalola have grown as players. “They’re guys that are obsessed with football, and that’s one thing that I look forward to every single day. That I come in to this office, come in to BC, and know that I got three guys that are obsessed with football, put in the time and effort that when they show up to the meetings, they’ve looked over the script, they’ve looked over the [installment], they have questions to ask. Both those guys are doing a great job.”

Part of the reason that Wilson has attacked his opportunity to backup McKenzie, DiBiaso claimed, stems from the fact that he didn’t get to play much at all for the Razorbacks, his first team — even during practice.

Babalola, meanwhile, carries himself with the demeanor of a much older player than he actually is, which has made his coachability all the more manageable for DiBiaso.

He also emphasized that Babalola’s 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame is something you simply cannot teach, and watching him utilize those physical gifts to his advantage is exciting as it pertains to the future of the program.

“All three of them are a pleasure to coach,” DiBiaso said. “And we’re very, very happy to have them here.”

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