Bill O'Brien Says QB Grayson James Gives BC Football Best Chance to Win vs SMU

The redshirt-senior quarterback was undeterred by not being named the starter at the beginning of the season.

Nov 1, 2025; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Boston College Eagles head coach Bill O’Brien (left) talks to quarterback Grayson James (3) in the second quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images | Edward Finan-Imagn Images

Boston College football quarterback Grayson James is one of the most honorable players to come through the program in recent history, according to BC head coach Bill O’Brien and teammates.

His loyalty to BC is a kind that is practically extinct in college sports nowadays, and his tenacity to stay on the field, even when he is hurting from continuous hits to the chest and legs, is virtually unteachable.

Even though James was not named the starting quarterback for O’Brien in his second year at the helm, despite the fact that James took the Eagles to a 4-2 record in six full games played in 2024, his team-centered mentality did not flinch for even a second.

"Yeah, I mean, as a competitor, it was definitely not easy,” James said. “But I owe it to my teammates to be the best version of me every single day, no matter what role that is that I'm in. I love being at the school. I love playing with my teammates as well. So it was tough for sure, you know, being a competitor. But I knew I had a lot of the long season ahead of us and a lot of opportunities ahead."

Gritty and unselfish are essentially the two words that epitomize a player like James the most. 

That is why O’Brien is trusting the redshirt senior out of Duncanville, Texas, as the Eagles head into their final stretch of the season, with three "guaranteed opportunities” left in SMU, No. 16 Georgia Tech, and Syracuse.

“There was easily a chance for my number to be called on,” James said. “As it has a few times this year. So any opportunity I get, I don't ever take it for granted. I love playing football. I love playing with my teammates and stuff like that. I don't ever want to take a chance like that for granted.”

James is not blind to his mistakes, either.

In the last three games, which included two starts, James has thrown nearly as many interceptions (4) as he has thrown touchdowns (6). In terms of his self assessment of the tape, James agreed that he could be more explosive on a more consistent basis.

“Obviously, that's something that we look forward to every single week, and then just critical moments,” James said. “Had some unfortunate turnovers at times, but just doing my best to take care of that, take care of the ball better, and make sure we're actually where we need to be on third downs, fourth down, redzone, stuff like that.”

James added: “But I would say that just continuously executing the plays as they're called, understanding what Coach [Will Lawing] is trying to get out of a play call and stuff like that. But I can do a better job in all facets.”

This week, James will matchup against a Mustangs’ defense which surrenders the most air yards in the ACC (300.2 yards per game allowed), yet also has the most interceptions (14) and sacks (25) in the conference as well, which poses a tricky challenge for BC’s multiple offense.

Of course, the run game has to perform better than it did against No. 12 Notre Dame last week—the Eagles 0.4 yards per carry and netted just 12 rushing yards in the entire game. But holes in SMU’s secondary will be there, and it will be up to James to take notice of them and throw strikes at the second and third level.

Last week, classmate Lewis Bond, who James called “a quarterback’s best friend,” caught eight passes for 92 yards, and junior Jaedn Skeete totaled the same amount of receptions for 73 yards. 

Reed Harris with the Play of the Game#NEXTLEVEL | 🦅 pic.twitter.com/pYfBu5c99J

— Boston College Football (@BCFootball) November 2, 2025

Reed Harris caught James’ sole touchdown pass of the game, and it is safe to say that with those three targets, BC has the potential to be one of the best passing offenses in the conference, as long as the pass blocking holds up.

“You always got to be aware,” James said. “You know that every team's got their packages, you know, their different rest plans and stuff like that. But, you know, it's a totality, you know, it starts with me making sure we're in the right protections, we're going to the right guys and stuff like that, you know, making sure we're blocked up.”

Tight end Jeremiah Franklin, who is third in the team in receiving yards with 367 and second in receptions with 38, said on Tuesday that being James’ roommate has also contributed to their growing connection on the field.

“If you go out there and look, you see everybody outside working, and I think that Grayson does a good job pulling people and trying to get them to do some extra reps after practice, being like, here's what he sees and what he thinks he's going to see in the game,” Franklin said. “So we try to replicate that after practice.”

While O’Brien originally put the ball in the hands of redshirt-sophomore quarterback Dylan Lonergan, who O’Brien recruited out of high school when he was the offensive coordinator at Alabama and later snagged out of the transfer portal in the 2024 offseason, the Eagles’ head coach firmly believes that James provides a “spark” to the offense that gives BC the best chance to win.

“I think Dylan's done a lot of good things,” O’Brien said. “He's gotten better. He works hard to get better. He's a great kid, awesome guy. In the end, you try to make the best decisions for the team. You're trying to put the team in the best position to win. At the end of the day, we feel like Grayson right now gives us the best chance to win.”

O’Brien added: “It's not like Dylan's career is over or anything like that. Dylan has a career ahead of him, no doubt about it. He's a very talented guy, but right now we feel like Grayson gives us the best chance. That's just all I can tell you about that.”