Boston College Head Coach Bill O'Brien Speaks on Regression, Confident in Direction of Program

The second-year Eagles head coach is still positive about recruiting and what he is building in Chestnut Hill.

Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien on the sideline during the first half against Missouri, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Columbia, Mo. Mandatory Credit: AP Photo/L.G. Patterson | AP Photo/L.G. Patterson

Sitting at 1-6 on the year and 0-4 in ACC play, Boston College football has seen a slide in Bill O’Brien’s second year at the helm. 

The Eagles head coach talked about the regression after practice on Thursday and remains confident in the direction of the program. 

“I’m very confident,” said O’Brien. “I think this is a place where you can win in football. People have asked why have we regressed, there’s several factors. I’ve told you after every game we haven’t coached as well as we did last year. There’s some guys that were on our team last year that are playing on Sunday’s now. There’s some young players here that have had to play right away. These aren’t excuses. It is what it is. I think recruiting’s going really well. BC’s making a commitment to football here which I think is big and there’s a future. 

“Again, it’s only the second year of our program. And if you look at the history of second years, sometimes they don’t go as well, especially here at BC. If you look at the track record of coaches that were successful here, some of their second years weren’t great. We’re building and I think recruiting’s headed in the right direction and I feel good about where we’re headed.” 

O’Brien also talked about the utilization of the transfer portal in the future and how to navigate the portal next offseason. 

“Yeah, I think there’s no doubt,” said O’Brien. “With the commitment that BC’s making to football, I think there’s gonna be some changes in the roster. Not changes in our strategy. We still will build the team primarily like that draft through high school recruiting and then supplement with the portal. I do think that’s a part of our strategy that will increase. 

“The portal’s difficult because there’s one window, which I think is good, but you just don’t have a whole lot of time to really [learn] do you know the kid, is there a connection, does anybody on your staff have a connection, was he recruited here before by anybody on your staff, whatever the factors are,” said O’Brien. “It’s not like high school recruiting when you really get to know the guy that you’re recruiting and his family and all that. It happens a lot quicker in the portal. So you’re gonna hit on some guys and some guys you might not hit on and your batting percentage, so to speak, has to be really good. But we’re definitely gonna use the portal, no doubt about it.” 

Boston College travels to Louisville, Ky., to take on the No. 19 Louisville Cardinals on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network.