Five Takeaways from Jeff Hafley's Spring Game Press Conference

On Saturday, Boston College football held their annual Jay McGillis Spring Game at Alumni Stadium. The game ended up being a 22-10 victory for team Boston, the squad led by the first team offense. After the conclusion of the game, head coach Jeff Hafley spoke with the media about spring football, and the current state of his program. Here are some of the major takeaways.

1. Expect a Big Season From the Defensive Backs.

Last season Boston College's passing defense was one of the best in the country, allowing just 173 yards per game, and ranking 3rd in the country. Even with the loss of starting cornerback Brandon Sebastian and safety Mike Palmer, Hafley expects a lot from his group this season. "Elijah Jones has played a lot of football," he said. "He's looking to establish himself as one of the best corners in the ACC." Jones made a great pass breakup in the first half of yesterday's game. "Josh DeBerry I think, is one of the best overall defensive backs in the ACC." Adding in a sprinkle of young talented backs like CJ Burton Jr., Amari Jackson and Cole Batson and Hafley explained, "I think that has to be one of the strengths of our team."

2. Young Offensive Weapons Ready to Step Up

Yesterday veterans like Jaelen Gill, Pat Garwo and Zay Flowers were relatively quiet in the exhibition. This allowed some of the younger skill players on offense to snatch the spotlight. One name to watch for is 6-4 wide receiver Taji Johnson who had an incredible day with both the 1's and 2's. "Taji,made plays," said Hafley. "Just like he did in the spring game last year. He's a big body on the outside and caught a couple of back shoulders, a couple of fades." With CJ Lewis in the transfer portal, it seems like Johnson is perfectly suited to fit his role in the offense in 2022.

Running back Xavier Coleman could be a name that is called on more in 2022. He had one of the touchdowns on a delayed screen from Jurkovec. "Xavier Coleman ran the ball really well," the coach told reporters. "That's what I saw. I saw it in training camp last year and then I saw it this spring. A couple of big runs. He's sneaky quick." How Boston College uses him could be a mystery, but it seems like he will be used. In addition Hafley called out redshirt freshman wide receivers Lewis Bond and Dante Reynolds and sophomore Jaden Williams for having good springs.

3. Saturday was VERY Vanilla

If you turned on the spring game and expected to see a lush new playbook you would have been very disappointed. Hafley said during his press conference he had four offensive plays, and two defensive, with one pressure package. It was such a small playbook that he joked they fit it on an index card. This line of thinking isn't unexpected, Hafley is notorious for trying to prevent giving any edge or info to the opponent. There will be much more to the playbook on both sides of the ball, but don't expect to see any of it on film until they open the season against Rutgers.

4. Young EDGE Rushers Impressive in Absence Of Starters

Boston College entered Saturday's spring game without starting defensive linemen Shitta Sillah, Marcus Valdez and tackle Chibueze Onwuka. With the vets out of the lineup, redshirt freshman Tyeus Clemons had a massive game with three sacks, while Donovan Ezeiraku also had a productive game. "Tyeus flashed, Donovan flashed. A bunch of guys up front." Boston College struggled withe pass rush last year, finishing 98th in sacks. "We need more sacks this year," Hafley explained. "We need more production."

5. Mahogany's Touchdown Was His Call

Boston College had a little fun during the spring game, lining up 300+ pound plus offensive lineman Christian Mahogany in the wildcat and letting him bulldoze for a touchdown. Hafley said the idea was his offensive lineman's. "I don't know who came up with it, you know who I think came up with it? Christian," Hafley said. "He looks so big back there. No one was going to tackle him. I told you guys we were going to run it. We just wanted to get to the goal line first. Have a little fun. It's the spring game."

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