Five Things We Learned About Boston College Football This Spring

A look at some of the takeaways from BC football's spring practices and game

Boston College wrapped up their spring football practices last Saturday with their annual Jay McGillis Spring Game. With this part of the calendar concluded, what were some of the takeaways from spring football? Here are five things we learned about the 2022 Eagles.

Phil Jurkovec is Healthy, And Morehead Looks Improved

The 2021 season was incredibly bumpy for Jeff Hafley's squad, and a lot of those problems could be pointed at the injury to star quarterback Phil Jurkovec. When the transfer signal caller went down against UMass, the season sort of stalled, as BC's offense struggled to find their footing. Jurkovec returned, but his injured hand was clearly not 100%, Hafley at one point saying it was about 50%. This spring, Jurkovec looked completely healed and showed good arm strength and precision in limited action in the spring game. This team will go as far as he takes them, but he has to stay healthy, but at least we know heading into the summer that he looks to be completely healed. 

Behind Jurkovec is Emmett Morehead, who Hafley trotted out after Dennis Grosel struggled for most of 2021. The 6-6 redshirt freshman California native looked improved, and more confident in the pocket. That being said, Morehead still has a long way to go. But if he continues to develop, Boston College might have something heading into the 2021.

Defensive Line is Banged Up, But Have Some Intriguing Young Talent

Boston College's defensive line returns a lot of players from the last two seasons who saw significant snaps as defensive tackles Chibueze Onwuka, Izaiah Henderson, Cam Horsley, and Khris Banks all are back. Defensive ends Marcus Valdez and Shitta Sillah also are returning for the Eagles. Many of the starters were banged up during camp, and Onwuka, Valdez & Sillah all missed the spring game. However, the new breed of defensive ends that Jeff Hafley recruited are all starting to creep up the depth chart, and many look ready for the 2022 season. Ty Clemons, a redshirt freshman from Alabama had a monster spring game with three sacks, while Donovan Ezeirauku and Neto Okpala could be speedier options on the edge. Boston College desperately needs to improve their 98th ranked pass rush from 2021, and the young defenders may be the answer come the fall. 

It Looks Like We Know The Starting Five Offensive Linemen

One of the biggest challenges for Boston College heading into 2022 will be the loss of four of their starting offensive linemen. Having to replace that many snaps is a major challenge for any program, especially given that the unit was basically the same for two straight seasons. While there certainly could be changes heading out of summer practices, right now we know what the lineup should look like. Redshirt freshman Drew Kendall should be the center, with Christian Mahogany & Finn Dirstine at guard, and Jack Conley & Ozzy Trapilo at tackle. While they don't have the experience the linemen had last year, Trapilo and Conley both have seen game action, and Mahogany looks to be one of the best guards in the country. Again, this could change, but for now this was the group Boston College first team was rolling with at practice and at the spring game. 

Xavier Coleman Is Going to See The Field

 One of the biggest "winners" of spring football, has to be redshirt freshman running back Xavier Coleman. The former three star back out of New Jersey has become sort of the swiss army knife in John McNulty's offense. He can run the ball, catch passes out of the backfield, or be lined up as a wide receiver where he can also do a myriad of things. While Zay Flowers, Jaden Williams and Jaelen Gill should be the primary weapons on offense, Coleman could step up and find his way on to the field at various points throughout the season. 

The Secondary Could Be The Glue of This Defense

Boston College's secondary was one of the most underrated units in the country in 2021, even though they finished 3rd in the country in passing defense. This season, the Eagles return most of their talent, though Brandon Sebastian is headed to the NFL. A group that features Josh DeBerry, Jaiden Woodbey, CJ Burton & Elijah Jones should keep BC in games against some very strong passing attacks. This group is going to play a high level if they want to have any chance of slowing down quarterbacks like Devin Leary, Malik Cunningham & Sam Hartman. Hafley's defenses have taken big steps from year one to year two. Now with his "guys" in place, this group has the potential to be something special in 2022. 

Boston College Content

2023 Boston College Football Scholarship Offers

2023 Boston College Football Commitment List

Join our forum to talk BC football, basketball, hockey and recruiting! Become part of our BC Bulletin message board and forum. It is a free way to comment on our posts, and interact with other Boston College fans and alumni. Make sure to sign up and become a member. Click here to join today!

You can follow us for future coverage by liking us on Facebook and following on us on Twitter.

Facebook- BostonCollegeSI

Twitter: @BulletinBC, @AJBlack_BC