Former 2025 4 Star DL Recruit Parting Ways With Boston College Football Program

The loss marks the fourth former BC football player to enter the transfer the transfer portal following the conclusion of the 2025 season.

Boston College football (@BCFootball) via X.

On Thursday morning, Boston College football defensive lineman Sterling Sanders, who was a true freshman in 2025, announced his decision to enter the transfer portal, which officially opens on Jan. 2, 2026.

Sanders took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to declare his decision.

“I want to thank Boston College for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to play here,” Sanders said. “After praying and talking with my family, I have decided to enter the transfer portal. I will have [four] years of eligibility remaining.”

I want to thank Boston College for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to play here. After praying and talking with my family , I have decided to enter the transfer portal. I will have 4 years of eligibility remaining. @on3sports @247SportsPortal @rivalsportal… pic.twitter.com/097yjA0qgw

— Sterling Sanders (@803_Sterling) December 4, 2025

Hailing from Blythewood, S.C., Sanders arrived in Chestnut Hill, Mass., at mid-year after the conclusion of the 2024 season, Bill O’Brien’s first as the head coach of the program in which the Eagles went 7-5 during the regular season before falling to Nebraska in the 2024 Bad Bow Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. 

Sanders was rated as a four-star recruit by 247Sports and a top-30 overall recruit from South Carolina in the class of 2025, but his playing time was limited to just one game this past year, in a win against Fordham on Aug. 30. 

While Sanders saw time on the field, he did not log a single statistic in the game.

Sanders was injured for most of the season as well, according to the Atlantic Coast Conference student-athlete availability reports, which sidelined him for the majority of BC’s contests.

Before the start of his collegiate career, the 6-foot-4, 291-pound defensive tackle manufactured 40 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and 23 quarterback pressures as a senior at Blythewood High School in 2024. He also scored a rushing touchdown.

Sanders is the fourth former Eagle to announce their decision to enter the transfer portal after the 2025 season came to a conclusion on Saturday with a 34-12 win over Syracuse on the road, joining linebacker Daveon “Bam” Crouch, defensive back Ashton McShane, and linebacker Jason Hewlett Jr.

On the flip side, O’Brien officially signed 23 recruits on Early National Signing Day, Wednesday, for his 2026 class, which is a positive sign for the direction of the program. He also added the former assistant general manager of recruiting at Auburn, Kenyatta Watson, to the staff as BC’s next general manager, which has already made a difference in the recruiting arena.

Watson played at Boston College from 1993-96 as a wide receiver and a return specialist, where he led the Big East in punt-return touchdowns as a junior with two.