With Jaelen Gill Set to Play, Boston College's Offense Looks Impressive, Minus One Key Spot.
Boston College announced today that Ohio State transfer Jaelen Gill was granted a waiver and will be eligible to play immediately this season. This is huge news for the Eagles, as Gill is a dynamic wide receiver with elite speed and agility, adding yet another big time weapon to Jeff Hafley's arsenal.
Gill now gives BC three very good options at wide receiver for the 2020 season. Kobay White should be the most experienced, and has shown the ability to make big catches when called upon. Hopefully with the staff's renewed focus on the passing game, his role will increase even more. On top of that the Eagles feature Zay Flowers, who along with Gill give BC possibly the speediest wide out tandem in the ACC. New offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. should have a field day with the pair, moving them around, and figuring out ways to get them the ball in space whether it's through the air or on jet sweeps and misdirection plays. Add on sophomore Ethon Williams and you have a wide receiving corp that has the potential to put up big numbers.
The success of the offense will be dictated up front, where the Eagles bring in four returning offensive linemen. These are not just returning starters, these are all returners who are projected to battle for All-ACC teams, and could all see a future in the NFL. In the backfield the Eagles also have David Bailey, a dynamic power back, who again could be in that top group of running backs behind Travis Etienne of Clemson. Finally, in terms of riches, the Eagles have one of the most versatile tight ends in the ACC, Hunter Long. He has great hands, can stretch the field, and is a match up nightmare.
As you can see, Boston College should have all the tools in place to have a top notch offense, one that on paper could put up a lot of points. But there still remains a big problem. One that could overshadow all the previously mentioned positives. The quarterback position.
The million dollar question this offseason has been the waiver of transfer quarterback Phil Jurkovec. By all accounts, it most likely was filed a while ago, given that he transferred to BC in January. While he continues to wait, two other big name transfers, Gill and JT Daniels to UGA have had their waivers approved, all in a little over a month. Just given the time, you have to wonder what is going on with Jurkovec's waiver, the school has been very mum on it.
But what happens if Jurkovec isn't approved? Then the quarterback for 2020 is anyone's guess. Hafley could go with Dennis Grosel who started last year but had mixed results when he had to throw the ball, completing 48.4% of his passes. Or he could with an unproven commodities like sophomore Matt Valecce or redshirt freshman Daelen Menard. But all three options probably won't have the impact on the offense that Jurkovec would.
Clearly the hope is that Jurkovec's waiver is eventually approved, giving BC the signal caller to man this high powered offense. He would be the icing on the cake, a quarterback with a huge ceiling, who can throw and run, and looks ready to be the starter moving forward. If he isn't approved, having all these weapons may look good, but will lack the key ingredient to maximizing the offense's potential.
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