With Major Roster Holes to Fill, BC Football's Portal Fix is Not a Star Quarterback

Bill O'Brien probably made a mistake benching former BC quarterback Dylan Lonergan, but he requires more than a top-tier QB to solve the Eagles' woes.

Nov 29, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Boston College Eagles head coach Bill O'Brien reacts to a call with an official against the Syracuse Orange during the second half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Technically speaking, Boston College football’s quarterback situation is in a worse state than it was prior to its final game of the year after losing Dylan Lonergan to the transfer portal.

Lonergan, who played just one season in Chestnut Hill, Mass., announced his decision to leave the program on Dec. 4, just five days after the Eagles’ 2025 campaign ended with a 34-12 road win over Syracuse. He threw just two passes in the season finale, completing both, before injuring his throwing-hand thumb, which forced him out for the remainder of the contest.

While there is no accurate way of assessing whether or not his departure was expected by those on the inside, it certainly threw—at the very least—a minor wrench into what BC head coach Bill O’Brien is attempting to build on the Heights. It isn’t farfetched to say that Lonergan could have been BC’s quarterback of the future if the chips had not fallen so egregiously this season due to poor roster management, coaching and overall performance. 

As the quarterback—the captain of the offense—Lonergan was inevitably in part to blame for the Eagles’ lack of production in 2025, especially during their worst stretch of the season right before his benching. But he was never the primary root of the cause.

BC’s defense ranked close to the bottom of FBS in nearly every statistical category, and the Eagles lacked a consistent run and RPO (run-pass option) game. The passing offense, meanwhile, proved it could go toe-to-toe with one of the giants in the Atlantic Coast Conference this year, Georgia Tech, and managed to churn out respectable numbers compared to other facets of the squad.

But now Lonergan is gone, and the Eagles are left with an unproven quarterback in Shaker Reisig, who played in three games as a true freshman in 2025 during garbage time. Reisig totaled 141 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on a 52.6 percent completion rate.

BC has two incoming quarterbacks in the class of 2026, Femi Babalola (Ravenwood, Tenn.) and Anthony Coellner (Carmel, Ind.), who are both three-star prospects, according to 247 Sports. But neither of the two will likely be ready to start as true freshman. That is not the expectation, at least.

As a result, O’Brien must revamp the quarterback room through the transfer portal, just like he did after the 2024 season ended. Only this time, he does not have a player at his disposal with previous starts at the collegiate level—like he did with Grayson James—which is a massive difference.

In hindsight, O’Brien made a costly mistake when he benched Lonergan, who was supposed to be a core piece of the program for years to come—a decision that was not just crippling for the team, but for the very person in charge of the operation, who is known for being a stellar quarterbacks coach.

Lonergan was O’Brien’s guy—the Eagles’ head coach originally recruited Lonergan to Alabama when he was the offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide—but he did not treat Lonergan like his guy once the floodgates opened and BC’s second year with O’Brien at the helm fell into shambles.

Would Lonergan have stayed at BC even if he was never benched? Who knows. But when Lonergan first arrived, he said that he was not a big fan of change. Coming to BC was a chance to get what he wanted—a legitimate opportunity to start at the Power-Four level, which was not promised for him at Alabama—and what O'Brien wanted, for that matter.

In the aftermath, there is some good news and some bad news.

The bad news is that BC might not be able to replace Lonergan with a player of his caliber in the short term.

But the good news is that O’Brien might not need to find a quarterback with Lonergan's caliber.

While quarterbacks get most of the attention when it comes to rebuilding in the offseason, BC’s focus should frankly be elsewhere initially.

The defensive line and linebackers are the most ill-equipped units on the roster, followed by the offensive line. Replenishing these departments should be O’Brien’s first priority, along with bringing in a new defensive coordinator with a proven track record.

Another vital step is adding multiple big-time playmakers—with either elite speed or size—to reload the weapons shed on offense, which is crucial now that Lewis Bond, a program record-setter in single-season receptions and career receptions, is moving on from the program and preparing for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Bond’s 1,010 receiving yards in 2025 accounted for 30 percent of the Eagles’ entire receiving-yards total. His 88 receptions were the most on the team by 50, so O’Brien will have to make a huge splash in that realm. It likely won’t be done through one player, either, which is rare to acquire in college.

The reason that BC does not need to replace “a Lonergan,” however, stems chiefly from O’Brien’s offensive system, which is multiple. At most, O’Brien’s scheme demands for an above-average distributor who runs the offense with efficiency and a knack for taking care of the football. 

If O’Brien’s quarterback has the right pieces around him—like James did in 2024 with Bond and Reed Harris, tight ends Jeremiah Franklin and Kamari Morales, running backs Kye Robichaux and Treshaun Ward, and offensive linemen Ozzy Trapilo, Drew Kendall, Jack Conley, Jude Bowry and Logan Taylor—the offense can achieve measures in all phases that it did not regularly scratch the surface of in 2025.

Possessing an elite edge rusher and linebackers with a true presence at the second level is crucial for BC to climb back toward as well.

Lonergan happened to have most, if not all of the required attributes of an O’Brien-esque quarterback, even though it took time for him to fully develop.

But now that O’Brien’s first true project at the position during his BC tenure is no longer an option, it would make the most sense to address the vacancy by finding a player with long-term exposure, even if that player is not the flashiest or the highest-graded player out there. That is primarily because of the Eagles' additional needs.

More on who some potential targets could be at the quarterback position will surface closer to when the transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2, 2026. For the time being, retainment of BC’s current players is the No. 1 priority.