Who are the Must Keep Playmakers Shaping Boston College Football's Future: The Rundown

Now that Boston College football’s 2025 campaign is nearing its end—the Eagles have just one game remaining, a road contest at Syracuse on Nov. 29—it is about time to start addressing what the future will hold for head coach Bill O’Brien going into his second offseason at the helm.

The official date of signing day, when recruits in the class of 2026 officially state their verbal commitment to BC, is not until Feb. 4, 2026, so for the time being, it is more pertinent to focus on what the Eagles have at their fingertips right now.

Here is a breakdown of the players that O’Brien and the Eagles’ coaching staff, which has high potential to change over the course of the next couple of months, need to hone in on in terms of retention for the 2026 season.

Offense

The biggest question mark heading into the offseason will be if O’Brien can keep redshirt-sophomore quarterback Dylan Lonergan, who has passed for 2,017 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions with a completion rate of 66.7 percent despite only starting eight of the Eagles’ 11 games played this year.

Lonergan came to BC because he wanted an opportunity to play immediately after serving as a third-string quarterback or lower at Alabama for his first two collegiate seasons. With the potential he has displayed in his most recent performances, and throughout the initial portion of the season, he would unquestionably be the favorite to start under center for the Eagles in 2026 if he stayed.

But keeping him around will not be easy, because, quite frankly, the majority of Lonergan’s tape is exquisite. Programs with better-equipped rosters around the nation will be after him—as they were when he jumped into the portal following the 2024 season after his second stint with the Crimson Tide.

Lonergan is prized for his loyalty, according to those closest to him, including O’Brien, but in this era of college athletics, loyalty only goes so far.

Since Lonergan has playing experience at the Power-Four level under his belt now, if he thinks he will become a sought-after commodity in the portal if he decided to split ways with the program, it would arguably make sense for him to do so—that is, unless his connection to Boston College and O’Brien has grown so deeply that it would be foolish to start over elsewhere.

O’Brien could decide to put all of his chips in on Lonergan by promising the rising redshirt junior that the program is committed to building around him by improving the offensive line and defense, but that would be extremely not-O’Brien-esque.

Lonergan has experienced both highs and lows this year, and his roughest stretches were far below the standard that O’Brien expected of him. But that is in part due to the pieces around him, particularly the Eagles’ defense—which is nearly the worst in FBS statistically and needs a complete makeover during the offseason.

Nevertheless, Lonergan has proved that in his most-confident state, he is an elite passer with true command in the pocket, and there is certainly a possibility that his eyes are set on a second new beginning.

The second-most important player to keep on the Heights from an offensive standpoint is tight end Kaelan Chudzinski, who has amassed 23 receptions for 273 yards and four touchdowns this year, which leads all freshmen tight ends in the nation.

Chudzinski is already showing glimpses of a player who could potentially set program records in the tight-ends department if he chooses to continue his career as an Eagle, which is inherently more likely than Lonergan because of the fact that his father, Rob, is a senior offensive analyst for O’Brien.

BC will also lose senior tight end Jeremiah Franklin, who ranks third on the team in receiving yards with 443 on 45 receptions, including two touchdowns, which will provide Chudzinski with a true right-of-passage transition into the No. 1 role.

Within the wide receivers and running backs units, the Eagles possess quality playmakers such as Reed Harris, Jaedn Skeete, Dawson Pough, Turbo Richard and Bo MacCormack III, who have all started games this season and show promising signs.

That is particularly true of Harris and Richard—Harris ranks second on the team in the receiving category with 646 yards and five touchdowns on 37 receptions, averaging 17.5 yards per catch, and Richard leads BC’s backfield with 647 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 130 carries.

As for the offensive line, which has played mediocre at best, the imminent losses of graduate student Kevin Cline and redshirt senior Logan Taylor, including the expected loss of redshirt junior Jude Bowry, will make for an interesting transition.

Key offensive lineman to hopefully—for O’Brien’s sake—return in 2026 consist of R-So. Michael Crounse, who took over center duties from Gr. Dwayne Allick, R-So. Eryx Daugherty and Fr. Robert Smith IV.

Defense

On the defensive side, O’Brien is destined for a deep dive into the murky waters of the transfer portal to address his plentiful needs. Another season of the same level of defensive play the Eagles have displayed in 2025 would sink his ship to the very bottom, likely in the form of a coaching change.

BC’s depth is severely limited on defense, which means there are only a few players to highlight for 2026.

That starts with sophomore defensive back Omar Thornton, who has manufactured 78 tackles (52 solo), seven tackles for loss, one sack, four forced fumbles, one interception, one quarterback hit and one pass break-up.

Thornton’s 2025 highlight reel consists of of nasty hits at the second and third level of the field. His true identity comes in the form of putting his entire body on the line to create disruption with rude collisions to opposing teams' wide receivers, running backs and tight ends.

In addition to Thornton in the secondary, junior KP Price and sophomore Syair Torrence are just as important for O’Brien to retain.

Price leads the Eagles in tackles with 84, in addition interceptions with two, while Torrence, who beat out junior Max Tucker to be named a starting corner this year, suffered a season-ending injury leading up to the Eagles’ Week-Three matchup at Stanford—although his attitude throughout 2025 fall training camp exuded conviction that he possesses the level of talent to be a lockdown corner at the NCAA, Division-1 level.

The most-obvious positive takeaway, albeit kind of a sad one, from BC's 2025 defensive unit is the fact that so many underclassmen now have game exposure as a product of mass injuries.

R-Jr.'s Edwin Kolenge (DL) and Isaiah Farris (DB), R-Fr. Charlie Comella (DB) and Kemori Dixon (LB), and Fr. Griffin Collins (LB), Marcus Upton (DB), Omarion Davis (DB) and Ashton Cunningham (DB) should all be on the watch list of players to breakout in 2026—if, that is, they stay in the 'Nut.

With that being said, here is The Rundown—your daily stop for the latest Boston College athletics news—for Thursday, Nov. 20.

Thursday's Schedule:

There are no events scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 20.

Wednesday's Results:

Women's Basketball: Harvard 72, Boston College 65. | Box | Recap

Did You Notice?

The BC Eagles football program is ranked last in the ACC heading into the final two weeks of the season, per the ACC Digital Network's Wes Bryant.

This Week’s ACC Football Power Rankings 🏟️🔥‼️ pic.twitter.com/pKNib5eaFl
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) November 19, 2025

BC football hard commit Brady Bekkenhuis received an offer from Wisconsin, posting about it on his social media via X.

After a great conversation with @CoachBlaz I’m proud to announce I’ve received an offer from Wisconsin @CaseyRabach_61 @JaredThompsonUW @doug_hanlon50 @Andy_Villamarzo pic.twitter.com/VygAbq2L1J
— Brady Bekkenhuis (@BradyBekk54) November 19, 2025

Check out this Amirah Anderson buzzer-beater shot in BC women's basketball's loss to Harvard on Wednesday night to close out the first quarter!

Amirah at the buzzer! https://t.co/JkqN8WerSe pic.twitter.com/uTNqtFQdfA
— Boston College Women’s Basketball (@BC_WBB) November 19, 2025

On This Day in Boston College Eagles History:

November 20, 1993: David Gordon ’94 nails a 41-yard field goal with no time left to give BC a 41-39 win over number-1-ranked Notre Dame. The defeat, in the final game of the season, ends Notre Dame’s perfect season and crushes its hopes for a national championship.

Boston College Eagles Quote of the Day:

"Fast vicious charge . . . death on cross blocks ... a regular work horse."

- Myles Lane on Ernie Stautner

There's More on Boston College On SI:

X (formerly known as Twitter): @BostonCollegeSI
Facebook: Boston College Eagles on SI
YouTube: Boston College Eagles on SI
Threads: @BostonCollegeOnSI
Bluesky: @BostonCollegeOnSI.bsky.social