Boston College Quarterbacks Coach Jonathan DiBiaso Speaks on Mason McKenzie's Growth

McKenzie is entering his first season with the Eagles after transferring from Saginaw Valley State in January.

Boston College Athletics

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Boston College football is down to its final days of fall camp. 

Multiple players have shown consistent improvement throughout camp including quarterback Mason McKenzie.

McKenzie, a transfer from Saginaw Valley State, joined the Eagles program in January after placing his name into the portal.

After practice on Wednesday morning, Eagles quarterbacks coach Jonathan DiBiaso spoke on McKenzie’s progress from spring camp to now. 

“Night and day,” said DiBiaso. “He came here, of course, from Saginaw [Valley State]. We ask a lot more out of the quarterback position than he was asked to at Saginaw and he's completely run with it. He puts in a lot of time and effort. He prepares like a pro. His teammates see it and I believe it's been contagious. Really happy with his growth. It will be a challenge this week that ‘okay training camp's going to be behind us in a couple days. Now you got to prepare for an opponent,’ which will be really fun and we're looking forward to it.”

During ACC Football Kickoff in July, McKenzie emphasized that he wants to prove the naysayers wrong and show that he can be successful at this level. 

DiBiaso shared that McKenzie’s fire was one of the reasons Boston College wanted him when he decided to take his talents elsewhere.

“I think Mason sort of has heard the noise his entire life,” said DiBiaso. “He's a guy who was under recruited in high school. He had a couple opportunities to play Division II. He's had a chip on his shoulder his entire career and he’s stepped up to the occasion and that's kind of a piece [of] why we went on him when he did go in the portal. We knew we were going to get a guy who was competitive, who had a chip on his shoulder, that had something to prove and we’ve echoed that to him as well. We were his only Power Five offer when he did go in the portal… I'm sure he hears the noise, but he knows the most important thing is he's got to focus on himself and his team, and I believe he does do that. He carries himself like a pro every single day.”

Although McKenzie has made strides, there are still a couple things he still has to prove in the final days of camp and heading into the season.

“I think he's just got to prove, and we echo to him, he's the leader of this team,” said DiBiaso. “Every single time he steps in the huddle, all eyes are on him. He's got to be the driving force behind the offense. We're going to go as he goes as a unit. But he's done a great job throughout this training camp of taking care of the football. We talked about that a lot in our room that he's going to do a lot of things that you can't coach. He's going to improvise. He's going to make plays with his legs. He's going to throw from different arm angles and be like, ‘Holy cow, how did he do that?’ But I just echo to him, be yourself. Keep doing what you're doing. Good things happen to good people and he's a stud. He carries himself the right way. He does well in school. He prepares to perform and his teammates love him. I believe when we roll out there against Cincinnati, you're going to have a whole team behind that kid and it's going to show on the field.”

Boston College kicks off its 2026 campaign at Cincinnati on Saturday, Sept. 5. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

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