O'Brien: 'High Expectations' for Boston College Football's Kicking and Punting Units in 2026
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One of the few silver linings of Boston College football’s 2025 season, the program’s second under head coach Bill O’Brien, was the Eagles’ special teams unit.
That particularly rang true of kicker Luca Lombardo, who is returning for the 2026 season as a redshirt senior.
After beating out former kicker Liam Connor for the starting role during 2025 fall training camp, Lombardo served as BC’s starting placekicker for the entire year.
As a redshirt junior, the Westport, Conn., native had arguably the most productive season of any kicker in school history, going 16-for-17 on field-goal attempts and converting all 35 extra-point kicks that he attempted.
Lombardo was named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top placekicker, and received All-ACC Honorable-Mention honors.
In the Eagles’ 2025 home opener against Fordham, Lombardo made a 48-yarder, and he went 2-for-2 the next week at Michigan State with a 37-, and 38-yard field goal.
He then booted a career-long 51-yard field goal against Stanford on the road, but he went a step further only two weeks later, knocking in a 52-yarder against California at home.
Lombardo made two more field goals in 2025 from 45-plus yards, one against Clemson and one against UConn.
“Luca is one of the best in the country,” O’Brien said after the fourth day of BC’s 2026 spring practice. “He had a great year, and he needs to build on that. He’s got great poise. I say this all the time about him — he’s got really good poise. He’s got a great demeanor. He’s very athletic. He’s worked hard to get stronger, and I think he’s gonna have a really good year.”
While the Eagles’ punting unit was objectively less prolific than their kicking unit — BC ranked No. 10 in punting in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2025, averaging 39.1 yards per attempt — this upcoming year could be different.
That is because Andy Quinn, who came in last offseason as a true freshman, now has a year of experience under his belt.
One clear difference since 2026 spring ball started is Quinn’s muscle gain.
Quinn’s legs have visibly grown in size, and his practice punts are flying off his leg like rocket ships with perfect spirals.
“We have high expectations for him,” O’Brien said. “We think he’s really good. It’s tough inside. We got to get outside with the punt, because you hit the ceiling, so you don’t really know. But you can tell when a guy does hit it right. So he hits a lot of them right, and so he can direct it. He’s a really good athlete. He’s athletic back there, which is huge for us, and an awesome guy.”
Thank you to the former Prime Minister of Ireland @LeoVaradkar for visiting Boston College. pic.twitter.com/yheUG7Xtwv
— Boston College Football (@BCFootball) February 10, 2026
A native of Galway, Ireland, Quinn was a product of the NFL Academy in England. Before he came to the Heights, he was rated by Kohl’s Professional Kicking Camps as the No. 4 punter and No. 12 kicker in the Class of 2025.
Sports and community.
— Boston College Football (@BCFootball) March 16, 2026
Andy Quinn representing Boston College Football during the launch of Ireland’s new Sports Diplomacy Strategy as part of Minister Helen McEntee’s visit to Boston this St. Patrick’s Day pic.twitter.com/cwBCesHX4O
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Graham Dietz is a 2025 graduate of Boston College and subsequently joined Boston College On SI. He previously served as an editor for The Heights, the independent student newspaper, from fall 2021, including as Sports Editor from 2022-23. Graham works for The Boston Globe as a sports correspondent, covering high school football, girls' basketball, and baseball. He was also a beat writer for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2023.
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