Boston College Football Signs Former Saginaw Valley State QB Mason McKenzie

McKenzie was the 2025 GLIAC Player of the Year and 2024 Freshman of the Year.

Saginaw Valley State football (@svsu_football) via X.

Sunday evening, Boston College football signed former Saginaw Valley State (NCAA Division II) quarterback Mason McKenzie, the reigning Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Player of the Year, from the transfer portal, according to Allen Trieu of 247 Sports.

Boston College gets a commitment from Saginaw Valley State QB Mason McKenzie who talks about why he chose the Eagles and his chance to win the job.⁰⁰https://t.co/BkFC6rmIJ1 pic.twitter.com/B5nxd0FFr0

— Allen Trieu (@AllenTrieu) January 4, 2026

Third-year head coach Bill O’Brien extended an offer to McKenzie on Dec. 19, 2025, and it took just over two weeks for the 6-foot-1, 190-pound signal caller to find his new home in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

In 2025, the Caledonia, Mich., native passed for 2,086 yards and 17 touchdowns (11 interceptions) to go along with 942 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 159 attempts. The rising redshirt sophomore completed 351 of 603 pass attempts, good for a 58.2 percent completion rate.

In three years as the starter, McKenzie totaled 4,301 passing yards, 31 passing touchdowns, 1,673 rushing yards, and 18 rushing scores in his career with the Cardinals.

The addition of McKenzie was an essential pickup for the Eagles, who lost former starting quarterback Dylan Lonergan and true freshman Shaker Reisig to the transfer portal this offseason. It is highly likely that McKenzie will not be the only quarterback en route to the Heights over the next two weeks, until the transfer portal window officially closes on Jan. 16.

In 2025, Lonergan, a former Alabama transfer, led BC in all passing categories with 2,025 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and five interceptions on a completion percentage of 66.9. Reisig, meanwhile, played in just three games in 2025, amassing 141 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions through the air.

With their departures, including the graduation of redshirt senior Grayson James, BC was left with zero remaining players on its roster for 2026 that threw a pass last season.

In his interview with Trieu, McKenzie — who also previously earned his conference's Freshman of the Year honors in 2024 — stated that the program promised him that the starting job was his to lose.

"Boston College was the right choice for me because of the opportunity to play at the highest level against the best competition," McKenzie told Trieu. "While also getting great coaching and support from the staff. I also feel like playing for Coach O'Brien and being in his system gives me the best chance to play at the next level."

McKenzie had planned trips to Northwestern, Temple, and Colorado State but is no longer open to official visits.

247 Sports ranked McKenzie as the No. 52 transfer quarterback and rated him as a three-star prospect.