Report: Boston College Football Signs Second Year Buffalo Edge Transfer

The 6-foot-6, 256-pound pass rusher chose the Eagles over Ole Miss.

Paul Hokanson / Buffalo Athletics (ubbulls.com)

The Boston College Eagles football program picked up its second player of the 2026 transfer portal window on Sunday, signing Buffalo second-year edge transfer Demetrius Ballard,  according to Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer of 247 Sports.

Buffalo second-year edge transfer Demetrius Ballard has signed with Boston College, @mzenitz and @chris_hummer have learned.

He posted 12 tackles and 2.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks this year. https://t.co/ifQGBAzxh6 pic.twitter.com/wFRgRXiIUe

— 247Sports Transfer Portal (@247SportsPortal) January 4, 2026

On Friday, 247’s Allen Trieu reported that Ballard was set to take visits at both Boston College and Ole Miss, but it did not take long for the rising redshirt sophomore to choose his next destination — Chestnut Hill, Mass.

A New Kensington, Penn., native, Ballard redshirted his freshman season in 2024 after appearing in just two games. In 2025, as a redshirt freshman, Ballard registered 12 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.

His best game last year came against Bowling Green on Nov. 1, 2025, when he posted a season-high two tackles, including one tackle for loss for nine yards, and one sack for nine yards as well.

With a 6-foot-6, 256-pound frame, Ballard’s size pales in comparison to any edge rusher that played for the Eagles last year. 

At 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, former BC defensive end Quintayvious Hutchins — who is projected to declare for the 2026 National Football League (NFL) Draft after accepting an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl — would be the closest thing to Ballard, but still off by quite a substantial margin.

In fact, only a single defensive lineman on BC’s roster last season was taller than 6-foot-4 — freshman Bryce Lewis (6-foot-5, 220 lbs.) — which shows just how much of an impact Ballard will make in that realm. At the Power-Four level, size in the trenches is a necessity, and the Eagles certainly lacked an experienced player with a frame such as Ballard’s in 2025.

As a team last year, BC produced just 17 sacks for 105 yards and 46 tackles for loss for 183 yards, both of which were far below FBS average — in sacks, the Eagles ranked No. 117 out of 134, and No. 128 in tackles for loss. In 2024, former BC defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku totaled 16.5 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss on his own.

BC’s first transfer-portal signing of the 2026 offseason occurred on the day the window opened, on Jan. 2, with the addition of former Holy Cross tight end/long snapper John Owens, who played his first four collegiate seasons in Worcester, Mass.

On the opposite end of the 2026 transfer-portal period, the Eagles have lost a total of 27 players, including the likes of former starting linebacker Daveon “Bam” Crouch, defensive back Omar Thornton, wide receiver Reed Harris, running back Turbo Richard, and quarterback Dylan Lonergan.