Three Former Boston College Football Defensive Starters Sign With New Programs
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Since Boston College football’s 2025 campaign concluded with a road win over Syracuse on Nov. 29, 2025, the Eagles lost 31 total players to the transfer portal, which opened officially on Jan. 2 and closed Friday at midnight.
In the past 48 hours, three of those players, linebacker Bryce Steele, defensive end Edwin Kolenge, and defensive tackle Owen Stoudmire, committed to a new program.
On Friday, Steele announced on Instagram he was transferring to Troy, while Stoudmire declared on X he committed to Nebraska. On Thursday, Kolenge’s agency confirmed with multiple outlets that he signed with Vanderbilt.
As a redshirt junior in 2025, Kolenge — a Montreal, Quebec, native — played in all 12 games for BC with 10 starts at defensive end. He racked up 31 total tackles, five quarterback hits, and one sack.
He also received the Swede Nelson Award by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston for outstanding sportsmanship, and academic and athletic excellence.
In 2024, Kolenge saw action in nine games on defense and special teams. He made 13 appearances in 2023 as a redshirt freshman, totaling 12 tackles with two tackles for loss and a sack.
Boston College DE Edwin Kolenge has entered the portal with 2 years of eligibility, his agency @thebizofathlete tells ESPN. The 6-foot-3, 252-pound Kolenge had 31 tackles and a sack this season, starting 10 games, and 51 career tackles and 3 sacks. pic.twitter.com/iYfhAghWlr
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) January 12, 2026
Steele, the Eagles’ 2025 Brian Piccolo Award recipient, was forced to miss all of his junior season in 2023 after recording 51 tackles with 24 solos and 5.5 tackles for loss in 2022 due to a cancer battle that could have ended his career.
It did not, however, and Steele miraculously returned to play in four games in 2024 as a redshirt junior, making eight tackles. Last season, the 2025 Comeback Player of the Year winner made 11 appearances with two starts at linebacker. He garnered 16 tackles, one fumble recovery, one pass break-up, and one quarterback hit.
Stoudmire started all three games he was active for as a redshirt senior in 2025, but he sustained a season-ending injury after the Eagles’ home loss to California on Sept. 27.
🏠 #GOBIGRED pic.twitter.com/9pO0YeFc0U
— Owen Stoudmire (@Owen_Stoudmire) January 17, 2026
He finished the season with only two tackles after accumulating 30 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and two quarterback hurries in 2024. Stoudmire was also the last player from BC to enter the transfer portal this offseason, doing so right before the deadline on Wednesday.
2026 Boston College Football Transfer Portal Losses:
- TE Ty Lockwood - Arkansas
- DB Ashton McShane - Liberty
- LB Daveon “Bam Crouch - Kansas
- DL Edwin Kolenge - Vanderbilt
- WR Reed Harris - Arizona State
- RB Turbo Richard - Indiana
- TE Stevie Amar Jr. - UCLA
- WR Cedric Lott Jr. - Incarnate Word
- DL Ty Clemons
- OL Jack Funke - Bryant
- WR/RB Datrell Jones - Holy Cross
- LB Jason Hewlett Jr.
- QB Dylan Lonergan - Rutgers
- DL Sterling Sanders
- OL Jadon Lafontant - Rhode Island
- WR Nate Johnson III
- OL Eryx Daugherty - Louisville
- DE Jayden Fry - Sam Houston
- DB Omarion Davis - Penn State
- TE Matt Ragan (former player, 2022-24) - UConn
- LB Tim Hays
- DB Omar Thornton - Miami
- WR Semaj Fleming - App State
- QB Shaker Reisig - Texas State
- LB Bryce Steele - Troy
- RB Alex Broome
- LB Jaylen Blackwell
- OL Ryan Mickow - Tulane
- WR Ismael Zamor
- DB Amari Jackson - Maryland
- DT Owen Stoudmire - Nebraska
2026 Boston College Transfer Portal Additions:
- Justin Medlock | Senior | Linebacker | Missouri City, Texas | 6-0, 223 | Previous School: SMU/Utah
- Landon Wright | Redshirt Freshman | Wide Receiver | Fresno, Calif. | 5-11, 173 | Previous School: Washington State
- Bryce LaFollette | Redshirt Junior | Punter | Chesapeake Beach, Md. | 6-3, 210 | Previous School: Towson/Virginia Tech
- Jani Norwood | Redshirt Freshman | Offensive Lineman | Ramsuer, N.C. | 6-4, 290 | Previous School: UNC
- Vegeur Jean Jumeau | Offensive Tackle | Nashville, Tenn. | 6-8, 288 | Previous School: Tennessee State
- Kris Jones | Freshman | Linebacker | Stafford, Va. | 6-2, 230 | Previous School: Georgia
- Christian Hudson | Defensive Tackle | Daytona Beach, Fla. | 6-1, 300 | Previous School: Colorado
- Bodie Kahoun | Redshirt Freshman | Linebacker | Roanoke, Va. | 6-2, 230 | Previous School: Notre Dame
- Chandler Jordan | Freshman | Defensive Back | Suwannee, Ga. | 6-3, 220 | Previous School: Georgia State
- Reed Swanson | Junior | Wide Receiver | Glen Gardner, N.J. | 6-6, 215 | Previous School: Colgate
- Cameron Kossmann | Freshman | Tight End | Chesterfield, Mo. | 6-4, 245 | Previous School: Florida
- Trevon Humphrey Jr. | Redshirt Junior | Offensive Lineman | Greensboro, N.C. | 6-5, 295 | Previous School: North Carolina Central
- Grayson Wilson | Redshirt Freshman | Quarterback | North Little Rock, Ark. | 6-3, 215 | Previous School: Arkansas
- Nolan Ray | Redshirt Freshman | Running Back | Southfield, Mich. | 5-11, 215 | Previous School: Maryland
- Kameron Howard | Redshirt Sophomore | Defensive Back | Clinton, Md. | 5-11, 195 | Previous School: Alabama/Charlotte
- Kevyn Humes | Junior | Defensive Back | Baltimore, Md. | 6-0, 185 | Previous School: Maryland
- Evan Dickens | Redshirt Junior | Running Back | Roswell, Ga. | 5-11, 195 | Previous School: Liberty
- Kristian Phillips | Redshirt Junior | Offensive Lineman | Conyers, Ga. | 6-4, 310 | Previous School: Michigan State
- KJ Sampson | Redshirt Freshman | Defensive Lineman | New Bern, N.C. | 6-3, 306 | Previous School: Florida State
- Jackson Wade | Redshirt Sophomore | Wide Receiver | Dallas, Ga. | 5-11, 185 | Previous School: Florida
- Reggie Jackson | Redshirt Sophomore | Offensive Lineman | Orlando, Fla. | 6-5, 300 | Previous School: Jacksonville State
- Javarius Green | Redshirt Freshman | Wide Receiver | Shelby, N.C. | 5-10, 195 | Previous School: UNC
- Anthony Palano | Redshirt Freshman | Linebacker | Arlington Heights, Ill. | 6-1, 224 | Previous School: Washington State
- Mason McKenzie | Redshirt Sophomore | Quarterback | Caledonia, Mich. | 6-1, 190 | Previous School: Saginaw Valley State
- Demetrius Ballard | Redshirt Freshman | EDGE | New Kensington, Penn. | 6-6, 256 | Previous School: Buffalo
- John Owens | Redshirt Senior | Long Snapper / Tight End | Tampa, Fla. | 6-3, 245 | Previous School: Holy Cross
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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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