Analzying the Themes Behind BC Football's Recruiting Successes

What are the recruits saying, we analyze some of the big themes

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Boston College football recruiting has been on a torrid stretch this past season as Jeff Hafley and his crew have compiled a class that is near the top of the ACC and in the country. But what about their approach has resonated with the recruits? For today's discussion, I want to list some of the overall themes that continually pop up with the recruits. 

It will be in order from most impactful to least. This is in no way scientific, we didn't calculate what theme came up the most. But this is an overall impression that comes from the almost two dozen recruits who have committed.

Before I jump in to the list, there are a few recruiting factors that may be important at other schools, that were mentioned by a few recruits, or not at all. Those include facilities, winning a national championship and location.

Theme #5: Future of Program

Many recruits have talked about how the coaching staff has laid out their vision for the future of the football program in a way that they can see it. "Everybody has the same mindset to turn this program around, and it’s happening fast!" said Gilbert Tongrongou a defensive line commit. Many have talked about feeling that Boston College will be competing for ACC championships, and being part of that turnaround was very attractive to many of the recruits. "I know we will be competing for championships," said quarterback Peter Delaportas.

Theme #4: Preparedness for NFL or otherwise

This was a big deal for almost every recruit because Boston College set up both the defense and offense with experienced coaches with NFL track records. "I know that I’m going to have great coaching and it’s going to make me a better player," said offensive lineman Jack Funke. Not only the coaches stood out, but BC's history of getting players in the league stood out to recruits. "They have produced quality league talent the last couple years as well," running back commit Alex Broome told us. Noah Clifford, an offensive line recruit echoed his sentiment. ""What stands out to me is they produce linemen." On top of just the NFL, recruits mention that they feel ready to head out for a life outside of football.

Theme #3: Team Culture. 

The use of the term culture has come up frequently when talking with recruits. They frequently refer to it as a brotherhood or family, and visits to campus usually solidify this belief. "It shows me that they have a great culture over there," said offensive lineman Jude Bowry. But it is not just the camaraderie and tightness of the locker room. It's the sharing of a common goal that the players all have.  Running back commit CJ Clinkscales put it well, it's a "Trust and a renewed winning culture." 

Theme #2: Academics 

This theme is nothing of a surprise if you have followed the team over the past twenty years. In order to want to go to Boston College, academics have to be at least some factor. "I love Boston College to be honest, they are a great program and i love the academic part of the school," said Noah Clifford. Interestingly the new engineering school has caught the attention of some of the recruits. Defensive lineman Clive Wilson spoke to me and mentioned that was partially a factor on why he chose to go to BC. 

Theme #1: Relationship with the Staff.  

Arguably the biggest reason we have heard from almost every recruit is the staff themselves. The relationships these young recruits have made with various staff members has made a huge difference in their decisions. "Coach Hafley and Coach Gunnell kept it real with me from day one and made themselves available for my family," said CJ Clinkscales. Positional coaches have also been a big factor with Aazaar Abdul Rahim, Sean Duggan, Matt Applebaum and Vince Oghobaase being mentioned frequently. "I like Boston College because of my relationship with Coach (Tem) Lukabu. He has a great plan for me and we talked since last year," said linebacker Edwin Kolenge. 

Clearly the energy the staff is putting out is having a huge impact on the trail.