Boston College Commits React to Viral Bill O'Brien Blow Up

Take a look at what members of the Eagles' 2026 recruiting class had to say about their future coach's display of emotion.

Sep 13, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Boston College Eagles head coach Bill O'Brien yells before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

As you are likely already aware if you are reading this, Boston College head coach Bill O'Brien has made the rounds of social media this week in response to an answer from his Wednesday press conference ahead of the Eagles' home showdown with SMU.

Mike Gualtieri, a play by play broadcaster and podcast host based in the New England area, was in attendance of O'Brien's presser this week, and sparked the now viral response from the second year head coach.

Gualtieri posed a question to O'Brien regarding the results of the season so far, inquiring on if he has any sort of message to any fans who may be disappointed at this point of the year.

O'Brien responded, showing off a bit of fiery passion, and, well, the clip speaks for itself.

My POV from yesterday’s press conference is below.

I love Boston College and BC Sports. I am a proud graduate Class of 2008, where I was a four year Student Manager for Al Skinner and BC Men’s Basketball.

I started my podcast , https://t.co/HGNmHpXdel in 2017 to gain… pic.twitter.com/rVO1Giqqlg

— Mike Gualtieri (@mike_gualtieri) November 5, 2025

He said, again in a fiery tone, "I'm glad you're down. I'm not down, nobody's down. We're fighting. We're competing. It's the second year of this program."

O'Brien reiterated, "I'm not down."

Gesturing toward the reporter who posed the question, he continued, "I don't know what year you graduated from [Boston College], but this is a program that we're building. Nobody here is down. We are positive. We're gonna show up and play our a---s off again SMU."

"You can go out there in your dark clouded world or whatever it is and do what you wanna do, but we're not down. The sun is up, and we're fighting. That's my message to the fans."

While some were quick to criticize the coach for his response, many took notice of his clear intensity, and appreciated it. Specifically, four members of the Eagles' 2026 recruiting class were fans of their future coach showing a bit of emotion.

3-Star defensive lineman Jackson Carlisle, who committed to the Eagles in June of this year, said to Boston College Eagles on SI, "The passion and fire behind his words drove me! It reminds me of vintage coaching that I feel like has diminished with the introduction of NIL deals."

The Tuscaloosa, Alabama native continued, "You can’t do anything but respect what he is saying. I understand the frustration for the fans, but this is coach’s second season with [Boston College] and sometimes it takes a minute to introduce a new culture and get his guys on the roster. Props to coach!"

Wideout Kelvin Brown, Jr. also shared his reaction, relaying a similar sentiment as his future teammates. He said, "As coach O'Brien said, nobody is down. I believe the things he's doing is going to come together and he's going to turn this program around. I love it."

3-Star tight end William "Tex" Vaughn also chimed in on the video, saying simply, "I feel the same way as coach O'Brien. It's only the beginning."

Gavin Neil, a 3-Star defensive lineman from Marian Catholic High School in Chicago, said,"The sun is still shining! I love what coach said and I think everything will get better next year!"

With less than 30 days until the early signing period opens up for football, Boston College has 26 commitments, and holds a top 50 class in the nation. While the on field results for O'Brien this season have certainly taken a step back from expectations, the future continues to look bright in Chestnut Hill.