College football team loses 29 players to transfer portal

Syracuse, New York, USA; Boston College Eagles head coach Bill O'Brien walks off the field prior to the game against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Boston College finished the 2025 season 2–10 (1–7 ACC) in what was a down year for the program under former NFL head coach Bill O’Brien.

The Eagles had gone 7–6 in back-to-back seasons, including O’Brien’s first year in 2024 after arriving from Ohio State, where he served as the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. 

However, the 2025 campaign marked Boston College’s worst season since 2012.

Despite the disappointing results, athletic director Blake James announced that Boston College will retain O’Brien for a third season and increase its financial investment in the football program ahead of 2026.

Still, with both the offense and defense struggling to produce consistent results throughout the year, a wave of players elected to seek new opportunities via the transfer portal, including redshirt-junior wide receiver Ismael Zamor, who announced his decision to enter the portal on January 6.

Zamor, listed at 6-foot, 193 pounds, enrolled at Boston College in 2022 out of Everett (Mass.) High School, where he was rated a three-star prospect and the No. 129 wide receiver nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

He chose the Eagles over nearly a dozen other scholarship offers, including Michigan, Syracuse, Temple, Buffalo, and UMass.

Despite being viewed as an intriguing developmental prospect coming out of high school, Zamor primarily contributed on special teams during his time at Boston College, appearing in limited games and failing to record a reception across four seasons with the program. 

He now enters the transfer portal as a redshirt junior.

Aside from Zamor, who saw limited action during his time in Chestnut Hill, Boston College has now seen 29 players depart via the transfer portal, including several notable contributors. 

That group includes wide receiver Reed Harris (committed to Arizona State), running back Turbo Richard (committed to Indiana), tight end Ty Lockwood (committed to Arkansas), tight end Stevie Amar Jr. (committed to UCLA), and safety Omarion Davis (committed to Penn State), among others.

Richard was the Eagles’ leading rusher in 2025, totaling 749 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 145 carries (5.2 yards per carry), while also adding 213 receiving yards and two receiving scores. 

Harris, meanwhile, finished as the team’s second-leading receiver, recording 673 yards and a team-high five touchdowns on 39 receptions (17.3 yards per catch).

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Boston College Eagles running back Turbo Richard (2) reacts to his touchdown against the Clemson Tigers during the first half at Alumni Stadium. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

This level of turnover following a 2–10 season is significant for two primary reasons. 

First, it strips Boston College of experienced contributors across multiple position groups, most notably at the skill positions, tight end, and throughout portions of the defensive front seven and secondary.

Second, it signals a program reset of sorts, as more than two dozen players are effectively voting with their feet in search of better fits, greater stability, or clearer paths to playing time.

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