Once new Boston College head football coach Jeff Hafley stepped up to the podium for his introductory press conference, there was an excitement in the air that hasn’t been felt in Chestnut Hill since the Matt Ryan era. Coming from powerhouse Ohio State as the defensive coordinator, Hafley is looking to make BC a Top 25 program again after moving on from the Steve Addazio era. Under Steve Addazio, the team could never get past seven wins per season. The team was in the Top 25 once under Addazio, but even then they were never considered a threat. After being one of the worst defenses last season in the country, Hafley is trying to build a defense that is faster and more aggressive than BC’s defense ever was under Steve Addazio.
So far, BC is 4-2 this season, with losses coming to #15 North Carolina and on the road in Blacksburg to Virginia Tech. However, the future is very bright in Chestnut Hill. The team has their future QB in Notre Dame transfer Phil Jurkovec. On the season so far, Jurkovec has 1,671 yards with 12 TDs and 4 INTs under new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, who is trying to turn a BC offense into a more balanced attack. They have fantastic WR depth, and have one of the best TEs in the country in Hunter Long. Long has 38 receptions on the season so far for 455 yards and 3 TDs. Long will be playing on Sundays for a long time into the future.
Meanwhile, the defense is a bit of a work in progress. New defensive coordinator Tem Lukabu is trying to turn around a group that allowed 32 points per game a season ago. So far this season, the Eagles have allowed just 25 points per game. That is a significant improvement, considering most of the personnel are the same. It is a credit to the coaching and the scheme. The defense is led by its two linebackers in Max Richardson and Isaiah McDuffie. McDuffie leads the team with 59 total tackles, with Richardson right behind him at 58 total tackles. The secondary is also much improved, as expected. Hafley came in with the reputation of being a CB guru. He coached Richard Sherman in San Francisco, and has coached Jeff Okudah, the first CB that was taken in last year's NFL Draft. BC is allowing 217 yards per game through the air through six games this season. Last season, BC allowed 285 yards per game. The secondary is led by junior Brandon Sebastian and sophomore Josh DeBerry. DeBerry has an interception and three pass breakups on the season, while Sebastian also has an interception by has seven pass breakups. DeBerry had two pass breakups all of last season.
Recruiting has also seen improvement, with the class of 2021 being ranked 38th nationally. Comparatively, BC’s 2020 recruiting class ranked 62nd nationally under Addazio. Hafley said the key to recruiting is to build relationships with recruits, while also selling them on getting them to the next level. The sky’s the limit with this program, and Jeff Hafley is the perfect coach to lead them to greater heights.
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