In the past few days, more Boston College football players have headed into the transfer portal. After what was just a few losses with Dylan Lonergan, Bam Crouch, and some other depth players on defense,
it now seems like the trickle has turned into a steady stream of departures. In just the past few days, BC has lost star RB Turbo Richard, WR Reed Harris, and safeties Omar Thornton and Omarion Davis.
None of these players by themselves will break the back of BC’s football team. The back was already broken with their 2-10 record this season. But the loss of so much depth on defense, plus top playmakers on offense, leaves a lot of work to be done by the Boston College staff to rebuild this team back to bowl eligibility. Can they do it?
The addition of Kenyatta Watson as general manager cannot be understated. BC’s transfers from last offseason made minimal impact, other than maybe Dylan Lonergan, depending on how you want to define “impact.” Getting an experienced GM in the door who is very familiar with BC’s strengths and weaknesses is a huge step forward for roster building. Now that BC also has the full revenue distribution model at its disposal, too, they should be able to compete for players at full capacity.
It still remains to be seen what exactly is BC’s “full capacity” in roster building, though. Eagles fans know all too well that the school is in the middle-back of the pack in the ACC, nevermind in college athletics as a whole, when it comes to financial support for athletics. They have the resources to get and retain important pieces when it really matters, but not so much to offer star recruits who can be lured away from programs that have a true wealth of resources. Watson & O’Brien’s staff are going to have to succeed in the traditional BC way: identifying “under-the-radar” players that can flourish with a bigger opportunity.
They could be star players from the G5 looking to play in a better conference. They could be back-ups from bigger schools that are looking for more playing time. Wherever they come from, BC needs a LOT of help. Luckily for them, the transfer portal reportedly has over 1,400 players in it already. A lot of opportunity to hit on some hidden gems.
It all starts with the trenches. For years BC has built its identity on its offensive line, but that reputation has wavered over the past several seasons. Despite all of his flaws, former head coach Steve Addazio was the last head coach to really emphasize this aspect of the program, and I’m hoping BOB can get back to that. BC also had much more success under O’Brien two seasons ago when the defensive line was performing at a high level. But roster management failed the DL this season and once Quintayvious Hutchins got hurt, there was really nothing to be said about it. Finding good linemen in the portal this offseason is the perfect way kickstart a rebuild.
And of course, BC needs a quarterback. Grayson James is graduating and Dylan Lonergan has entered the portal, which leaves Boston College with Shaker Reisig. Reisig is a rising sophomore and former 3-star recruit out of Oklahoma who saw limited game action this season, throwing 10/19, 141 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs in three games. He may end up being a serviceable signal-caller, but the Eagles would be much better off if they can find a veteran QB in the transfer portal.
Overall, it’s a disappointment to lose so many players to the transfer portal, but it’s not shocking. This is a new era of college football where teams are built and rebuilt every offseason. Despite the 2-10 record, I really enjoyed watching Turbo and Harris make plays this season and I will miss them. I thought they could’ve been really great Eagles if they stuck it out here, but I understand their desire to find a program that’s in better shape. As for the losses on defense, I’m not going to lose sleep over losing any player that contributed to one of the worst defensive seasons for BC in recent memory. The players that BC will get back in the portal should at least be on a similar skill level, and potentially better.
All we fans have left to do now is hope that this staff can learn from past mistakes, and that the additions of a GM and a new defensive coordinator can start to turn things around. We only have a handful of seasons while BC still gets to play in a power conference, and I’d love to see them win something of meaning while they’re still here.
