Whose Stock Is Up After the Spring Season?
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
Phil Jurkovec and Zay Flowers are the faces of Boston College football. Jaiden Woodbey and Josh DeBerry are the heartbeat of the Eagles' defense.
Christian Mahogany could be next in BC's rich tradition of NFL offensive linemen.
But what about some of the lesser-known names?
Here at Eagle Action, we're examining five players who are the rise after spring ball.
1. RB Xavier Coleman, R-Fr.
Xavier Coleman is listed at running back, but he's so much more than that. What he really is, is an athlete. The 5-foot-7, 179-pound playmaker lined up at both running back and wide receiver at Lenape High School in Medford, New Jersey. He was first-team all-state with nine touchdowns during the COVID-19-affected 2020 season. The year before that, he popped off with 26 total touchdowns and 1,567 all-purpose yards. Coleman did everything, even taking direct snaps and punt/kick returns to the house.He carried that versatility over to BC, where he emerged as a weapon in spring practice last year as a mid-year enrollee. Coleman got some run in the spring game, but then a knee injury set him back. He played just 12 snaps across three non-conference games in 2021 before redshirting his freshman season. Again, Coleman turned heads in spring ball this year, only this time in new offensive coordinator John McNulty's system. The hard work paid off in the spring game when he cashed in on a scramble drill with Jurkovec for a 47-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
A healthier and more experienced Coleman is expected to be used all over in 2022.
2. CB Amari Jackson, Fr.
Sione "Riz" Hala was BC's biggest get in the secondary this past recruiting cycle. After all, the four-star safety/linebacker hybrid mirrors Woodbey—they even share the same high school alma mater: St. John Bosco in Bellflower, California. But the Eagles only brought in a pair of true defensive backs from the Class of 2022. One of them was cornerback Amari Jackson, who could wind up making an immediate impact for BC: if not on defense, maybe on special teams.Remember, this is what head coach Jeff Hafley said when Jackson signed back in December:
"I think he's going to be a star. I mean, he is a twitched up, good-sized kid who can run, cover. He's got ball skills, he's tough, he can catch the ball. He could probably play offense or defense. Eventually he might do both down the road. That's how talented I think he is."
BC fended off Tennessee for the signing of Jackson, a McDonough, Georgia, native. He flashed in spring ball, drawing praise from veteran players while making diving interceptions and even lining up as a punt returner.
3. WR Dante Reynolds/Lewis Bond, Rr-Fr.
It's not really fair to group these two together all the time because their mannerisms and personalities are pretty different. But they're best friends, they both came from Kenwood Academy in Chicago, they both enrolled early last year, and, while neither saw much of the field in 2021, both are part of the Eagles' future at the wide receiver position.Bond ended up playing 16 snaps in 2021, per Pro Football Focus. He was in for 14 total pass plays, including a combined 12 against North Carolina State and Syracuse.
Bond was in the slot for all but one of the pass plays he participated in. All in all, though, he was targeted twice—both times versus the Wolfpack during BC’s Homecoming game—and he made one catch for six yards.
Reynolds' playing time, on the other hand, was limited to special teams. That said, Hafley said this spring that he was planning on having Reynolds make his collegiate debut at wide receiver during the Military Bowl, which, of course, was canceled.
But Reynolds had five grabs for 58 yards in this year's spring game. And Bond had a 19-yard reception. They should find there way onto the two-deep in 2022.
4. DE Donovan Ezeiruaku, So.
Donovan Ezeiruaku started 2021 fast. At the age of 17, he was establishing himself off the edge in the absence of then-injured veteran defensive end Marcus Valdez and the Eagles' sack leader from the year before, Max Roberts.Ezeiruaku logged a pair of tackles, including his first-ever TFL, in BC's season-opening blowout of Colgate. Two weeks later, he registered his first career sack at Temple. In those two games combined, he piled up nine pressures, per PFF.
Between Week 4 and Week 12, though, he didn't record a single pressure, despite participating in 51 pass rushing snaps. This coming season, he wants to get back to being the athlete BC recruited him to be. He could challenge for Valdez's starting spot. Either way, he'll play significant snaps in 2022.
Don't be surprised if he's BC's sack leader. He's only 6-foot-2, 236 pounds, but he has a ton of burst.
5. TE George Takacs, Gr.
We know Jurkovec likes having a big target in the middle of the field. First it was Hunter Long. Then it was Trae Barry. George Takacs could be that guy in 2022.For one, he's got the frame. At 6-foot-6, 247 pounds, Takacs fits the bill. Plus, Jurkovec is familiar with him already. They were both in the same 2018 recruiting class at Notre Dame.
Takacs stuck around in South Bend longer than Jurkovec yet was overshadowed by Michael Mayer, an All-American who notched the third-most receptions by any tight end last year. Takacs made eight catches for 78 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 29 games with the Fighting Irish.
"Once he entered the portal, that was a guy that Coach McNulty had coached and had been around and had spoken really highly of," Hafley said. "Is he gonna fit the locker room? And can he help us? He answered yes to all those questions."
McNulty worked with Takacs during his time as Notre Dame's tight ends coach, so he knows Takacs' skill set well, too. Takacs might not put up Long numbers, but it wouldn't be surprising for him to at least match Barry's stats from 2021.
