Ball Hawk Kahlil Ali Was Sold on 'the People' at BC
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
New Jersey used to be the heart beat of Boston College's out-of-state recruiting pipeline. During the Steve Addazio recruiting era (2014-20), BC reeled in 29 signees from the Garden State, just as many as the Eagles brought in from their own backyard: Massachusetts. No other state came close.
It wasn't unreasonable to assume that the trend would continue when Jeff Hafley was hired in December 2019. Hafley, a well-known recruiter when he was at Pitt and Rutgers, had strong Jersey ties.
As did most of his original coaching staff—and the same goes for his current staff.
But, during the Hafley recruiting era (2021-present), BC has pulled in just five signees or commits from New Jersey. It's not that the Eagles have overlooked Jersey, it's just that they have expanded their recruiting footprint, treading uncharted waters for the program. That includes foraging the likes of Montana, Nevada and Tennessee while asserting more of a presence in powerhouse states such as Texas.
New Jersey, however, is home to BC's Class of 2022 quarterback, Peter Delaportas. And it's where three-star Pennsauken athlete Kahlil Ali, one of the Eagles' most recent Class of 2023 commits, has grown up.
The state is still very much a part of BC's recruiting profile, and Ali's decision to choose BC over 21 other schools is a reminder why.
"My homeboys that go there now—Donovan [Ezeiruaku], J Cheeks (Jalen Cheek) and Xavier [Coleman]—I spent time with all them," Ali said of his official visit in an interview with Eagle Action Monday night.
"All the Jersey guys. It was really a great time, great vibes. Nothing but laughs and just good vibes."
Ali said he and Ezeiruaku go way back. Ezeiruaku, now a sophomore defensive end for BC, and Ali's cousin, Turner Inge, were first Little League teammates and then went on to play football together at Williamstown.
"That's my guy," Ali said of BC running backs coach Savon Huggins, who was a senior standout at St. Peter's Prep when Ali's older brother was a sophomore in high school.
Ali mentioned that he and Huggins have a bunch of connections, especially off the field. In addition to Huggins, though, Ali enjoyed the company of defensive backs coach/associate head coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim and head coach Jeff Hafley.
Ali called the visit "amazing."
"Really the people there, the environment there," Ali said, "my family felt like that was the place for me. They felt like I'll be good there. They felt like they could trust Coach Hafley and them."
Ali continued: "I just like Coach Hafley and the rest of the staff. They treat me like family, they look out for me and my family. I feel like that played a big part with me choosing BC."
The 6-foot-1, 181-pound Ali is ranked the No. 9 player in New Jersey and the No. 44 athlete nationally this cycle, according to Rivals.com. His 5.7 Rivals Rating is the highest possible a three-star recruit can earn.
Ali had offers from the likes of Cincinnati, Pitt, Louisville, Florida State, Michigan State, Ole Miss and Penn State.
He officially visited Cincinnati and was scheduled to have officials at Pitt and Louisville.
That was, until he saw BC.
Less than a week later, the speedy Ali shut down his recruitment, canceled those trips and committed to BC.
"I'm really excited about going up there and working hard and just to play," Ali said. "I mean playing my freshman year and being a freshman All-American. Those are my goals right there."
Ali said BC's staff sees him as a free safety that has the ability to play by himself in the post. But Ali emphasized that BC also could move him to nickel or even corner. He said that his versatility intrigued the Eagles' coaches.
Ali plays both ways for Pennsauken. Last year, he caught 23 passes for 430 yards and nine touchdowns. If you're counting, that's one score for every 2.5 touches. Speed is a big reason why Ali is able to make that conversion possible.
And it shows up on the other side of the ball, too, where he registered 30 tackles, four TFLs, three picks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 2021.
Ali said that playing receiver helps him improve his craft as a defensive back. Defensively, he's aggressive against the pass and the run. Above all else, however, he's a ball hawk.
"When the ball is in the air, that's mine," he said.
Right now, Ali's thinking about bringing home championships for his senior season at Pennsauken. He's also looking forward to what comes after that.
Especially considering the class he's joining. A group that currently ranks 16th nationally and third in the ACC.
"I know Coach Haf and the rest of the staff is talking about how this is going to be the best class that they trying to build in history," Ali said. "Just me, just sitting back just watching the people they grabbing. And they grabbing me jumping on board.
"I feel like a lot of guys will definitely come to BC now. This shocked a lot of people, but I definitely feel that our class is going to be the best class in BC history."
