BC 2021 Position Overview: Defensive Backs
Andy Backstrom
Staff Writer
Jeff Hafley was brought to Boston College to shift the football program’s culture and restore its defensive identity. The latter started with revamping the secondary.
BC was abysmal against the pass in 2019. The Eagles gave up 285.5 yards per game through the air, the ninth-most in the FBS. They allowed opponents to eclipse the 300-yard mark seven times. And, on six different occasions, quarterbacks threw three or more touchdowns against BC.
The previous three years, the Eagles had four defensive backs (Justin Simmons, John Johnson, Isaac Yiadom and Kam Moore) hear their names called in the NFL Draft and two others (Lukas Denis and Hamp Cheevers) earn Walter Camp All-American honors. The exodus of talent left the secondary in the hands of Brandon Sebastian, Mike Palmer and Mehdi El Attrach.
It didn’t help that three-year defensive backs coach and 2018 co-defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile was hired away by Michigan ahead of the 2019 campaign. Campanile helped shape BC into a mini “DBU.” During his stay (2016-18), the Eagles logged 12 or more interceptions each season and ranked inside the top 50 in pass defense twice.
The drop-off was steep in 2019, not just for the backend but the entire BC defense, which was headed by former linebackers coach Bill Sheridan. BC reset its single-game record for yards allowed twice in the span of three weeks.
So when Hafley came to the Heights with seven years of experience coaching NFL defensive backs and a remarkable season as Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator—one that saw him mentor a pair of first-round cornerbacks—expectations for growth were high. And a step was indeed taken in the right direction.
BC conceded 40 fewer passing yards per game in 2020 than it had the year before, catapulting from 122nd to 82nd in pass defense. For the Eagles to be an ACC contender, though, the group will have to make a similar jump this fall.
Projected Depth Chart
Note: BC started seven of its 11 games in 2020 in a 4-2-5 base formation. This spring, second-year defensive coordinator Tem Lukabu said that the Eagles spent so much time in nickel last year because of the team’s depth on the backend, and it was conducive to the scheme he and Hafley were implementing.
“If, on a given week, we feel like, hey, we need to have these guys out there to have success, that’s what we do,” Lukabu said. “At the end of the day, with so much spread or just speed from offenses, you want to try to match athletes the best you can.”
BC’s secondary only got deeper this offseason, thanks to the arrival of former five-star safety and 2018 ESPN Freshman All-American Jaiden Lars-Woodbey from Florida State, as well as the recruitment of four-star cornerback CJ Burton.
In all likelihood, the Eagles will once again lean on their five-DB packages this fall. Even though John Lamot started four games at strongside linebacker in 2020, he played fewer than 45 snaps in all of those contests. BC mostly rode with Isaiah McDuffie and Max Richardson at the second level. Now that the duo, which respectively ranked fifth and tied for 11th nationally in total tackles last year, is gone, replacing two linebackers is a lot more manageable than returning to a 4-3-4 base.
So here’s what the depth chart could look like come September (starters in bold):
CB: Brandon Sebastian, Elijah Jones
NB: Jason Maitre, Jalen Williams
SS: Jaiden Lars-Woodbey, Jahmin Muse
FS: Deon Jones, Mike Palmer
CB: Josh DeBerry, Shawn Asbury II/CJ Burton
Biggest Questions:
Can Brandon Sebastian regain a step and be consistently reliable on the outside?
Optimism was high for Sebastian following his redshirt freshman season when he made seven starts and played in all 12 games for a much older BC defense. After some growing pains, he broke out at Virginia Tech, where he piled up a career-high 10 tackles and corralled an interception to set the stage for BC’s go-ahead, third-quarter touchdown in a game that secured College GameDay for the Eagles. That year, Sebastian notched a 75.2 coverage grade, third among BC’s corners.
Since, he has taken on a bigger role in the Eagles’ secondary, and his performance has suffered. Sebastian registered PFF coverage grades of 68.0 in 2019 and 58.4 last season while tallying the fewest snaps in 2020 of his three playing years at BC. Still, the 6-foot corner had his moments, like when he broke up five passes against Pittsburgh or when he turned a Travis Etienne fumble into a 97-yard scoop and score at top-ranked Clemson. BC needs him to be dialed in this fall, especially downfield, like he was in the back half of the 2018 season. The potential is there.
How will the coaching staff manage the workload of a veteran safety group?
It will be interesting to see how defensive backs coach—and now associate head coach—Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, Lukabu and Hafley handle the rotation of BC’s safeties. Deon Jones, Mike Palmer, Jahmin Muse and Jaiden Lars-Woodbey are all guys with significant Power Five starting experience. And while BC played much of last season with five defensive backs on the field, the Eagles were featuring three corners, not safeties, most of the time.
In a way, BC could have three safeties on the field in its base formation next year because Kam Arnold, who showed promise as a true freshman safety, has put on weight and moved down to linebacker. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Hafley’s staff slide Lars-Woodbey into a rover-like role for some series and play a 4-3-4 with two corners and two safeties. We could also see more dime packages (six defensive backs). It’s never a bad thing to have four safeties with starting chops. After all, it breeds competition—which Hafley loves—and it gives you insurance if one or two go down, which happened last season (that’s why we got to see Arnold so early).
Will CJ Burton or Shawn Asbury II see the field in 2021?
BC’s 2021 recruiting class was loaded with defensive backs. In fact, of the 26 signees, eight were listed as defensive backs. Hafley and Co. made a concerted effort to target the position group, and they ended up with a bunch of young talent, including CJ Burton, who flipped from Florida to BC. Burton checked in this spring at 160 pounds so it would make sense if the Eagles redshirted him this season, but a lot can happen between March and the end of training camp.
Shawn Asbury II was a three-star recruit, however, he popped up throughout spring practice reports, too. At the time, Abdul-Rahim noted that Asbury, a Virginia native who picked off a couple of passes in the early weeks of spring ball, is not intimidated by the collegiate ranks. He’s been playing against older competition since he was starting for North Stafford’s varsity team as a freshman. Another defensive back to keep an eye on is redshirt sophomore Jalen Williams. The 6-foot corner saw extended playing time in the regular season finale at Virginia—granted, he struggled mightily in that outing—but had two tackles and a pick in the Spring Game.
