Dirstine Is Ready for His Opportunity: ‘It’s Been a Long Time Coming’
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
Boston College offensive lineman Finn Dirstine says that his freshman year felt like an extension of high school. There were eight Lawrence Academy alums on the team, including Dirstine.
Six of those guys are gone now. Some, such as Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon, are well into the next chapter of their young careers.
For Dirstine, however, his Eagles playing days are really just starting.
“It’s been a long time coming,” the redshirt senior said during spring ball. “I’ve been blessed to have such great leaders in front of me, like Chris Lindstrom, Zion [Johnson], Ben [Petrula], Alec [Lindstrom], Tyler [Vrabel], and it’s been great to have those role models.
“Now, I just gotta step into that role model position.”
Dirstine came to BC as the No. 2 Class of 2018 recruit in Massachusetts. The top spot in the Bay State was occupied by now-Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth.
The four-star guard from Acton, Massachusetts, also had offers from the likes of Miami, Illinois and Syracuse. But he stayed local with BC.
In the process, he’s reinforced the tradition of in-state lineman committing to the Eagles. It’s apparent on BC’s offensive line, now more than ever. In addition to Dirstine, center Drew Kendall and right tackle Ozzy Trapilo are from Massachusetts. In fact, Dirstine said Kendall and Trapilo—whose fathers both played at BC—went to preschool together.
Except, while Kendall and Trapilo are seeing the field relatively early in their Eagles careers, Dirstine has had to wait. And wait. And wait some more.
He’s played a combined 54 snaps in four years at BC, according to Pro Football Focus. Dirstine redshirted the 2018 season after appearing in one game as a freshman. He took part in four games the next year, two in 2020 and another pair this past season.
“You always want to get on the field,” Dirstine said. “It's hard sometimes to wait your turn. But I'm ready now.”
Dirstine is expected to start at left guard in 2022, taking the place of projected first-round pick Zion Johnson. Dirstine played 15 snaps at right guard last year, and 14 of those came against Florida State. He earned an 87.7 PFF offensive grade in that brief appearance but allowed one pressure in five pass blocking snaps.
He’s part of a new-look offensive line that’s attempting to replace and surpass the production of a veteran Eagles group that started 34 games together across three years.
“Everyone's trying to earn their spot,” Dirstine said. “It's super competitive, but everyone wants the best for one another. Everyone's trying to come together and do the best they can.”
Dirstine is thankful for having now worked with three different offensive line coaches during his college career. He feels it’s added to his blocking repertoire and made him a more complete player.
What’s more, he loves new O-Line coach Dave DeGuglielmo, or “Coach Guge.” Dirstine believes DeGuglielmo has “the best Twitter in America” and is great at instructing fundamentals.
With the boom of the transfer portal, patience is hard to come by in today’s college football. Dirstine, though, has been patient: for his turn and for BC to break through.
In 2022, he has a chance to seize the opportunity and help the Eagles finally achieve that dream.
“I am most excited for this team,” he said. “I'm really excited to see how we do against Rutgers Week 1. And I think everything's falling into place. I'm really excited to see how it goes.”
