Longtime Teammates Bond, Reynolds Ready to Share the Field at BC
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher
Reserved, quiet, off to the side. That’s what Boston College wide receiver Dante Reynolds remembers of longtime teammate Lewis Bond when they first met as freshmen at Kenwood Academy in the South Side of Chicago.
They played together on a 7-on-7 team and then spent the rest of their high school careers sharing the field and, eventually, starring for Kenwood.
The duo had “completely different recruiting processes,” as Bond was offered mostly as an all-purpose back while Reynolds was recruited purely as a receiver.
Nevertheless, they both ended up committing to BC, where they enrolled last spring and continued to grow their connection.
“I’ve known him for a while,” Bond said of Reynolds. “That’s like, I’d say, my best friend here.”
Bond, who has solely played wide receiver since arriving in Chestnut Hill, had two catches for 36 yards in last year’s spring game. His stats would have looked even better had his toe-tapping, end zone grab been called a touchdown.
Bond thought he was in. Hafley was impressed.
“I thought that catch was ridiculous,” Hafley said at the time. “He just finds a way to get open, and he really has great hands and catches the ball. It seems like the quarterbacks really like throwing to him.”
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.
The 5-foot-10, 188-pounder 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.
“Lewis, I’ve always believed in since the moment he’s been here,” Hafley said earlier this spring. “He’s a really fluid guy.”
Unlike Bond, Reynolds didn’t see the field as a wide receiver last year. He played a bit of special teams, but that was it.
Not getting a shot immediately was hard for Reynolds, especially after COVID-19’s bind on high school football. He chose BC because of the relationships he built with Hafley and the assistants that recruited him.
“It was very difficult,” Reynolds said. “I really thought I was going to come in and be able to play right away. But I wasn't in the playbook as much as I should have been. So that kind of set me back. And I had to deal with it because those are my actions. But it was kind of tough.”
Reynolds did make an impression while playing for the scout team, though.
“I thought he was really coming along at the end of the year and would have liked to see him play in the bowl game,” Hafley said.
Of course, the Military Bowl was canceled because of COVID-19 complications and opt outs within the Eagles’ program so Reynolds didn’t get that opportunity.
Reynolds—who also stands 5-foot-10, 188 pounds—has focused this offseason on understanding offensive coordinator John McNulty’s scheme to a T. He wants to make sure he always knows what’s going on. That way, when his number’s called, he can get the job done.
Bond and Reynolds have been mostly working with the second unit this spring. Them being alongside each other is an added advantage, Reynolds said, because of the chemistry they fostered back in Chicago. When one receiver misses a play signal, the other has their back.
“They definitely made a jump coming into spring,” redshirt junior wide receiver Jaelen Gill said of Bond and Reynolds. “Coach Wyatt definitely helped out a lot. They matured a little bit, too.”
Hafley has noticed increased comfort and confidence levels among the pairing. Although he acknowledges Bond and Reynolds have a “long way to go,” he thinks both will be contributors this season, and he likes “where they’re at.”
Bond and Reynolds have the same underlying goal for 2022.
“Just to get on the field a lot,” Bond said.
