Takeaways from BC’s Updated 2020 Roster
Andy Backstrom
Staff Writer
No one has any idea about what kind of college football we’ll be getting in 2020, if it even happens in the first place. But we now know what Boston College will look like. Well, on paper.
The Eagles released their updated 2020 roster on Wednesday, which includes nine freshman walk-ons, as well as four key transfers, and several notable jersey number changes.
For any uniform aficionados, here are some important number updates:
● Ohio State transfer wide receiver Jaelen Gill will wear No. 1.
● Maryland transfer safety Deon Jones will wear No. 5—the same number as Notre Dame transfer quarterback Phil Jurkovec.
● Graduate student defensive tackle Chibueze Onwuka will wear No. 93.
● Four-star offensive lineman Ozzy Trapilo will wear No. 70.
● Four-star offensive lineman Kevin Pyne will wear No. 75.
● Four-star linebacker Korey Smith will wear No. 54.
● Redshirt sophomore cornerback Elijah Jones swapped his No. 20 for No. 1.
● Sophomore defensive end Shitta Sillah went from No. 47 to No. 11.
● Redshirt sophomore wideout Jehlani Galloway took Anthony Brown’s old No. 13.
The walk-on class is headlined by wide receiver Jacob Kraft, the grandson of Patriots owner Robert Kraft. The 5-foot-9 wideout played his high school ball at Dexter Southfield in Brookline, where he hauled in 41 passes for 447 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior. A couple other local walk-ons include quarterback Andrew Landry and wide receiver Will Prouty.
Landry is a 6-foot-5 gunslinger from Newton North High School, which, of course, is just a four-minute drive from BC’s Newton Campus. This past year, he threw for 2,357 yards and 23 touchdowns, while leading the Tigers to the MIAA South Sectional Championship. Prouty, on the other hand, was a do-it-all, three-sport athlete at Duxbury High School. A four-year football and lacrosse player, the 6-foot-2 Prouty accumulated 58 total touchdowns on the gridiron (21 passing, 21 rushing, and 16 receiving).
As far as returning players are concerned, Brandon Sebastian’s brother Bryce was moved from wide receiver to defensive back. Part of that change could be attributed to physical maturity, as Bryce is now listed at 5-foot-11, 170, a stark difference from last year’s roster, which had him at 5-foot-9, 160. Another change, maybe less surprising, is that Joey Luchetti is officially part of the tight end room. Last year, the Wayland, Mass. native started six games at defensive end and recorded five TFLs, including a sack in the season opener. But he was moved to tight end for the Eagles’ Nov. 2 matchup at Syracuse when injuries had BC hurting at the position.
One other minor note: Tito Pasqualoni, the son of former Eagles defensive line coach and current special assistant at Florida Paul Pasqualoni, was moved from tight end to long snapper. The starting long snapping position, however, will likely go to TCU graduate transfer Donovan Cahill, who made his collegiate debut back in the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl.
As with any team-issued roster update, there are noteworthy weight fluctuations for players who have either gained or dropped weight for the upcoming season.
Let’s start with the defensive line. Nose tackle TJ Rayam cut 10 pounds, going from 300 to 290. Likewise, Kyiev Bennermon, who competed with Rayam for the starting nose tackle role at the start of the 2019 campaign, lowered his weight from 300 to 285. Redshirt junior defensive end Marcus Valdez shedded seven pounds from last season and now clocks in at 258. And Sillah bulked up, making the jump from 235 to 245. Both of those adjustments are encouraging for an Eagles pass rush that ranked second-to-last in the ACC in sacks.
Flip to the other side of the ball, and two of BC’s most important playmakers made some changes to their physique. Speedy receiver Zay Flowers added eight pounds, upping his weight to a sturdier 178. That extra poundage could help Flowers fight through contact when up against bigger defensive backs, not to mention in the blocking game, too. Perhaps most notably, running back David Bailey measured in at 236, marking the second straight year the bruising tailback has cut weight. Last year, Bailey was 240. The year before that, he was 245.
The five pounds Bailey eliminated before the 2019 season certainly paid dividends. He led BC with 5.7 yards per carry and demonstrated bell cow potential, eclipsing the 170-yard mark on two separate occasions. Bailey showed an increased burst in speed and also nabbed 10 balls out of the backfield, recording 94 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.
Bailey, Flowers, and a number of other Eagles appear to be in tip-top shape. The question remains how long they’ll have to maintain that status before they actually see game action.
Andy Backstrom
Staff Writer
No one has any idea about what kind of college football we’ll be getting in 2020, if it even happens in the first place. But we now know what Boston College will look like. Well, on paper.
The Eagles released their updated 2020 roster on Wednesday, which includes nine freshman walk-ons, as well as four key transfers, and several notable jersey number changes.
For any uniform aficionados, here are some important number updates:
● Ohio State transfer wide receiver Jaelen Gill will wear No. 1.
● Maryland transfer safety Deon Jones will wear No. 5—the same number as Notre Dame transfer quarterback Phil Jurkovec.
● Graduate student defensive tackle Chibueze Onwuka will wear No. 93.
● Four-star offensive lineman Ozzy Trapilo will wear No. 70.
● Four-star offensive lineman Kevin Pyne will wear No. 75.
● Four-star linebacker Korey Smith will wear No. 54.
● Redshirt sophomore cornerback Elijah Jones swapped his No. 20 for No. 1.
● Sophomore defensive end Shitta Sillah went from No. 47 to No. 11.
● Redshirt sophomore wideout Jehlani Galloway took Anthony Brown’s old No. 13.
The walk-on class is headlined by wide receiver Jacob Kraft, the grandson of Patriots owner Robert Kraft. The 5-foot-9 wideout played his high school ball at Dexter Southfield in Brookline, where he hauled in 41 passes for 447 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior. A couple other local walk-ons include quarterback Andrew Landry and wide receiver Will Prouty.
Landry is a 6-foot-5 gunslinger from Newton North High School, which, of course, is just a four-minute drive from BC’s Newton Campus. This past year, he threw for 2,357 yards and 23 touchdowns, while leading the Tigers to the MIAA South Sectional Championship. Prouty, on the other hand, was a do-it-all, three-sport athlete at Duxbury High School. A four-year football and lacrosse player, the 6-foot-2 Prouty accumulated 58 total touchdowns on the gridiron (21 passing, 21 rushing, and 16 receiving).
As far as returning players are concerned, Brandon Sebastian’s brother Bryce was moved from wide receiver to defensive back. Part of that change could be attributed to physical maturity, as Bryce is now listed at 5-foot-11, 170, a stark difference from last year’s roster, which had him at 5-foot-9, 160. Another change, maybe less surprising, is that Joey Luchetti is officially part of the tight end room. Last year, the Wayland, Mass. native started six games at defensive end and recorded five TFLs, including a sack in the season opener. But he was moved to tight end for the Eagles’ Nov. 2 matchup at Syracuse when injuries had BC hurting at the position.
One other minor note: Tito Pasqualoni, the son of former Eagles defensive line coach and current special assistant at Florida Paul Pasqualoni, was moved from tight end to long snapper. The starting long snapping position, however, will likely go to TCU graduate transfer Donovan Cahill, who made his collegiate debut back in the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl.
As with any team-issued roster update, there are noteworthy weight fluctuations for players who have either gained or dropped weight for the upcoming season.
Let’s start with the defensive line. Nose tackle TJ Rayam cut 10 pounds, going from 300 to 290. Likewise, Kyiev Bennermon, who competed with Rayam for the starting nose tackle role at the start of the 2019 campaign, lowered his weight from 300 to 285. Redshirt junior defensive end Marcus Valdez shedded seven pounds from last season and now clocks in at 258. And Sillah bulked up, making the jump from 235 to 245. Both of those adjustments are encouraging for an Eagles pass rush that ranked second-to-last in the ACC in sacks.
Flip to the other side of the ball, and two of BC’s most important playmakers made some changes to their physique. Speedy receiver Zay Flowers added eight pounds, upping his weight to a sturdier 178. That extra poundage could help Flowers fight through contact when up against bigger defensive backs, not to mention in the blocking game, too. Perhaps most notably, running back David Bailey measured in at 236, marking the second straight year the bruising tailback has cut weight. Last year, Bailey was 240. The year before that, he was 245.
The five pounds Bailey eliminated before the 2019 season certainly paid dividends. He led BC with 5.7 yards per carry and demonstrated bell cow potential, eclipsing the 170-yard mark on two separate occasions. Bailey showed an increased burst in speed and also nabbed 10 balls out of the backfield, recording 94 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.
Bailey, Flowers, and a number of other Eagles appear to be in tip-top shape. The question remains how long they’ll have to maintain that status before they actually see game action.
