Takeaways from BC's 2022 Spring Roster
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher
With the start of Boston College spring ball comes a new roster. Both arrived Saturday morning. Following a 2021 season where the 85-scholarship limit was practically obsolete because of the COVID-19 waiver, there's a bunch of turnover.
Changes to BC's coaching staff became official, too.
Here at Eagle Action, we’ve sorted through the nitty gritty details and identified notable jersey swaps, position changes and newcomers.
First Things First: The Coaching Staff Is Official
Jeff Hafley - Head CoachAazaar Abdul-Rahim - Associate Head Coach/Defensive Backs
Tem Lukabu - Defensive Coordinator
John McNulty - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Dave DeGuglielmo - Offensive Line
Sean Duggan - Linebackers
Savon Huggins - Running Backs
Vince Oghobaase - Defensive Line
Steve Shimko - Tight Ends
Darrell Wyatt - Wide Receivers
Matt Thurin - Special Teams Coordinator
Phil Matusz - Head Strength and Conditioning Coach
Numbers to Know
● Sophomore WR Jaden Williams went from No. 80 to No. 0● Sophomore CB CJ Burton went from No. 0 to No. 1
● Junior LB Kam Arnold swapped his No. 27 for No. 5
● Graduate RB Alec Sinkfield has moved from No. 26 to No. 6
● Redshirt freshman RB Xavier Coleman, previously No. 28, is now No. 7
● Redshirt freshman LB Jaylen Blackwell has changed from No. 43 to No. 8
● Redshirt freshman WR Dante Reynolds has switched from No. 87 to No. 9
● Redshirt freshman CB Jalen Cheek will take Brandon Sebastian's old number, No. 10
● Redshirt freshman WR Lewis Bond will take CJ Lewis' old number, No. 11
● Maryland transfer and redshirt junior Dino Tomlin will wear No. 13
● Arizona transfer and redshirt sophomore Regen Terry will wear No. 59
● Freshman TE Jeremiah Franklin will wear No. 17
● Freshman DL Edwin Kolenge will wear No. 17
● Freshman CB Amari Jackson will wear No. 24
● Freshman P Sam Candotti will wear No. 26
● Freshman OL Noah Kahapea will wear No. 55
● Freshman OL Jude Bowry will take Zion Johnson's old number, No. 77
Position Changes
Jason Maitre: FS → CBMaitre transitioned from nickel to free safety last offseason. In 2020, he lined up on the defensive line and in the box but was in the slot for 480 of his 513 defensive snaps (93.6%), according to Pro Football Focus. He piled up five TFLs and brought down quarterbacks twice on 12 blitzes. And he allowed just a 47% completion rate. Maitre brought that versatility to the safety position, where he made 19 solo tackles and defended a trio of passes. He also notched BC's sixth-best PFF coverage grade (73.8). But a shoulder injury at Syracuse cost him the final four games of the regular season. Now, it looks like Maitre is moving back to cornerback. Keep in mind, the Eagles lost four-year starter Brandon Sebastian. BC has some options here. One is Maitre returning to nickel, and Josh DeBerry going back out wide to join Elijah Jones on the corners.
Edwin Kolenge: LB → DL
Kolenge, a three-star prospect, is a Montreal, Canada, native but wrapped up his high school career at Loomis Chaffee in Connecticut. In 10 games as a senior, he posted 29 TFLs, nine sacks, four interceptions and five forced fumbles. Kolenge is one of BC's six mid-year enrollees. At his size (6-foot-3, 232 pounds), he'll likely give the Eagles a much-needed boost off the edge. Kolenge will have a better chance to play right away on the line than he would as a linebacker, given BC's tendency to run a 4-2-5 defense and how established Kam Arnold, Vinny DePalma and Bryce Steele are in this unit.
Dwayne Allick: OL → DL
Allick flipped from the offensive line to the defensive line last season when the Eagles were paper thin in the trenches on that side of the ball. At the time, defensive Marcus Valdez was out with a hand injury. Defensive tackle Chibueze Onwuka was out for the year with an Achilles injury. Not only that, but BC had lost Max Roberts to the NFL and Luc Bequette to the portal (he went back to Cal for one final year). Allick is now officially listed as a D-Lineman. He dropped 11 pounds since last year, during which he played a total of 10 snaps in two games (versus Colgate and Wake Forest), per PFF.
Quick Hitters
QB Phil Jurkovec is listed at 214 poundsJurkovec dropped weight last season when he was out with a season-threatening fracture to his throwing hand. By the time he returned against Virginia Tech, he looked slimmer and faster, and it especially showed during his five-touchdown performance at Georgia Tech, where he rushed for three scores and made the Yellow Jackets look silly on the zone-read. The redshirt senior quarterback has cut 12 pounds since the start of last season and is hovering at the 214 mark.
OG Christian Mahogany went up 17 pounds, now is 335
Mahogany is the heaviest of the projected starting offensive linemen, and it isn't particularly close. The redshirt junior is up 17 pounds and now stands 6-foot-3, 335. It's important to note, however, that Mahogany explained after Saturday's practice that 335 isn't his game weight. He added strength this offseason but will cut weight as the regular season approaches (that's something to remember for all roster weight changes, by the way).
Mahogany registered the second-best PFF pass blocking grade (83.7) and fourth-best run blocking grade (82.4) on the team at right guard in 2021. Ahead of the 2020 campaign, Mahogany beat out veteran Nate Emer for the left guard spot. Of course, that year, Tyler Vrabel was dealing with a shoulder injury that forced him to move to right tackle. In turn, the whole line got jumbled up.
Hafley isn't done searching for transfers
The transfer portal is a touchy subject nowadays. BC head coach Jeff Hafley has made it clear over the years that he doesn't want to live in the portal. That said, he's not afraid to turn to it to fill roster holes. Even after the NCAA returned to its 85-scholarship limit, and the Eagles had to say goodbye to a horde of veterans this offseason, Hafley is still open to finding space for newcomers. If they're the right fit and the need is paramount.
"We're still looking," he said. "I'm always going to set aside some things that if we feel like we need to go get certain players/positions, we'll remain flexible to do that. So we will always be looking."
Looking for the positives in change
The narrative is different from last year. Rather than returning the entire coaching staff, BC made four additions this offseason. That meant four coaches left, too. Hafley commented on his staff's turnover Saturday morning, highlighting the pros and cons of bringing in new faces to a program.
"Do you want to lose and have staff turnover every year? No," Hafley said. "Whether it's their decision, our decision. But what you realize when you do is, there is a new energy, and you do get fresh ideas. So you got to take the positive with it. So I'm excited."
