Here's what I know about this past weekend's visitors.
2017 commitments Kwity Paye and Devan Lawson were apparently on campus. A side point here -- I'm told originally BC was just going to use one spot for a hybrid pass-catching tight end type, and that was obviously Lawson. But Patrick Brown's commitment was taken after the staff got a closer look and better evaluation of him, and they want to go all-in on bringing in better pass-catchers with those big frames who can block. I'm all but certain they're done with players in that mold now, but still was a bit of a surprise even for some at BC when they took a second player like that.
I'm not sure what days these guys were up but I've heard that Michael Palmer (who's added some weight and is up to 180 or 185, I've heard), Brandon Barlow and Adam Korutz are among the 2016 signees that have been at BC recently for spring practices and prep.
Other visitors ...
2017 receiver Cameron Jordan from Half Hollow Hills, New York. I'm told he's probably 6'3, in the ballpark of 195 pounds, and is physically impressive. I'm also told that Boston College did offer him while he was on campus. The staff loves his size and they really feel like they need somebody with that kind of build at receiver, and they feel they're lacking in that area a little bit. However, it's a bit nuanced as the offer is apparently 'conditional' on him showing up for camping and doing what they expect him to do. Kind of a placeholder type deal where he can't just commit on the spot. I don't think any other schools are on him hard right now, so they can be a little patient and can afford this approach.
Three-star 2017 linebacker Isaiah McDuffie from Buffalo (N.Y.) Bennett is committed to Syracuse but he visited BC over the weekend as well. His commitment to Syracuse might not be the obstacle one might imagine, because his ties are almost exclusively to the previous Orange regime and he apparently doesn't even know the new staff members all that well. So this could be a free for all that's more of an open recruitment than a closed one. Source told me he seemed to have a good time visiting with his father, godfather and godfather's son, and it was a bit of an eye-opening trip that piqued his interest.
Olakunle Fatukasi -- he visited, too. He's from Grand Street Campus in Brooklyn, New York, and you can check out his Hudl highlights here. I'm told religion and academics are two big factors that could weigh heavily in BC's favor, or at least that's the read on the dynamics below the surface right now. He's pretty big for a linebacker, about 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, and what BC's coaches like about him is that he could play Mike, Sam or Will. Any of the linebacker positions in BC's scheme. BC offered Fatukasi and I'm told the staff pretty well knew they were likely to do that before he arrived, so they've known about him for a little while. Interesting nugget: Paul Pasqualoni offered his brother and coached his brother when he was at UConn, so there's a key relationship there. He's got an offer from UConn and one from Rutgers. Florida and LSU have showed some interest, too. The belief is people are going to catch wind of him this spring and his stock could rise a lot. But BC's in great shape.
Patrick Brown visited as well, of course -- the committed tight end.
I asked around about Brown and came across some interesting stuff on him. "You can't have enough big athletic guys like him," one person told me. I think BC knows the offensive transition involves a steep learning curve, and they've got to get the right personnel across the board but they also might need to flood the zone at a couple of niche spots on the field so they can build an identity. Getting a couple of guys like Brown and Dawson takes a spot away from positions elsewhere, but makes it much more likely that at least one good athlete at that spot will pan out long-term. He can play that Y position and runs routes pretty well for a big guy.
One final point, not on visitors this past weekend but on potential visitors for the spring game-- this might be tempering expectations a little bit but I'm told that Steve Addazio is not hyping the spring game as some blockbuster recruiting event. With so much transition this offseason he wants the coaches to mostly focus on coaching instead of dividing their attention between 20 guys they've convinced to visit. "He's not going to turn guys away of course," I was told, "But he's not pushing for it to be a huge thing. He doesn't want it to be a circus and wants to focus on the task at hand."
2017 commitments Kwity Paye and Devan Lawson were apparently on campus. A side point here -- I'm told originally BC was just going to use one spot for a hybrid pass-catching tight end type, and that was obviously Lawson. But Patrick Brown's commitment was taken after the staff got a closer look and better evaluation of him, and they want to go all-in on bringing in better pass-catchers with those big frames who can block. I'm all but certain they're done with players in that mold now, but still was a bit of a surprise even for some at BC when they took a second player like that.
I'm not sure what days these guys were up but I've heard that Michael Palmer (who's added some weight and is up to 180 or 185, I've heard), Brandon Barlow and Adam Korutz are among the 2016 signees that have been at BC recently for spring practices and prep.
Other visitors ...
2017 receiver Cameron Jordan from Half Hollow Hills, New York. I'm told he's probably 6'3, in the ballpark of 195 pounds, and is physically impressive. I'm also told that Boston College did offer him while he was on campus. The staff loves his size and they really feel like they need somebody with that kind of build at receiver, and they feel they're lacking in that area a little bit. However, it's a bit nuanced as the offer is apparently 'conditional' on him showing up for camping and doing what they expect him to do. Kind of a placeholder type deal where he can't just commit on the spot. I don't think any other schools are on him hard right now, so they can be a little patient and can afford this approach.
Three-star 2017 linebacker Isaiah McDuffie from Buffalo (N.Y.) Bennett is committed to Syracuse but he visited BC over the weekend as well. His commitment to Syracuse might not be the obstacle one might imagine, because his ties are almost exclusively to the previous Orange regime and he apparently doesn't even know the new staff members all that well. So this could be a free for all that's more of an open recruitment than a closed one. Source told me he seemed to have a good time visiting with his father, godfather and godfather's son, and it was a bit of an eye-opening trip that piqued his interest.
Olakunle Fatukasi -- he visited, too. He's from Grand Street Campus in Brooklyn, New York, and you can check out his Hudl highlights here. I'm told religion and academics are two big factors that could weigh heavily in BC's favor, or at least that's the read on the dynamics below the surface right now. He's pretty big for a linebacker, about 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, and what BC's coaches like about him is that he could play Mike, Sam or Will. Any of the linebacker positions in BC's scheme. BC offered Fatukasi and I'm told the staff pretty well knew they were likely to do that before he arrived, so they've known about him for a little while. Interesting nugget: Paul Pasqualoni offered his brother and coached his brother when he was at UConn, so there's a key relationship there. He's got an offer from UConn and one from Rutgers. Florida and LSU have showed some interest, too. The belief is people are going to catch wind of him this spring and his stock could rise a lot. But BC's in great shape.
Patrick Brown visited as well, of course -- the committed tight end.
I asked around about Brown and came across some interesting stuff on him. "You can't have enough big athletic guys like him," one person told me. I think BC knows the offensive transition involves a steep learning curve, and they've got to get the right personnel across the board but they also might need to flood the zone at a couple of niche spots on the field so they can build an identity. Getting a couple of guys like Brown and Dawson takes a spot away from positions elsewhere, but makes it much more likely that at least one good athlete at that spot will pan out long-term. He can play that Y position and runs routes pretty well for a big guy.
One final point, not on visitors this past weekend but on potential visitors for the spring game-- this might be tempering expectations a little bit but I'm told that Steve Addazio is not hyping the spring game as some blockbuster recruiting event. With so much transition this offseason he wants the coaches to mostly focus on coaching instead of dividing their attention between 20 guys they've convinced to visit. "He's not going to turn guys away of course," I was told, "But he's not pushing for it to be a huge thing. He doesn't want it to be a circus and wants to focus on the task at hand."
