What Cignetti’s Impending Departure Means for BC
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher
Boston College offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. is reportedly heading back home to coach under Pat Narduzzi and fill Pittsburgh’s OC vacancy.
Cignetti was brought on by BC head coach Jeff Hafley two years ago as both an offensive coordinator and a quarterbacks coach. Previously, he spent seven straight years in the NFL, mostly as a QBs coach. And, before that, he was the OC for Fresno State, North Carolina, Cal, Pitt and Rutgers.
Cignetti, a Pittsburgh native, was the Panthers’ OC from 2009-10 under Dave Wannstedt. That 2009 season saw the Panthers average 32.1 points per game, Bill Stull turn in an impressive season year under center and playmakers Dion Lewis, Dorin Dickerson and Jonathan Baldwin combine for 36 scores.
So what does Cignetti’s impending departure mean for the Eagles?
Hafley will have to make his first staffing change: Hafley had the luxury of retaining his entire staff after an impressive 2020 season. Defensive backs coach and recruiting guru Aazaar Abdul-Rahim had a Power Five defensive coordinator offer but turned it down and instead was promoted to being the Eagles’ associate head coach. And an NFL team was interested in hiring BC offensive line coach Matt Applebaum, but he decided to stay on the Heights, too.
Hafley won’t be making it three years in a row with the same staff, though. He’ll have to find a new offensive coordinator, and it could be one of the most important choices he makes during his BC tenure. As a defensive head coach, his right-hand man is his OC. Ideally, Hafley will find a quarterback developer who has rich play-calling experience. How Hafley approaches this could give us an indication of whether he prefers to promote from within or make outside hires.
Does this change Phil Jurkovec’s outlook?: It’s no secret that Jurkovec and Cignetti had a great relationship. They’re both Yinzers. And they bonded over their Western Pennsylvania roots to forge a friendship that benefited him in the quarterback room. Cignetti’s play-calling was scrutinized at times, however, his development of Jurkovec was often undersold. Before arriving at BC, Jurkovec hadn’t started a game since his senior year of high school. The Notre Dame transfer even admitted to having not huddled up consistently since his middle school days.
Cignetti employed a pro-style system that not only groomed Jurkovec into a better passer but also made him better fit for the NFL. Jurkovec already announced that he’s coming back for the 2022 season rather than declaring for this year’s draft. It’s unlikely his plans will change at this point. That said, it’ll be interesting to see how Jurkovec meshes with whoever Hafley hires. Yes, he’s only going to be at BC one more season. Except that season could dictate the trajectory of Hafley’s tenure and, in turn, his recruiting success.
It’s important to consider Peter Delaportas and Emmett Morehead, too: Delaportas, a three-star Class of 2022 signee, was recruited by Cignetti. So was Emmett Morehead, a three-star Class of 2021 gunglinser who unexpectedly made his debut at Syracuse this year. Both are quarterbacks of the future for the Eagles. But their place in line might shift when a new OC comes along. Sometimes signal callers are lost in the shuffle.
Look what happened to Sam Johnson III. He was highly touted coming out of Walled Lake Western in Michigan and was thought to be Anthony Brown Jr.’s successor. Between the changeup of OCs Scot Loeffler, Mike Bajakian and Cignetti, Johnson’s path to QB1 got murky. Part of that was his lack of marked development and, of course, the transfer of Jurkovec. Still, every OC has their own vision, and that vision is typically quarterback driven. It’s yet to be seen what type of quarterback BC’s new hire will favor.
A new scheme could result in changes up front: Cignetti’s scheme called for zone blocking. It was a change from the man-to-man technique during the Steve Addazio era. The switch, in addition to the offensive line’s realignment ahead of the 2020 campaign, resulted in growing pains. It was especially evident on the ground. Explosive run plays were hard to come by that season as the Eagles’ rushing attack plummeted to 118th nationally. In the second year of the system, the blocking and the run game were better. If BC promotes from within, it would be surprising to see the staff turn away from the wide-zone run scheme. An outside hire, on the other hand, could pivot in a different direction.
Whoever takes over will have to maximize Zay Flowers: This OC position should be coveted. After all, BC has a quarterback and a wide receiver who, if healthy and coached appropriately, could go in the first two rounds of next year’s NFL Draft. Flowers, especially, has to be used more effectively. He’s the most dynamic playmaker on BC’s offense. And he’s bound to be the program’s first wideout drafted since 1987.
As a junior, Flowers piled up 51 touches (44 catches, seven rush attempts). That number should be almost doubled. BC’s new OC must get the ball to Flowers in space as often as possible: swing passes, bubble screens, endarounds, jet sweeps, everything. And yes, of course, the whole route tree, including a healthy dose of deep shots. But, just as Flowers was being misused by Bajakian as a “jet sweep guy,” he was misused by Cignetti, who relied on Flowers' burner potential too heavily. Flowers needs more touches.
