If there was anything that the Eagles’ 37-31 victory over then No. 9 ranked USC told us was that Boston College Football is back — at least to relevancy and competiveness. The Eagles have put together back-to-back 7-5 regular season finishes under third year head coach Steve Addazio in his first two seasons. With 24 commits and 18 three star recruits (no 5-star or 4-star recruits), the Eagles have the 57th ranked recruiting class. The Eagles will look to take that next step towards winning at least eight games next year and a bowl game. But first they will have to rebuild the offense after key players, such as QB Tyler Murphy left to graduation. Despite that, defense continues to be the name of the game for Boston College and remains their bread and butter.
Zach Allen- DE
The 6’6″ 242 pound Defensive End from New Canaan, Conn. originally committed to Northwestern but ended up deciding to stay closer to home and commit to Boston College on Super Bowl Sunday. Allen joins a proud tradition of defensive players that the Eagles have produced such as Mark Herzlich, Luke Kuechly and Mathias Kiwanuka. Allen, a three star recruit, does a good job of recognizing plays and is explosive off the line. He also has great body control and also does a great job at changing direction. The versatile defensive end has trouble fighting off blocks however and lacks some speed but makes up for it with his explosiveness and his ability to get around the edge. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the college level but he should be an excellent addition to the Eagles defense.
Chris Garrison- TE
Garrison is the No. 1 rated Tight End in Massachusetts and chose to stick close to home and play for the Eagles after receiving interest from UConn, Duke, Maryland, UMass and Syracuse. Garrison is also ranked the fifth best tight end in the East and has great hands and pass catching ability. The 6’4″ 215 pound tight end from Groton, Mass, has the size and ability to become a scoring threat in the red zone. The three star recruit is versatile enough to line up in the slot or out wide outside the numbers and could be a big part of this young BC offense.
Jeff Smith- QB
Jeff Smith is probably the closest thing to former BC Quarterback Tyler Murphy who both threw and rushed for over 1,000 yards last season. The dual threat quarterback from Clearwater (Fla.) Central Catholic High School stands in at 6’1″ 175 lbs. The three star recruit prefers to throw from the pocket but can hurt you with his legs as well. Boston College was the only school that he visited and has made a verbal commitment to the Eagles. He also received offers from Indiana, Iowa State and Wisconsin. His size and lanky frame is a question though and will have to bulk up and add some muscle over the summer. While he may not start this year, Smith could be the BC quarterback of the future.
Jimmy Martin- MLB
Martin is the only BC recruit to have signed their letter of intent with the Eagles. A three star recruit from Orangewood Christian School in Maitland, Fla. stands in at 6’0″ 220 lbs. and runs a 4.5 40. Martin received offers from Cincinnati, Duke, Eastern Illinois, Florida International and Western Michigan. He is the 8th best MLB in Florida according to Scout.com and no. 15 in the south. It will be interesting to see whether Martin pans out to be the best linebacker to come through BC since Luke Kuechly.