Top 10 Breakout Eagles: No. 6 CB Brandon Sebastian
Boston College has a new coach, Jeff Hafley, and with it comes a new offensive and defensive scheme. On top of that, having a new set of eyes on the roster could help to find novel and new ways to utilize players. Over the next few weeks BC Bulletin will unveil ten players who could be primed to have a breakout season in 2020. These players could have had solid seasons before but be on the cusp of something special, or they could be not used at all and earn a role in the new system.
One of Boston College's biggest weaknesses in 2019 was their pass defense. The Eagles ranked near last in almost metric including passing yards allowed, touchdowns allowed and opposing QB rating. But that is all in the past now, with Jeff Hafley running the show. The first year head coach is a secondary guru who not only created one of the best pass defenses last year, but has also coached Richard Sherman, Darrelle Revis and Jeff Okudah. For the BC defense, no one should benefit more from the addition of Hafley than junior corner Brandon Sebastian.
Sebastian, from Connecticut, has all the tools to become a lockdown corner in the ACC. He has good size at 6'1, and solid technique, who you can just see with a little extra coaching and scheme could take his game to the next level. In 2018 he had a big interception against Virginia Tech, with a nice circus catch that basically sealed the game for the Eagles.
He wasn't perfect in 2018, as you can see below he got beat on a route by Purdue, but Sebastian does an excellent job punching the ball loose after the catch.
As a sophomore Sebastian only had one interception last season, but it was a big one against (again) Virginia Tech in the season opener. But some of the moments that stood out were the ones that don't show up on the stat sheet. For instance against Wake Forest and Jamie Newman, Sebastian was able to knock down two passes in a row.
Again, Brandon Sebastian has shown glimpses of what he could become over the past two seasons. Now with a new defensive scheme and a defensive back guru as head coach, we could see a whole new level unlocked in the junior in 2020. This could be a special year for the cornerback.
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Editor and publisher of BC Bulletin. '06 graduate of Boston College, who has followed the program as long as he can remember. Has been covering the Eagles for the past nine years, giving expert analysis, recruiting news and breakdowns. Also the host of Locked on Boston College, a daily BC podcast that is part of the Locked On Podcast Network. When he is not writing or producing content on the Eagles, he can be found running, skiing, enjoying craft beers, or spending time with his family. You can follow AJ Black on Twitter @AJBlack_BC and our official site Twitter account is @BulletinBC