Recapping First Two Days of Boston College Spring Football Ball Practices

The Eagles continue their spring practices this week, but what are some takeaways to this point?

On Saturday, Boston College opened up with their first of 15 spring practices as they prepare for the 2022 season, followed by their second on Tuesday. Head coach Jeff Hafley, entering his third season with the Eagles explained that this is the first spring practice that was "normal." 2020 was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and last year was still behind Zoom calls and rigorous stressed the return to fundamentals. 

At practice he said they were working on the basics, with nothing exotic on offense  at this point. With four new coaches, led by coordinator John McNulty on the offensive side of ball, there has been some adjustments, quarterback Phil Jurkovec mentioned that it is "a little different."

Phil Jurkovec returns at full strength after missing parts of last year with a hand injury

Here are some additional notes: 

* Freshman defensive back Amari Jackson is a name to watch. The Georgia native had two interceptions in the second practice. A three star by most recruiting sites, Jackson picked Boston College over a handful of other big schools most notably Tennessee who pushed hard near the end. With Brandon Sebastian heading to the NFL, and Shawn Asbury II transferring to Old Dominion, there will be a need for some new names to emerge on the defensive back charts. Fully expect Jackson, who impressed fellow defensive back Josh DeBerry, to be one of those names. 

* The offensive line is replacing four starters heading into the 2022 season. With Tyler Vrabel, Zion Johnson, Alec Lindstrom and Ben Petrula all leaving, there will be plenty of potential for new names to step up. Jack Conley, a tackle who Jeff Hafley utilized last season, but struggled, has been taking snaps with the first team at left tackle. Freshman Jude Bowry, out of St. Frances Academy in Maryland, also got attention during 1-1 drills during camp. 

Tight End Position Battle

* Tight end is a position to watch this spring as well. With Trae Barry heading to the NFL, there will be an open spot with multiple potential Eagles vying for it. Joey Luchetti appears to be the leader heading into camp, but freshman Jeremiah Franklin is a name to watch. In addition look out for Hans Lillis, a sophomore who hasn't played yet but was active during camp. 

* The second team offense was predictably led by redshirt freshman quarterback Emmett Morehead, and also featured redshirt freshman wide receiver Dante Reynolds and Xavier Coleman.

New England Patriots In Attendance

Boston College had some important visitors on Tuesday as New England Patriots assistant coaches Jerod Mayo and Steve Belichick were in attendance. Hafley spoke highly of the meeting. “Then, they wanted to come by and bring some of the defensive guys and talk some defensive football, sit in on some meetings, watch some tape with us and I mean, shoot, that’s a blessing for us, right?”

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