Jeff Hafley Continues To Get Team Ready Even With Challenges of Coaching Remotely.

New head coach Jeff Hafley continues to get his team ready for the upcoming season, but talks about some of the challenges he has faced.

Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley is certainly not in the same place he thought he would be when he accepted the Eagles head coaching job back in December. With the outbreak of COVID-19, and the cancellation of all organized in person activities, Hafley is now at home not in his new office in Chestnut Hill. While he has loved spending extra time with his wife and children, something most coaches can't do, he is still pushing the Boston College football program forward. 

Instead of cutting up spring football tapes, and working on player evaluation, the new coach is doing Zoom meetings online with his team and doing whatever he can to get the team ready for what comes next.  What that next looks like, is anyone's guess, but Hafley has been in touch with Athletic Director Martin Jarmond, and other ACC coaches about those options. 

While he waits out COVID-19 at home, Hafley go to enjoy the fruit of his hard work with his previous team. Last weekend he watched as three of his defensive players he coached at Ohio State drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. "It was awesome to have Chase (Young), and then Jeff (Okudah) and then Damon (Arnette) go like that. That is why I got back into college football. You change lives." Hafley told reporters. 

For the first time head coach it was a big deal to see the success of his former players Their success was a testament for the hard work Hafley put into his former job, but also could show dividends in his work now and in the future. "It shows how we can develop people." Hafley explained. "We took a defense that was 75th in the country, went 1st, and had three first round draft picks. Recruits like to see that we help develop people, and change lives."

But Hafley was also excited to see a player he never coached, AJ Dillon, get drafted as well. Green Bay head coachMatt Lafleur, who Hafley knows well, "has a great one" in his new rookie running back who ran for 4,382 yards with the Eagles. Dillon may become like other Boston College players in the NFL, "good reliable player who work hard" a reputation Hafley said many former BC players have earned. He looks to continue that tradition as the new head coach by preparing his players and developing them in way consistent with the BC tradition. 

On top of the draft, Hafley has been meeting with players, and playing the role of a teacher and coach remotely. He goes over plays, connects with his players, and reviews film from the five practices the team was actually able to get in. Like any good teacher, Hafley tests the kids to see what they are learning. "Tests are good for showing how they are learning" Hafley explained. These assessments are also good for showing Hafley what he as a teacher has to do a better job explaining. 

The goal for Hafley is to get the team as ready as possible for whenever camp begins. He knows that it may be difficult and not effective to try and stuff two months of camps into a four week window. But it doesn't appear that this will be any sort of excuse. The staff are working hard to make the team ready any way they can. This may lead to the coaches scaling back some of the game plan which will make the team more successful. 

As a new coach this new reality may be harder than a coach who has been around and had a chance to install his offense with veterans who know the playbook. But Hafley sounds like he is ready to get his team performing at a high level, especially in a sports rich town like Boston. "Everyone wants to get behind an exciting college team." Hafley said. "It will just add to the great sports town we are in. "

Even with these roadblocks thrown up, Jeff Hafley still stands behind what he said in his introductory press conference from January. "Lots of doubters out there, Jason (Baum) sent me something that predicted we will win four games next year." He wants people who are ready to get behind the program, and has no time for the doubters, because as he envisions, "It is going to be a process, but we are going to do it right. And I see this thing down the road having really special moments in the ACC, and I am really confident in that." 

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