Boston College Football, Basketball & Recruiting Q&A

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One of the perks of being a BC Bulletin premium member will be these regular Q&A sessions. On our discord channel (make sure to join if you haven't already!) I asked members to submit questions they had. Here are some that came up. 

Q: Hey AJ, how do you feel about our odds with cornerback Cam Johnson?

A: This is the million dollar question right now, it kind of feels like the Drew Kendall situation from last year. There is this tantalizing four star recruit right in the grasp of the Eagles and no one can predict where he is going to head. Here is where I've heard they are at. I've been told BC feels they are in "good shape" with Johnson, which may sound generic and not very direct, but I think it's a sign. Whenever I am told they are in good shape that usually means that at that time they are leading. Now that can change, and they could lose a recruit, but at this time, I think BC is leading for Cam Johnson. 

Q: I'd be really curious to hear more about how the staff decides on "takes" after they've made offers. Or in other words, what do you know about how those types of situations are playing out, where a player is offered, comes to visit, and the staff has a tough conversation saying maybe they should look elsewhere?

A: This is a great question, and I can give some insight on how this works. As you probably know, most programs have a board where they rank the recruits they are going after. Guys at the top are usually the "takes", or ones that the school will take their commitment when they offer. Because recruiting is so fluid that board changes, A LOT. Sometimes a guy will be a take on paper, they will get him in and not like his workouts, or maybe his personality doesn't click with the staff. He then no longer becomes a take. 

All in all, a take is decided on a few different factors. Availability of a spot (right now this is becoming tougher with BC's '22 class filling up), film reviews and visits. I'm sure the staff is up front with recruits too to help those kids find other opportunities and not keep them hanging. 

Q: Will Jeff Hafley win a national championship or a Super Bowl in his career? Bonus question; if so how many of his tight ends will be enshrined in the HOF?

A: If you listened to Friday's Locked on Boston College episode, you know exactly who asked this question. So I am going to give an unpopular answer here and say no. At the collegiate level, how many coaches have won a title that are still active? Three, four? The NFL isn't that far off, as it is so difficult to win that big game. And you could look through both leagues and find countless "great" coaches that never won the big one. Ryan Day, Brian Kelly, Kirby Smart, Don Shula, the list goes on and on. I think Hafley has a huge career ahead of him, but will he win a title somewhere? I need to see more before I say yes to this. 

Q: What’s a realistic amount of time we get to enjoy Hafley as our coach before he gets plucked by a big time program? Don’t mean to be negative but all non BC fans love to chime in with this

A: I have been talking to lots of other BC writers and folks about this and have come around to a different mindset to this answer. I think BC will get at least six years with Hafley. It is going to take the right program to come and try and pluck him for him to leave, he's not just going to take the next job "because it pays more." And the timing for jobs he might leave for probably 

Q: I think I remember you saying Drew Kendall was taking snaps at center this spring? Is that going to be where he sticks long term?

A: I believe so. It will be a way for him to fast track to a starting role too. He probably will be on the two deep this year behind Alec Lindstrom, who leaves at the end of the season. He plays and practices well, he starts in 2022. That being said, he could also kick out to guard as well if Matt Applebaum and Hafley feel he's a better fit there. But at this time, I'd bank on him as a center. 

Q: What are the major differences you see in the past coaching style of Grant versus that of Christian?

A: So I want to jump out and say that I am not a basketball X's and O's guy, so I couldn't tell you specifics until I actually see the team play. That being said, Earl Grant is going to bring a defensive tenacity that Christian's team sorely lacked. I expect the Eagles to be much better on the defensive end of the floor. We have had one commenter constantly bring up Arkansas's "40 minutes of hell" press defense. That is never going to happen. However, especially with Jim Molinari, a defensive guru, coming in as an assistant, you can expect BC to be much improved on the defensive end.

** There were a few questions on 247's rankings. I have to be honest, I can't speak to it, that is there is intellectual property. I can't explain to you why or how the Eagles are ranked. I can say however, that there ranking rational seems similar to our in-house SI All American rankings which have the Eagles at #8 but explain that is mainly due to the fact that they have the most commitments in the country. With more big time recruits committing to blue chip schools, expect the Eagles to slip.