Current State of the BC Football Recruiting Class of 2021
Boston College football is now up to 24 recruits in the upcoming class of 2021. On Tuesday they landed a verbal commitment from Alabama DE/OLB Tyeus Clemons, their second player from the state in the past month. Currently the Eagles rank 38th in the country according to 247sports.com.
Jeff Hafley has talked about the challenges to recruiting that COVID-19 has caused. Most of the kids that he has recruited have never met him in person, and haven't been to campus. All coaching visits are done by Zoom, and the staff has to be creative to catch the attention of the recruits with custom "virtual visits" that give the recruits a feel of the campus and what Boston College has to offer. Even with these challenges this BC class is shaping up to be one of the better groups of recruits in recent history.
When looking at this class the biggest thing that jumps out at you are the defensive backs. This shouldn't be a surprise, as this is Jeff Hafley's bread and butter. Featuring Top 100 blue chip defensive back Clinton Burton Jr (St. Frances Academy), and New Jersey native Jalen Cheek, the Eagles have six recruits at this position. Clearly this is a place the staff wants to build depth at moving forward.
There is a surprising amount of depth in the front seven on defense as well. Trevin Wallace out of Georgia is the most intriguing recruit, a lightning quick linebacker who has caught the attention of SEC schools and will be a challenge to keep. The Eagles also have a pair of defensive tackles, Owen Stoudmire and Nigel Tate, who should give BC some much needed depth at a position that was thin. Donovan Ezeiraku out of New Jersey is part of a trio of players (Quintayvious Hutchins and Tyeus Clemons) who can play a hybrid LB/DE role for the Eagles. While Andre Porter may be the most athletically gifted defensive lineman they have landed.
On the offensive side of the ball, the team grabbed only a pair of offensive linemen. Otto Hess (Illinois), and Ilija Krajnovic a big burly recruit out of Serbia are two very intriguing additions. There is still one big name on offensive line, Drew Kendall, son of BC legend Pete Kendall that could be the cherry on top for this class.
The Eagles haven't landed a tight end this class, but they have a big one coming in 2022, Matt Ragan out of Lawrence Academy (MA). Otherwise BC has done a solid job adding to the skill positions in the Class of 2021. Xavier Coleman (NJ) and Lewis Bond (Ill) give the Eagles a pair of speedy running backs, that are more in the mold of a Dion Lewis than an Andre Williams/AJ Dillon. They can catch the ball, and give more speed out of the backfield.
BC also landed a pair of wide receivers in this class. Jamareeh (Bugg) Jones out of Virginia and Dante Reynolds (Ill) should give BC even more depth in the passing game. The Eagles might not be done at this position either as they have recently offered Jaden Williams out of Texas. He looks to be considering Boston College, Utah and Tulane at this point.
Of course you want to look at quarterbacks, and BC landed a big one (size wise). Emmett Morehead out of Virginia, is a 6'6 quarterback with a big arm. Finally, on special teams Hafley grabbed Connor Lytton a kicker, a position the Eagles will have to fill after Aaron Boumerhi graduates this season.
With 24 recruits in, Boston College could still grab a handful of other recruits moving forward. The NCAA has some wiggle room around class caps, and BC can go over that 25 limit if they are creative. There is also the possibility of flips, both to BC and from BC. One name that could be worth keeping an eye on is TJ Guy who is committed to Michigan. If the Wolverines continue to sputter, recruits may look to some of their other options. This could make the last month of recruiting very interesting to watch.
If you want my full thoughts on the recruiting class to date, listen to the latest edition of Locked on Boston College which you can find below.
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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