Jeff Hafley Talks About BC's Small Recruiting Class, Sprint To National Signing Day

Eagles bring in trio to complete class

Boston College completed their 2020 recruiting class today with the announcement of three new signees. Quarterback Matthew Rueve, and defensive backs Kameron Arnold and Jio Holmes all are now officially Eagles. Hafley's trio are now part of a class of 15, most of whom came to BC because of the recruiting efforts of former head coach Steve Addazio and his staff.

Jeff Hafley didn't get a lot of time to put together his 2020 recruiting class, but he had to work hard to sell the previous commitments on staying "I went and visited with most of their families the first week on the road." Hafley told reporters at Boston College today, "I went to see as many as I could. It was impossible to see all of them. I just didn't have enough time."

He really wanted to get to know his new recruits, and let them know what he would offer at Boston College. "It was important for me to meet their family so they could see who they were coming to work with and be part of." Hafley said as he laid out his recruiting style. With only a few exceptions, the new head coach and his staff was able to bring in most of Addazio's recruits. 

Once that group was signed in December, Hafley and his staff hit the recruiting trail again, to identify players they felt would be a good fit at Boston College. "We evaluated a lot of players." Hafley said. "We went out and saw a lot of players, and we felt really good about three." Those three were Holmes, Arnold and Rueve.

Jiovanny Holmes, or Jio as he prefers to be called, will be a defensive back. He and Hafley had a history before the Ohio State defensive coordinator came to BC. "I actually had Jiovanny in camp and in my office a lot at Ohio State" Hafley told reporters, "truthfully I was very close to offering him at Ohio State". The "big long corner" left an impression on Hafley as he was one of the first recruits he called after taking the Boston College job. 

The other defensive back, Kameron Arnold comes to Chestnut Hill from Michigan. Hafley offered him because he felt he would fit in well with their defensive scheme. Not only that but he had a lot of the characteristics the coach looks for in a defensive back "big DB who plays corner and safety. Great family, great kid, really smart kid. He can run. He's physical."

Finally, there was Matthew Rueve, a quarterback from St. Xavier in Ohio. Hafley was shocked that he was still available, as he was the highest rated quarterback in Ohio. However his recruiting had started off slow because he was only a one year starter in high school, and as Hafley explained but he was around because recruiters  "They look at junior year, sophomore year, and most people have their quarterbacks committed fairly early". Rueve didn't have any film for those years, his recruiting never picked up until Boston College called and he visited and committed. 

Rueve impressed not only Hafley but offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti. They thought he was "strong, athletic, throws the ball really well." While he probably won't be a first year starter his future looks bright. "The upside is really exciting", said Hafley.

Now with the Class of 2020 signed, sealed and delivered it is now Hafley's turn to recruit the upcoming Classes of 2021, '22' and beyond. If you are worried he won't be this open he had this say "I'll always be honest with you. I'll always be up front. You have my word on that. I'm not going to hide things from you. What you see is what you're going to get".