Report: Eric Lewis set to join staff

Multiple reports have former Colorado State assistant Eric Lewis joining BC as a replacement for Campanile as a DBs coach. Lewis has no obvious prior connection to Addazio. He's worked in the NFL and in college. He is the son of longtime Packers assistant Sherman Lewis.

I will wait to see what BC says about Lewis. He seems perfectly fine as a replacement given his varied experience. What concerns me is that he doesn't come across as an ace recruiter nor have a natural recruiting territory, which is probably the biggest void left by Campanile departure.

Good and meh of Mike Bajakian

Steve Addazio finally hired his new Offensive Coordinator and it is long-time NFL and college coach Mike Bajakian. While not a household name, Bajakian checks a lot of Addazio's known boxes and also brings plenty of play-calling experience at the college level.

The Good News
There is plenty to like about the hire. Bajakian's been an OC and play caller at Central Michigan, Cincinnati and Tennessee. He's a New Jersey native who has and will continue to recruit the Garden State. He's also has recent NFL experience that Addazio wanted as he tries to modernize and make the Offense more Ram-like.

What Addazio would never say, but what I find good (but not great) is that Bajakian is remarkable consistent in his production as a play caller. His offenses have never been elite, but they've been above average and definitely more efficient that what Addazio particularly produces. Take a look at his year-by-year Offensive S&P ranking:

Tennessee 2014 -- 51st
Tennessee 2013 -- 49th
Cincinnati 2012 -- 52nd
Cincinnati 2011 -- 66th

Cincinnati 2010 -- 47th
Central Michigan 2009 -- 60th
Central Michigan 2008 -- 46th
Central Michigan 2007 -- 31st

Three different locations, conferences and rosters and he consistently put teams in the top half of College Football offenses.  

As another frame of reference, here is how those same programs did before and after Bajakian

Tennessee before Bajakian: 10th, Tennessee after Bajakian left: 45th
Cincinnati before Bajakian: 1st, Cincinnati after Bajakian left: 82nd
Central Michigan before Bajakian: 44th, Central Michigan after before Bajakian: 93rd

In general, things improved when he got there and dropped when he left.

 As another frame of reference, this has been Addazio's Offensive S&P while at BC

Loeffler 2018 -- 95th
Loeffler 2017 -- 101st
Loeffler 2016 -- 124th
Fitch 2015 -- 125th
Day 2014 -- 50th
Day 2013 -- 30th

The Meh
Bajakian is not a household name, an older time Addazio bud, or an up and comer. In fact there are no overt ties to Addazio's network. That is somewhat refreshing but also a bit scary. Will he get along with his new boss?

I also don't love that he hasn't recruited in a while. I know he has recruited before, but every year away can be like dog years. High school coaches change, technologies change, kids communicate in new ways. Bajakian seems like a bright guy, so I hope he adjusts back to recruiting quickly.

A quick social media search and touching base with my one Vol fan friend confirmed that he was well liked at Tennessee but never viewed as critical or program changing.

Final Thought
Bajakian's consistency could be very valuable to BC. If we get the Offense in the top half of college football, it will probably lead to more than seven wins. I just hope he is given free reigns and not micromanaged by his boss.

I am not worried about Addazio finding coordinators

With Anthony Campanile heading to Michigan, Scot Loeffler in Bowling Green and Jim Reid supposedly considering retiring, Steve Addazio might be looking at a total overhaul of his coordinators. As disconcerting as that might seem, I am not worried. One thing Addazio has done well is manage his staff. With his extension in hand, I am assuming he will fill the open slots with good fits again.

We know from the attempted hire of Liam Coen what he is trying to do on Offense. He even mentioned he wants a OC who will compliment his run-first mentality with NFL/Ram-like passing concepts. Everyone in football is copying Sean McVay, so it may be hard to get an actual Ram assistant coach, but that's the desired direction. I expect some news on the OC front in the next week or so.

Even with Campanile's loss, Addazio may have some wiggle room on D. Reid's status remains unknown. There was speculation that he would retire. Maybe with Campanile gone, Addazio can talk Reid into coaching one more year. 

Losing Campanile as a recruiter hurts most. Given the lame duck status, recruiting this year was already going to be difficult. Without the ace, it gets harder. 

If Addazio still believes in long-term success at BC, then he can't just find good coordinators. He needs to empower them so that BC finally exceeds the ceiling Addazio has had regardless of who is calling the plays. 

What we can infer from the Coen news

Liam Coen is not going to be BC's new offensive coordinator. This comes a day after news that he would. But like my speculation from last weekend, Coen made sense. If this is the type of guy who Addazio is talking to and making offers to, we can probably infer a few more things about his eventual hire.

1. He is going to be QB guy. Addazio basically said as much. Coen played QB at UMass.
2. Addazio is still leaning into his network. This is natural although I always feel like it is a little limiting. Coen played QB for Don Brown.
3. It looks like he is going to go young. Instead of going with a veteran play caller, he made an offer to Coen, someone who has never called a play at an FBS level. Whether he wants young for the recruiting energy, the opportunity to hire the next big thing, or because the guy would defer to him, Addazio clearly wasn't going the old timer path.
4. He has a list and is looking to move. I wondered if he would wait until after the bowl game to make a move. That's when lots of guys are free and many staff changes are made. Addazio met with a guy during the ongoing NFL season and was ready to make a move. I don't know his urgency. Maybe he wants the new OC to lockdown recruits.

I don't know if Coen's NFL connection meant much. Addazio publicly mentioned the Rams last week. Maybe an NFL pedigree helps with recruiting. If you are looking for innovation, I don't think the NFL is a must. If anything, the best NFL teams are stealing from college football offenses.

Loeffler to Bowling Green, BC getting new OC

Congrats to Scot Loeffler. He's leaving BC to become Bowling Green's new Head Coach. It is a compliment to him, BC and Addazio, that another FBS school hired him away from us based in part on what he accomplished at BC. But as a fan and critic of BC, I am not upset or really worried about his departure. While a seemingly nice guy and good fit around the team and campus, Loeffler is below average Offensive Coordinator.

This season BC had an offensive S&P+ of 95th in College Football. Last year it was 101st. In 2016, Loeffler's first calling plays at BC, it was 124th. Some of this is talent. Some is Addazio's philosophy and game approach. But much of it is Loeffler. He was OC and it was his job to prepare the players, plan the schemes and adjust during the games.

As a frame of reference, BC's S&P+ under Addazio and prior to Loeffler:
2015 (Todd Fitch as OC): 125th
2014 (Ryan Day as OC): 50th
2013 (Ryan Day as OC): 30th

This is an opportunity for Addazio to boost the offense and help this team get better. I do believe there is offensive talent. Hence why BC can be so explosive. However, I don't think the coaching or play calling is great and that explains why they can be so explosive one play and inept the next.

If Addazio follows any pattern, it will be that he hires someone from his current coaching network. I have no real insight, but you could probably throw names out there like Mike Sanford Jr., Mark Whipple, Kevin Rogers, etc. I would be surprised if he promotes from within, but Brian White has been an Offensive Coordinator before.

Ultimately this is an opportunity. BC has playmakers, we just need someone who can get the most out of the talent and who can work with Addazio.

Addazio talks OL and staff dynamics

There is usually not a lot of news coming out of Spring Practice, but Addazio did reveal a few things in his press briefing Wednesday. First he talked about Perry taking reps at QB and then got into the OLine options. What I found interesting was his staff discussion. As we assumed, Trautwein's familiarity with Addazio and the continuity he provided was critical in his hiring. Addazio also admitted that in the area of OLine, he gets involved personally.

On the Defense, he explained how Smith will carry on Pasqualoni's techniques. He also made reference to Campanile being "co-defensive coordinator" -- a title he doesn't carry on BC's official website. Maybe the title (and pay bump) was part of the package to keep him at BC when other schools came calling. 

BC confirms Trautwein as OLine Coach

After a few days of speculation, BC confirmed that Phil Trautwein has joined Addazio's staff as the Offensive Line coach. He replaced Justin Frye, who went to UCLA.

Trautwein is a low risk hire. He's young and knows Addazio and Addazio's teaching well. He's from the Northeast, so there should be an easy adjustment to BC life. The big unknown is his ability to identify and recruit talent. The young guys tend to be the recruiting workhorses, so he will have to jump in head first. Trautwein is a New Jersey native, so hopefully he can help our push in that area.

There is plenty of depth and talent at Oline right now. Because positions are in flux, there is potential to screw it up, but I trust Addazio to help Trautwein manage the unit and help them perform at a high level.

Good luck to Trautwein and welcome to the Heights.

Report: more football staff changes

Within hours of Steve Addazio's press conference, news broke that there was another staff change in the works. According to Pete Thamel, OLine Coach Justin Frye is leaving BC for UCLA and being replaced by Phil Trautwein.

Timing can never be perfect, but it does seem odd for Addazio to not announce this change in line with the others. If he had Trautwein lined up, he obviously knew it was coming.

While I think Frye did a good job overall at BC, I am not worried about the future of the Oline. The area is Addazio's baby and whomever is coaching the unit is going to get extra help from Addazio. Trautwein fits a similar mold in that he played under Addazio and has served as a GA under him as well. I am sure he will use the same sort of techniques and drills that Frye has been using.

Trautwein is currently at Yale and is from New Jersey, so I don't know if he has recruited the Midwest like Frye did. Perhaps recruiting territories and assignments will shift again.

Last time it took BC over a week to confirm the rumored staff changes. It will be interesting to see how long they wait this time.

Campanile uses Twitter to seemingly rebut departure news.

I love our kids and I love Boston College. So proud to be part of this school and so proud to coach the best DB unit in America. So lucky to be coaching with the best group of people in college football. 2018 is going to be a special season here at BC #BCFootball

— Anthony Campanile (@Coach_Campanile) February 10, 2018

The above tweet is a nice statement and gesture from BC's DB Coach Anthony Campanile. But to those not following, it might seem out of context or random. It's not. It appears Campanile tweeted the above to counter the internet rumor that he is leaving BC so he can return to Rutgers and coach alongside his brother.

I am glad to read the tweet and hope Campanile stays for a while. He has proven to be a great recruiter and losing him to Rutgers would certainly hurt our efforts in New Jersey.

Still no official word on Bill Sheridan

Early Wednesday, Football Scoop reported that BC would backfill Pasqualoni's open staff position with Detroit Lions assistant Bill Sheridan. Sheridan has spent more than a decade in the NFL, but prior to that was a college coach. He and Addazio worked together at Notre Dame. I thought that BC would make it all official after Signing Day, but nothing so far.

If Sheridan is the guy, it seems like a pretty good fit. Like Pasqualoni, he has an excellent reputation. He seemingly could slot into multiple staff roles on the D. What is unknown is his ability and willingness to recruit. I also don't know if he has the type of relationship with Addazio, where Addazio could look to him for advice and assistance.

Maybe things are not final and that is why BC is waiting. I am sure Addazio wants to lock something up soon, so that his staff is a full capacity for recruiting and Spring Ball.

ESPN says Antoine Smith is getting promoted to 10th assistant

According to ESPN, current Football Director Antoine Smith will get promoted to BC as its new 10th assistant. Smith joined Addazio's staff last year as "Director of Football Initiatives."

I have no idea what "Football Initiatives" means. But all of these new, non-recruiting roles don't really have to be defined (at any school). Usually there is a good deal of film study, since there are also limitations on player interaction. But these types of jobs are different from Graduate Assistants, as they typically get paid better and don't have as much grunt work.

According to ESPN, Smith will work with the DLine. The big advantage of adding him is the new foot on the ground to talk to recruits. Smith has history in the region, having played at Maine and worked at Holy Cross. He was at Texas State prior to BC.

Still no official word from BC, so there could be other developments. I expect BC will also add a few more Football Directors this offseason.

The assistant coaching carousel

An ugly problem of College Football has moved up the calendar a bit. It used to be that many assistants didn't switch jobs until after Signing Day. This was so they could lock the kids into their previous employer and then move onto the new one. The recruits got screwed when their lead recruiter or position coach left, but the coaches took care of each other. The Early Signing Day now means more recruiting classes are locked in, so more assistants are free to leave. Former BC assistant Al Washington is leaving Cincinnati after one year to join Jim Harbaugh's staff at Michigan. This is a good move for Al and I hope he has real success there. Doing well outside of BC makes him that much better of a candidate to return to BC in a high level position.

As for BC's current staff, I haven't heard of any pending departures. Anthony Campanile is now a hot name and I could see multiple programs contacting him, but I don't know if he will leave for just any job and I don't see him getting a coordinator role at a Power 5.

Next week all programs are allowed to add to their official staffs, so we know BC will be getting at least one new assistant. Addazio has done a mix of internal promotions and hiring outside guys. I have no idea which way he will go now.

I also know that the administrative staff will get beefed up with some familiar names. I assume BC will announce that next week too.

Post Signing Day staff shakeup

Todd Fitch and Ben Albert are gone. Paul Pasqualoni and Rich Gunnell are on board. With the announcement coming just a day and a half after Signing Day, you have to infer that all of this has been in the works for a while. As soon as Addazio demoted Fitch, there were rumblings he was unhappy. Despite his shortcomings as an OC, Fitch was a very good recruiter, so it was important for him to stay on until all LOIs were signed.

I am not sure why BC waited on Albert. Like Fitch, there was gossip he would be gone for weeks. Unlike Fitch, he wasn't critical to recruiting.

In their places come two familiar names. Paul Pasqualoni gave Addazio his first big break in college and has served as a long-time mentor. Hopefully he can help Addazio through this rough stretch. He's overqualified as a Defensive Line coach and should be a good local recruiter. Rich Gunnell will now be Wide Receivers coach. Since wrapping up his playing career, Gunnell spent time as a GA at BC, a DLine coach at Tufts and a Head Coach in High School. He's an unknown at this level. But the staff needs youth and someone who can connect with recruits.

The school also announced that Ricky Brown will be a recruiting coordinator/quality control coach. This is more administrative and does not count towards the NCAA ten staffer limit. I am sure Brown will be helpful, but he will not be on the road recruiting and has some limitations with player interactions.

All in all, I think Addazio upgraded. He removed an underperforming recruiter, added some youth and added a mentor/game manager. Maybe 3-9 was the turning point.

Report: Marino leaving

Per SI, Operations staffer Vinny Marino is leaving BC for Davidson. These sorts of moves don't get as much attention since the operations staff are relatively anonymous, but it still matters. The Operations staffs on all college football teams are growing and providing critical work in scouting and organization. Because of NCAA rules, there are limits on what op folks can do with recruiting and player interaction, but they are there to help coaches like Addazio succeed.

Boston College asst. director of player personnel Vinny Marino expected to be new OC/QBs coach for Davidson coach Paul Nichols per source.

— Thayer Evans (@ThayerEvansSI) January 18, 2016

While it might not seem like a promotion, the move to Davidson does make sense. It enables Marino to be a true coach again and prove himself on the recruiting trail.

Addazio fills staff with recruiter

While losing Don Brown was a big blow to the team, everything Addazio has done since shows a plan for the long-term. His latest hire -- Anthony Campanile -- is his most overt nod to recruiting yet. Campanile is the Defensive Backs coach, but everything about him screams recruiting. He's a Rutgers grad, recent Rutgers assitant and from a New Jersey High School Football family. His dad was a long time New Jersey coach and his two brothers are current high school coaches in New Jersey. Campanile also coached at Don Bosco. To say he has New Jersey roots is an understatement.

Campanile's age is also an asset. Because he is young and has been a high school coach, he has the chance to connect to recruits in a way that an older coach might not.

I have no idea what sort of position coach he'll turn out to be, but at this point we need talent, talent and more talent. It is a tall order for both Addazio and Campanile, but this is the right type of hire.

Loeffler and other staff shake ups official

After letting everyone else report it, BC finally announced that Addazio hired Scot Loeffler as his new Offensive Coordinator. He joins the team after three seasons with Virginia Tech. Loeffler will also coach QBs. Included in the press release were some other staff changes. Justin Frye received a promotion and will now be run game coordinator and Oline coach. That is not too surprising. It gives a young coach a little more pay and little more responsibility. Brian White moves to Running Backs coach. Todd Fitch moves back to Wide Receivers coach. Fitch's demotion supposedly ruffled feathers, but how can it be a surprise? We had the worst offense in college football. Something had to be done. I wouldn't like to lose Fitch as a recruiter, but cannot blame him if he leaves.

Ben Alberts also received a promotion. This move surprised me as I had heard that he was on the hotseat somewhat for not producing more on the recruiting trail. Al Washington moves back to Defense as an Outside LB coach and also takes on Special Teams. I would like to see Washington stay on one side of the ball so that he can eventually be groomed for a coordinator spot.

While I believe that Loeffler, Frye and Alberts' roles are all set in stone, I think the others are all still in pencil. BC still has one open staff position. Based on need, you assume it will be a defensive backs coach, but whoever they find could set in play another shift. Also, if Fitch does leave, some of the Offensive guys could get moved.

Addazio doesn't have time for Loeffler not to workout

Auburn fans don't think much of Scot Loeffler. And the Virginia Tech fans are a mixed bag. While I am sure some of their criticisms are valid (predictable, forces players into offense regardless of skill set, etc.) none of what they feel really matters to BC. Because if Loeffler, or more accurately Loeffler/Reid combination, doesn't work out, Addazio is done. 

If BC is terrible offensively again this year, Addazio won't get to replace Loeffler. How could he go to Bates and ask for more money to find yet another play caller? And what in-demand OC would want to be Addazio's fourth Offensive Coordinator in four years? It would be the lamest of lame duck positions. If the Offense is last again in the conference and among the worst in College Football, than the issues were clearly not Todd Fitch or youth.

It is comforting that Addazio hired a friendly face. He probably knows that he can't screw this up, so he might as well go with someone he can trust. If Loeffler has great success and moves on to better things, then Addazio can take a risk. Then he can hire an untested assistant. But for now he needs support and someone who will not screw up. Loeffler may have a limited upside, but he won't be any worse than last year. But then again, no one really could.

Report: BC finalizing deal with Loeffler

Eric Hoffses is reporting that BC is closing in on a deal with Scot Loeffler. Loeffler has been the most logical, predictable, rumored and speculated name given his availability and ties with Addazio. He's not a play-calling genius nor offensive revolutionary, but Loeffler is a welcome change. Finishing last in total offense is a sign of total failure. BC's planning, practicing, approach, scheming and needed to be changed. Loeffler represents that change. His familiarity with Addazio and the ACC is an added bonus. I will have more when this all becomes official.

Spaz back to coaching and BC still with openings

Former BC head coach Frank Spaziani is returning to the sidelines. He accepted a job as New Mexico State's Defensive Coordinator. The job reunites him with his final BC OC Doug Martin.  I plan to write about ageism and coaching after the full staff is in place, but I am surprised Spaz was hired. He will be 69 in April and is the same age Gary Tranquill was when he came out of retirement to coach at BC. It will be interesting to see how he does. The New Mexico State job really requires a miracle worker. I don't know all the details of BC's settlement with Spaz, but him taking this job probably confirms that he is no longer receiving any payments from BC. (Most of the buyouts have provisions when a coach takes a new job.)

The Iowa media looked into the Seth Wallace gossip and don't have any new news (and don't think there is much to it). We won't know more until Addazio fills his final two spots. Neither of the major coaching coaching sites have any rumor or gossip about who Addazio is considering for his openings.

Is Loeffler the next hire?

As soon as Frank Beamer announced his retirement, many started speculating that Virginia Tech Offensive Coordinator Scot Loeffler would join Addazio at the Heights. The two worked together at Florida and Loeffler called the plays during Addazio's first season at Temple. Wednesday, Blauds said a move is likely. Blauds was right on Reid so I assume he is getting his scoop from Addazio himself. (Vega is off the BC beat, so Addazio has to find new friendly outlets.)

Loeffler would be a perfectly fine hire and would fill the promise of moving to a more "pro style" offense. He would also fill another staff opening. He seems like he is the next domino to fall.