Should BC roll the dice with another 5th Year QB?

Former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire announced his plans to transfer. Since he is expected to graduate in a few weeks, he is eligible to play immediately next season. One place he won't be playing is Boston College. The Irish are able to block his transfer to BC since we play them next season. However, there will be other 5th years on the market. (Like Chase Rettig's younger brother.) Should BC try to get one more?

The Tyler Murphy experiment might be the best move Addazio made in four years at BC. He carried the team and provided some very memorable moments. Patrick Towles' year wasn't a flat out disaster -- we are going to a bowl -- but it was very disappointing. Unlike Murphy, Towles did not unlock his potential at BC and it feels like we wasted a year of developing someone else in exchange for a 6-6 season. (I would also argue the staff didn't do Towles any favors.) Hopefully Towles has an incredible bowl game and makes us feel like the year was worth it.

As for next year, the current QB depth chart would be some combination of Wade, Brown, Fadule, and incoming recruit EJ Perry. Only Wade and Fadule have started games and neither did much in their limited time. Addazio has spent a lot of time talking up Brown's upside, leaving me and others to wonder if he and the staff have already written off Wade.

The transfer question really depends on Wade. If he stays, I think BC should ignore 5th year QBs. Even if Brown isn't a game changer as a RsF, Wade can be serviceable enough as a backup or transition QB. If Wade leaves, BC needs to get a 5th year. Just for depth alone. Do you want to go into a season with just Brown, Fadule and Perry?

Addazio is safe for another season, but next year is also critical. There will be a new AD and plenty of pressure to win. If his QBs continue to struggle, Addazio probably won't survive. Because of that looming threat, my guess is he will bring in some QB as an insurance policy. Whoever comes in, let's hope he's more Murphy than Towles.

BC makes a surprise appearance in O'Bannon suit and other links

BC is not directly tied to the O'Bannon battle with the NCAA, but our beloved school was mentioned Thursday by a former TV executive.

"If the Boston College basketball team will share revenues from television and, lo and behold, each member of the Boston College basketball team is entitled to $200,000, I just think that's a negative," Pilson said. "I think that's a problem for the public."

I don't know if Pilson pulled the BC example out of thin air or intentionally mentioned a recent under performing team, but the whole example is weird. I will keep rooting for BC athletes if they get paid. I think most BC fans would. Look at how pro sports salaries have sky rocketed. Did the sports become less popular? How about the Olympics which used to pride itself on amateurism? I think paying athletes is one of those survey questions where people answer one way and then when faced with the actuality, ultimately don't care.

Hayden Rettig won't be coming to BC. Chase's brother decided to transfer to Rutgers. I understand, but I sort of don't. Rutgers runs a pro-style offense. However, the coach is on the Hot Seat. Why not play JuCo this year and see what spots open up?

Matt Ryan is still using things he learned from his BC coaches. The Falcons announced they will participate in Hard Knocks this year, which means plenty of Matt Ryan time on TV.

Connecticut LB William Harris committed to BC Wednesday. Florida LB Jimmy Martin picked up a BC offer after camp.

Be sure to read Paul Myerberg's excellent season preview on BC.

Meter previews the ACC and other links

Meter joined Campus Insider to preview the ACC Football season. Meter likes UNC and expect Willis to pick up the slack after Andre Williams.

Chase Rettig's brother Hayden is leaving LSU and rumored to be interested in BC. If he were to transfer to BC, he would have to sit one season and then have three years of eligibility remaining. I am sure other schools will pop up on his list, but you have to like BC's chances given our thing depth chart and his familiarity with Addazio.

Jim Christian will work with Coaches vs Cancer to host a charity 5k this fall. If you are interested in running, go to BC's site for more information.

Family recruits not coming to BC and other links

First Chase Rettig's brother committed to LSU. Today Jeff Commissiong's cousin committed to Georgia Tech. Combine that with Bosa's commitment to Ohio State a few weeks back and you see that BC missed out on a few players that should have been ours. These types of recruits have access to what is going on at BC and have a built in affinity to the program. I wonder if these folks with ties to BC are either worried about Spaz's future or the mood around the program.

BC promoted Acacia Walker from assistant to Head Women's Lacrosse Coach. Congrats to her, but I do wonder why we are promoting assistants of coaches we just fired. If the assistance had the solutions wouldn't the head coach have more success.

Heights and Lows posted the first look at the Alumni Stadium renovations.

This might be the best column on the Florida State's unhappiness and who is to blame.

Recruiting news and other links

My gut tells me that our chances with Hayden Rettig really depend on how BC does this season. If we show that we've turned the corner and can run a dynamic offense, then maybe he'll want to join his brother at the Heights. Maryland DE prospect has BC interested, but he hasn't visited campus yet. Ricky Town is 2015 prospect and already receiving interest from major programs. Wyoming is not a usual stop on our recruiting searches, but BC has offered DE prospect Donnie White Jr.

South Jersey is proud of Johnny Gaudreau.

Mike Mayock praised Kuechly's potential in the Globe and in SI.com.

Not BC-related, but here is a great read on how some coaches have been hired. I think there is a happy medium between a committee and one man calling the shots. As we've seen there can be mixed results if there is no one questioning one-man show.

Catching up with Troy Bell.

HD says Spaz on Hot Seat and other links

On the heels of her Q&A with Spaz, HD said that he was on the Hot Seat during her ESPN.com chat. In thinking more about how poorly the Q&A was handled, it seems like Spaz is waiting for something to come out. He knows that assistants talk to the media (he did as an assistant). He knows that his former assistants can now speak more freely. HD didn't have the "gotcha" question, but someone eventually will.

After their hot start, BC baseball made an appearance in the ESPN powerpoll (thanks to Tim for the link).

The former BC staffers now at Rutgers are already recruiting Hayden Rettig.

In their Spring primer, CBS also talks about Spaz's hot seat.

Volleyball players Kellie Barnum and Tsvetelina Dureva earned All-ACC Academic Team honors.

HockeyFuture held a Q&A with Kevin Hayes.

The uselessness and the utility of Rivals' rankings

Rivals unveiled their Rivals 250 for the 2013 recruiting class. As the WSJ noted, these rankings cover just a small portion of the football population. And the Godfather of recruit ranking admits politics plays a part in the process. There is value though in knowing who BC is targeting early, who is our competition and which players hale from BC feeder schools and territories. These are the names to note and follow in the coming months.

Kendall Fuller, DB; Olney, MD; Our Lady Of Good Counsel
The scoop: He's got offers from the whole world, so it will be an uphill battle. The good news is that we've pulled kids from Good Counsel in the past.

Joey Bosa, DE; Fort Lauderdale, FL; St. Thomas Aquinas
The scoop: Alabama is listed as his favorite. The only plus for us is that he is the son of former Eagle star John Bosa.

Hayden Rettig, QB; Los Angeles, CA; Cathedral
The scoop: Yes, Chase's younger brother is also a highly ranked QB. Based on his twitter feed, you won't find a bigger BC cheerleader than Chase. But who knows what his family thinks of how things have played out on the field. He's now on his fourth OC. My guess is that much of Hayden's decision will depend on how Chase plays this year in the new offense.

Andrew Isaacs, TE; Manchester, CT; Manchester
The scoop: He's already committed to BC!! This was good news but that doesn't mean BC can take their foot off the gas. We now have to keep other programs from trying to poach him.

Kyle Bosch, OL; Wheaton, IL; St. Francis
The scoop: His main recruiter was Dave Brock. I don't know how that impact his thoughts on BC.

Ryan Burns, QB; Ashburn, VA; Stone Bridge
The scoop: As with any QB target, I imagine how our offense plays this year will be the biggest factor. The second factor will be how the Rettig brothers play.

Henry Poggi, DT; Baltimore, MD; Gilman School
The scoop: Gilman is one of those schools where Boston College is a popular destination for their regular students. I think BC needs to play that angle more with sports recruits. Maybe the pitch will work with Poggi.

Adam Breneman, TE; Camp Hill, PA; Cedar Cliff
The scoop: BC locked up a Tight End already and it is not necessarily a high priority. Effort might be better spent on other recruits.

Eli Woodard, CB; Voorhees, NJ; Eastern
The scoop: It looks like Ohio State is hot on Woodard. Based on Meyer's relentlessness, I don't think we will win many head to head recruiting battles.

Garrett Sickels, DE; Little Silver, NJ; Red Bank Regional
The scoop: He has offers from everyone. I would hope that BC pitches its success with defensive players and the lack of depth at DE.

Ahmad Fulwood, WR; Jacksonville, FL; Bishop Kenny
The scoop: Trying to build on our Jacksonville pipeline, BC has offered Fulwood. But based on his list, it looks like he is headed to an SEC power.

David Williams, RB; Philadelphia, PA; West Catholic
The scoop: He's got offers from all the big schools in the northeast. Like all running back targets, we should be pitching playing time based on our depth chart.

Evan Lisle, OL; Centerville, OH; Centerville
The scoop: He's got offers from many Big Ten schools. But this is why you hire a long-time Ohio State offensive line coach.

John Montelus, OT; Everett, MA; Everett
The scoop: I actually like our chances here. Everett has been a BC-friendly program for a few years now and Sean Devine is listed as his main recruiter. Devine seems to do a good job connecting with his targets.

Also of note, there are a few kids from Trinity in Louisville on Rivals's list. With Finch progressing, I hope we don't overlook going back into Louisville for more talent. BC is not involved with Trinity Christian safety Nick Washington. I would hope that our inroads in Jacksonville and success with Montel Harris would provide some opportunity there. The biggest no brainer to me is Dallas Jesuit WR Jake Oliver. But BC is not even listed for him.