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.

Pasqualoni heading to the Lions

Source: Defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni is leaving Boston College for the Lions.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 5, 2018

Multiple sources confirmed that Paul Pasqualoni has left BC for the Detroit Lions. An official announcement will come later in the week. While this could be a great opportunity for Pasqualoni, this is bad, bad news for BC and Addazio.

Pasqualoni is considered one of the best Defensive Line coaches in all of football. His ability to shape young players was clear as soon as he arrived at BC. The DLine has been one of the bright spots of the past two years. But beyond coaching up the unit, Pasqualoni also served as a sounding board for Addazio. You could often see the two confer on the sidelines when it was clear they weren't talking DLine issues. And beyond game management, I would presume Pasqualoni provided advice and wisdom year round. It will be tough to replace Pasqualoni with one coach who can provide the same sort of guidance while also making future stars on the DLine.

Despite a few bumps, Addazio has done a good job replacing staffers. I hope he has another Pasqualoni-type lined up. BC will need it.

A midseason firing wouldn't make sense for BC

If Syracuse hangs 50 on BC Saturday, you will hear people calling for Addazio's head. There is speculation that he could even be fired midseason. To me that would be a huge mistake.

A midseason change hurts recruiting
One thing Addazio is still doing relatively well is recruiting. If he is fired now, it becomes open season on our current verbals and our roster for transfers. If we fire Addazio in November after the Wake game, the window in which to pick apart our recruiting class becomes that much smaller.

An interim mess
Every once in a while an interim coach takes his program to the next level. Dabo Swinney is the most prominent example. But more often the interim is given the job in an emotional move and things don't get better. I don't know who would be the interim. The logical candidate is Paul Pasqualoni, but sometimes schools go with the popular position coach (like Ed Orgeron). Would that be Al Washington? Or maybe one of the coordinators? I don't know. As much as it would be nice to give a young BC grad like Washington a professional bump in this process, I don't want BC making a rash decision.

The message it sends to BC fans
Brad Bates is the lamest of lame ducks, but if Addazio is fired midseason, it will seem like he made the call. The call is above Bates head now. Given our history, I don't expect BC to get a nuanced message to the media about how the process came about. That inturn would just make our current fans think BC remains chaotic and without a plan.

I hope this doesn't become an issue. Let's go beat Syracuse and judge Addazio on the whole season. Things will get better, so let's not make them worse.

ICYMI: Watch Addazio and Staff at the Gridiron Club

The night before Spring Practice began, Addazio help a Gridiron Club meeting and BC streamed and recorded it. If you have an hour and a half, try to watch it. While there is nothing earth shattering nor any real hard news, it provides a glimpse into two things: the staff dynamic and Addazio's outlook.

After a year like last season, staff changes were needed. Hiring off of a losing season can be tough because assistants with options can be reluctant to join a losing effort. Yet all the guys who came onboard have good track records and seem genuinely happy to be at BC. If anything they seem to have an energy and a confidence that the holdovers might be lacking. I really liked what I saw from Reid and Pasqualoni. I think they will handle the teaching and the Xs and Os well. They won't screw up what Brown built. Hearing the staff talk about the recruits also gives me some confidence. They didn't put up the hard sell on how great each player is, but you can see the rationale in each prospect. Is it the best class in BC history? Unlikely, but it doesn't need to be. We just need most to click and exceed their ratings.

As for Addazio...when this ends he probably has a future in TV. The guy can talk and you see how he recruits. He's got the right outlook and doesn't point fingers publicly like some of our past coaches did. We know he is a bit thin-skinned, but in this setting he said the right things about fans, criticism, and how he will handle himself (I took that to mean the tirades on the sidelines).

It will take more than one booster event to prove things are on track, but that was an effective meeting. I hope Addazio can turn that passion into wins this year.

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.