Lesson from the 2010 New Jersey recruits

NJ.com posted a look back on the state's top recruits from the Class of 2010. The focus of the article was Rutgers, but there is some BC stuff to learn too.

Three of the Top 20 guys enrolled at BC (Shakim Phillips, Steele DiVitto and Jarrett Darmstatter). They were part of Spaz's first full recruiting class. At the time it was encouraging to get three guys out of New Jersey but there was also a "what if" to the Garden State recruiting since we also missed on a few guys at friendly programs (Don Bosco). But with hindsight, it shows this whole group of New Jersey guys was relatively disappointing. Phillips multiple moves kept him from ever reaching the potential of his recruiting ratings. Darmstatter never became a big factor. Of BC's commitments, DiVitto clearly had the best career.

But looking back, not many of the guys in the New Jersey Top 20 exceeded or even met the expectations that came with their rankings. New Jersey is such a critical state for so many programs, so a weak recruiting year can impact teams all over the Northeast.

Overall this is a reminder that recruiting is not always as simple as "get all the best guys" in one area. Successful programs are the ones who are better at identifying talent than the recruiting services. They are also the ones that bring in good class after good class and have multiple regions where they find talent. That way one group that disappoints does not hamper the program long term.

ACC Kickoff Day 1 Recap

Divitto and Rettig were very busy Sunday. They did a whole round of TV and print. Both did a great job representing the school and are getting me excited about the season. Here are some of the better links from Day 1. Monday will have more on Addazio and a few features on the players.

The "dude" thing is gaining notice. I loved the way Divitto explained it. At this point you either get it or you don't. 

Addazio taped some TV spots that aren't live yet, but fortunately BC's twitter account tweeted some of the highlights.

Chase Rettig gave all the right answers and conducts himself well. However, I don't get the feeling that he loves doing this sort of thing.

"You either are a dude, or you're not. If you're a dude, you know what it means to be a dude." BC LB explains dudedom http://t.co/M0TFAQ6Ec9
— SB Nation (@sbnation) July 21, 2013

Behind scenes at 2013 #ACC Football Kickoff MT @BCFootballNews: QB Chase Rettig gets #ACCFootball interviews underway pic.twitter.com/6utJXEOuWG
— Jack McCluskey (@jack_mccluskey) July 21, 2013

The players together.

Here is Meter at the BC table.

What to expect at the ACC Media Days

The ACC kicks off its Media Days Sunday. The event is actually a decent opportunity for BC. With so much of the assembled media not from New England, this is one of the few times we will ever get coverage in traditional ACC country. Plus our representatives usually come off well and it gets noticed. This is also Addazio's first time representing BC among the conference media. I expect them to welcome his passion and candor. Joining the coach will be Chase Rettig and Steele Divitto. The team usually selects seniors whom they expect to have a big season, so view it as a vote of confidence for both players.

There will be plenty of coverage on all different outlets, so look for these themes and questions as the events unfold.

-- Addazio getting asked a lot about Tebow and Hernandez. This is the most predictable portion of the weekend. Fortunately Addazio is used to it by now. I expect him to give generic non-answers and when appropriate steer the conversation back to BC.
--Steele Divitto to make an all conference team. The QB position is too much of a logjam for Rettig to get on a preseason ACC team, but I think Divitto will. Don't mistake his votes for respect among the ACC Media. Many times players who attend get an added boost because they are top of mind.
-- Everyone to get asked about Boston Strong and the Marathon. With the way our collective memory works, many have already forgotten about the bombing, but I think the media will ask...even if it is just as simple as "how did not having a Spring Game impact your preparation?"
-- BC folks will be asked non-nonsensical questions about Pitt and Syracuse. Someone will ask something about the new "northern" schools joining in some fashion since BC is still viewed as the odd duck by many old-time ACC reporters. The only issue I have is that none of our current players ever went through a conference switch and don't really have a relationship or rivalry with Pitt or Syracuse.
-- The voters will put BC near or at the bottom of the division. Expectations are low. Very low. I don't care though. I just hope Addazio can use it as motivation.

Morrissey to Michigan State and other links

Based on how his recruitment the past few weeks, it is no surprise that Matt Morrissey picked Michigan State. The only real reason it is news is that it is rare for Addazio not to close a kid like this. Morrissey is the younger brother of former BC linebacker Mike Morrissey. But we lost out to a program he also had ties to and a program in the Midwest.

Austin Tedesco posted a really good preview of the basketball team. I am a big believer in experience and the raw numbers are staggering in BC's case. Donahue needs to turn that experience into wins.

Divitto is on the Butkus watch list. I don't think any of our defensive players are going to get enough tackles to get national awards.

ESPN's Adelson broke down BC's schedule. She thinks we should get to about five wins.

BC is one of the most popular Universities on Instagram.

Divitto on watch list and other weekend news

The organizers of the Lott award named Steele Divitto to their watch list. Many of these early watch lists are generated by the schools themselves pushing candidates. Divitto has been solid so far in his BC career but far from a standout. Maybe the new defense and a little more physical maturity will see his career blossom. I do think he'll be good in more of an attack mode under Brown.

Soaring to Glory is posting a nice Year in Review series.

More on former BC assistant Pat Duquette's rise to UMass-Lowell.

BC's hoops schedule is nearly full.

I didn't forget the Beanpot and other links

The Beanpot starts tonight. BC is in the late game against Northeastern. I apologize for the lack of a preview, but I haven't been able to watch much BC hockey lately. The Heights put up a good piece. If you have some sort of sports package you can watch the game on NESN.

Women's basketball lost to Wake Forest. They remain winless in conference but still have a few winnable games left on their schedule.

Donnie Fletcher answered some questions for this NFL Draft blog. He attributes much of his success to BC.

ESPN didn't think much of BC's recruiting efforts this year.

I'm glad BC wrote this article on Steele Divitto. If the Globe won't write it, BC might as well promote it on their own site. You also have to be impressed with Steele's maturity.

Rettig featured and other links

I am totally on board the Rettig bandwagon (and will have more on that later this week) but it seems like the media is starting to appreciate our sophomore QB. Right now it is only the local writers, but I think by the UCF game you will see more on Rettig's rise.

Everyone felt the offensive line was better, but Richman missed long portions of the scrimmage with back issues. We need him healthy if we expect any consistency upfront.

Clancy and Divitto are battling for the starting strongside LB spot. Although Kuechly never seems to come off the field, a few years ago we rotated LBs all day. I expect both Divitto and Clancy to play.

Bosco pipeline continues and other links

One of the challenges of coaching changes is losing continuity with recruiting territories. Fortunately we've kept our pipeline to Don Bosco open with our latest commitment Steele Divitto. Steele was recruited as linebacker and gives Spaz another much needed body into what should be a large recruiting class.

Is Spaz one of the more secure coaches in the ACC? This writer sees other coaches in the conference on the hot seat.

Incoming Eagle Chris Kreider got a crash course in NHL life via the Rangers developmental camp.