Herzy's health (and hair)

The real news of the day was Herzy telling reporters his leg was "80% to 85%" percent back. There was also a nice feature on Mark in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Friday (thanks to George for the link). Now that it looks like Mark has turned the corner, can we move onto the frivolous? Look at that picture above. Does that look like a bad-ass, cancer-beating, All America Linebacker? He looks like he got off early from his summer internship at a Law Firm. Or he's a young Financial Analyst whose office goes casual on summer Fridays. I am glad he has his hair back. I just think it is time for a return of the mohawk! Would it be that weird for him to wear the eyeblack when in public? I don't care that it is hot or summer time -- get the beard back ASAP! Quarterbacks wear light blue polos and hang out with their mothers. You're on defense, Mark! I know...I know. These guys are different...Kuechly wears Clark Kent glasses...Mark goes by Sandon in class...they all study and graduate...blah blah blah. That's nice. But that's not what I think we need. Put the polo back in the closet. Take some clippers to some of those nice new curls and get in kick ass mode. Summer practices are just around the corner. Go BC and beat cancer!

Baseball features, expansion news and other links

Three different BC baseball players were featured in various articles this weekend...

Mickey Wiswall is hoping to get drafted high and see it followed by a good offer. While I would love to see him come back for his SR year, you can't blame these kids for taking the money. School will always be there. You never know when the injury bug could hit.

John Spatola's rise to major league prospect was a little less predictable, but he is also hoping to get drafted and get a shot with some team.

Andrew Del Colle is hoping to end his tough luck cycle this summer in the NECBL summer league.

This article does not focus on BC but it was too good for me not to highlight. It's Yahoo's Dan Wetzel exposing the stupidity and hypocrisy of the BCS and how the participants leave hundreds of millions of dollars on the table by not having a playoff. I haven't harped on it lately but Gene should have been a leader in the playoff push long ago. BC has never and will never benefit from the current bowl system. The playoff only would have gained momentum if BCS participants were driving the conversation. BCS schools who were not benefiting from the BCS should have been leading the charge. Instead we find ourselves waiting for dominoes to fall again...not knowing what the future brings.

Evan Ravenel had a solid season last year, but not the break out performance we had hoped for. His transfer, while a disappointment, was not a surprise. Where he is transferring is a surprise! Evan will move on to Ohio State. I wish him luck and hope he does well. At least he is going to a strong program in a solid conference.

Sailors honored and other links

A day after winning the Coed National Championship, BC sailors Tyler Sinks and Taylor Canfield were named All-Americans. Congrats to both.

A Patriots blogger recapped the Tom Brady event that saw Herzy intercept the three-time Super Bowl winner.

Just when we were getting to know Quinton Alston, he ups and commits to Pitt. It must have been the tour.

Behind the Scenes of BC recruiting tour

New Jersey LB Quinton Alston is one of BC's recruiting targets for the 2011 class. He already has an offer in hand and has made an unofficial visit. Fortunately for us, his mother is documenting the process and posted a video of their day at BC. There is music but no speaking so you can't hear what was said, but from the order and the shots you can tell what BC emphasizes. You'll also pick up on how important the GAs are in the process since they are doing a lot of the escorting. Overall, I think Yawkey, Alumni and the campus show pretty well.

Kickoff times and other links

We now know the scheduled kickoff times for our first two games. The first game against Weber St. is 1PM and will be on ESPN3 (formerly ESPN 360). Once we knew we would open against Weber State, ESPN3 seemed inevitable. What a wasted opportunity to give Herzy the showcase and tribute his comeback deserves. Surprisingly the Kent State game will be on TV. It will kickoff at 3:30 on ESPN U. That should actually be a fun game considering the midday start and good weather we usually have in September. Assuming we start 2-0, Virginia Tech has a good chance to be a prime time game. Notre Dame will also be on TV. The rest of our TV schedule will then depend on our record, ranking and opponent.

Our sailing dominance continued as the team won the Coed National Championship. We cannot be stopped on the water!

Here is Goodman's roundup of the ACC.

Eagle Action posted Part 1 of their annual Q&A with Gene. Not much news so far but he does discuss expansion's impact on the conference.

You can watch Southern Pigskin's preview of BC below.

Reloading on D and other links

This might be one of the better things HD has written this offseason. She takes a look at defensive consistency and notes how well we've done over the past six years. Obviously Spaz deserves the lion's share of credit for that. But it is nice to think we can "reload" each year regardless of who we lost the prior season. Plus I don't think we'll ever have to recover from a Brace/Raji/Herzy like loss again.

Finally a Steele stat where we are in the Top 10 -- career oline starts.

Rivals considers Montel Harris the 96th best player in college. No explanation of their methods or reasoning. I don't really take these silly things as slights but I have a feeling we are going to surprise a lot of people again.

Marcellus Bowman is off to Canada to play in the CFL with Winnipeg. Many BC guys have had nice careers up north. Best of luck to him.

You may have read this already, but Herzy is healthy enough to play in Tom Brady's charity flag football game.

Cory Schneider got a new deal in Vancouver.

Recruiting update and other links

Local Tight End Anthony Fabiano is getting more and more interest from BC and hoping to turn it into an official offer. Spaz's guys are also very interested in Ohio DE Jack Miller.

HD included Herzy in her ranking of ACC players at 25 (the lowest position for anyone ranked). I understand the hedging on Mark's impact...most previews are doing it. But at this point you have to assume a bigger impact. This guy was the ACC defensive player of the year and defined game changer. Even at less than 100%, he's going to be one of the most important players of the season. In my opinion he should be listed alongside Kuechly in any discussion/ranking of BC defensive players.

As most of you know, BC did not make the baseball NCAA tournament, however, UNC did. We have their sympathy, but I would rather have their slot.

Another Phil Steele nugget -- returning tackles. With Kuechly returning, I would have predicted a higher ranking here.

Memorial Day

Today is a good reminder that BC has a permanent tribute to alumni who have died defending this country. You can read more about the Boston College Veterans Memorial here. Thank you to all of those men and women who have worn the uniform and defended our freedoms.

Florian to be a TV star and other links

BC guy Kenny Florian will be putting his Communications major to use as ESPN has hired him to be their lead MMA analyst for their new MMA show. Good luck to Kenny and hopefully he turns this into a solid post retirement career.

Luke Kuechly is considered one of the best LBs in our region.

BC is going hard after Connecticut prospect Tommy Jordan but he sounds sold on Florida.

You can catch Jared Dudley on ESPN's First Take Monday morning.

Will Noreen ever make up his mind and other links

Buried in this Notes column from the Twin Cities is an update on Kevin Noreen:

Mr. Basketball Minnesota Kevin Noreen of Minnesota Transitions has one recruiting visit left and is contemplating Washington or Oregon. Arkansas, Northwestern, Providence and Boston College remain in the hunt for the 6-foot-10 1/2, 232-pounder. The Gophers have shown cursory interest.

If he were still considering BC, wouldn't he have ended his world tour by now? Also, his collection of potential programs is varied with no real theme or tie. It is too bad he doesn't realize that Donahue's system is perfect for him.

BC seemingly has a high percentage of talent returning...most of the offensive skill players, LBs, etc. Yet using Phil Steele's calculations we are behind most DIA programs.

Congrats to Senior Rower Laura Petty who was named to the All-New England Region first team.

Baseball team bounced from ACC tourney and other links

After two tight games, the baseball team was on the wrong end of a lopsided game at the ACC tourney. The 12-2 loss ended their run in Greensboro and leaves the team on the bubble. The NCAA field will be announced Monday.

Kiwi's brother was in a bad motorcycle accident and remains in critical condition. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

BC just offered OT Paul Gaughan and has interest in Jack Tabb.

BC stays alive and other links

A comfortable BC lead fell apart this afternoon, but the guys rallied in what turned out to be an exciting extra innings affair. With the win and FSU's win later in the day, hope is still alive. The baseball team takes on the 'Noles next.

Eagle Action is holding a multipart interview with Steve Donahue. In part 1 he talks about the transition and his early recruiting efforts.

We haven't discussed Phil Steele much but BC players are scattered throughout his all ACC teams. Castonzo, Claiborne and Harris all made first team offense. Kuechly is the only one who made first team defense (Herzy is second team). Quigley also received first team honors.

Will Sean Duggan be BC's next Cincy recruit? His offer list is picking up.

Tough loss in ACC Tourney and other links

BC squandered a good effort from Pat Dean in the opener of the ACC Tournament and lost to UVA 6-4. Their next game against Miami is a must win. Here are some post game clips of Aoki and the boys talking about the loss.

Here is some much deserved attention for walkon Brendan Murphy.

Stewart Mandel acknowledges that the media often overrates Florida State while overlooking BC.

Ron Brace is hoping to put his terrible Rookie year behind him. He attributes most of his struggles to the mental complexity of the pro game.

BC guy Alejandro Bedoya was one of the last cuts for the US World Cup team.

I found this article interesting, especially given our past dependence on midwest talent.

Many are betting on Miami and FSU leading the ACC back to prominence. I think both programs are still a few years away from reaching their old form.

Gene promoted some long time Athletic Department staffers.

ACC Tournament Previews

As mentioned, BC is a bubble team for baseball equivalent of the big dance. They need a strong showing at the ACC Tournament to secure their spot. Play begins Wednesday. For those just tuning into BC baseball, here are some notes and links to get you up to speed.

-- BCeagles.com's preview and recap of the season
-- The games will be on NESN
-- A capsule of the relevant ACC news and notes
-- This Yahoo link covers all the postseason tournaments

Welcome new alumni and other links

Today a class of BC students graduated and officially became alumni. Although I am a little biased, you'll find that sports is one of the strongest pulls back to BC. I am sure that you have many great friends and met many great people (who knows, maybe like me you met your spouse at BC). As you travel and wear a BC hat or shirt, you'll run into random BC people around the country and world. And of course BC won't hurt your professional career. But as you get older and move on, add more commitments and complications to your life, there will always be BC sports. You'll turn on your TV and there will always be a fresh batch of athletes and super fans cheering them on to remind you of your time at the Heights. Don't hang on to tight though. There is a big world out there and you don't want to be talking about the glory days either. I guess my advice is to tune in when you can, always hope for an Eagles win and keep a small piece of BC in your heart.

If rumors are to be believed, Steve Donahue persuaded former Colgate commitment Danny Rubin to come to BC. So we will have at least one 2010 recruit.

Heading into the ACC Tourney, BC is squarely on the bubble and considered one of the last five in.

CFN came out with their ACC skill position rankings. They didn't think much of Shinskie but like Harris and Pantale.

Blackmon is ready for his position switch.

After a long hiatus, KSK broke out a new Matt Ryan explained.

Baseball gets into ACC Tourney and other links

After their weekend series with Georgia Tech, the baseball team did hold on to the 8th and final qualifing spot in the ACC Tournament. They take on Virginia Wednesday. They are in a round robin with Miami and FSU too. Unlike last year, this team is probably not postseason bound and will probably need to win the ACC to advance to the NCAAs.

The audio is not great and it is a bit anticlimatic, but here is the video feed of Suntrup's announcement.

BC held a Q&A with Steve Donahue and he claims that my pet peeve (2010 recruiting) remains a priority.

Out of the mouths of babes...

While cleaning up my one-year-old after lunch, she casually pointed to this logo on my shirt and said,

"Chicken!"

Suntrup is an Eagle

On Friday, highly touted Missouri QB recruit Christian Suntrup committed to BC. While it is way too early to speculate on Suntrup's future at BC, his commitment is a good sign that the staff's recruiting strategy and message is taking hold. Despite no previously established relationship with his high school, despite a now loaded QB depth chart, and despite plenty of offers from other programs, Suntrup decided to commit to BC now. Hats off to Dave Brock for closing out another prospect.

Suntrup seems like the type of QB we would and should recruit. Preppy, pro style, mid westerner who went to a Catholic High School. His transition to a place like BC should be pretty seamless. Suntrup is the type of guy who wants to be the next Matt Ryan. We might as well leverage that on the recruiting trail. Speaking of Ryan...the only downside I see of landing your top choice is that sentimental favorite and legacy John Loughery will probably go elsewhere.

Let's hope Suntrup gets plenty of press this summer and helps build momentum for this class.

HD stepping up BC coverage and other links

HD posted a feature on Kuechly and has had a few different notes on BC lately including Phil Steele links (1 and 2). Congrats to Heather for keeping things up with a new baby, I know from experience babies interrupt blogging. Now someone needs to remind me again why the Globe and Herald can't produce the same volume of content as HD? One other note: I plan on getting my copy of Phil Steele this weekend and will post my thoughts after reading it.

I was whining about Donahue's 2010 recruiting yesterday, so I should note that he added another body to the 2011 class. Let's hope something breaks soon for this summer.

Green Bay is using the spring to shuffle around all their BC players. Raji is moving to NT and Blackmon is moving to safety.

On the football recruiting front, BC is targeting Florida DE Clay Burton.

Even with a new TV partner, the ACC is likely to continue its Sunday Night Hoops package.

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This column from ACC writer Ken Tysiac has been making the rounds. Tysiac is anti-expansion as we all should be. The current ACC configuration is ideal. We should only consider expansion if our hands are forced. Until then lock in the current partners.

When do we start worrying about basketball recruiting?

May 19 marked another Letter of Intent day for college basketball. BC signed no one. With one month at BC under his belt, Steve Donahue is still without a committed recruit for 2010. That wouldn't be a big deal for a new coach if the problem wasn't already compounded by the recent transfers out of the program and by Skinner's empty 2009 recruiting class. At this point Donahue needs some warm bodies for practice. Because we still have good returning talent, Donahue doesn't need a high ceiling, impact player in this class...just a potential contributor. If he gets a player or two now and finds a transfer to join the program, he can avoid any pitfalls after the Jackson and Ellmore class graduate.

I still really like Donahue and his potential, so I am not worried yet. However, if by September we don't have any recruits or transfers I think Donahue will have built himself a big hole. If he wants to build something at BC and prove he can transition from the Ivy League, he cannot let the program bottom out in his second or third season. It will be used against him on the recruiting trail and will kill momentum and interest among BC fans. He needs to leverage Jackson and show improvement each year to gain wider credibility. That will be tough if he is playing a team of freshmen and sophomores in 2013.

So I will do my best to remain patient and stay on the Donahue bandwagon...let's hope there are some diamonds in the rough who feel the same way this summer.