Tuesday, May 31, 2016

More ACC preview stuff

CFN put out more of their ACC previews, this time with an overview of the conference. Like the past few years, they expect Florida State and Clemson to be at the top. While it sucks to have the two powers in our division, this is actually not a bad thing for BC. We are in rebuilding mode and unlikely to challenge for the ACC Championship. Ideally when we are peaking in a season or two, something will have happened to FSU or Clemson (or both) like a coaching change or scandal, that can make BC's rise a little faster.

BC did get mentioned in certain categories like Hot Seat. I don't think there is an appetite to replace Addazio yet. Barring another winless ACC season, I think he's back in 2017.

CFN still doesn't think much of our QB situation.

Monday, May 30, 2016

Baseball headed to NCAA Tournament

For the first time since 2009, BC Baseball is headed to the NCAA Tournament. They will play Tulane in the Oxford regional. We are in a bracket with Ole Miss and Utah. The four teams play a round robin double elimination. It will be tough to advance, but this whole season has been about exceeding expectations. Making the tournament is a good accomplishment and a long time coming. You can see from the clip below, the guys were excited. Let's hope the passion and success carries over to the games.

Sunday, May 29, 2016

BC's ACC revenue continues to grow

As a private institution BC keeps most of its financial matters close to the vest. However, the ACC needs to file public tax documents and they are very revealing. For the 2014-15 school year, BC's ACC revenue share was $26.8 million. That is the money the league pays us for media rights and other shared ticket revenues. In just the ten years we've been in the ACC the annual number has grown by nearly $16 million. This also doesn't include any additional money BC takes in via Hockey East, our own fundraising and our on game day revenues and sponsorship. Being in the ACC has been good business for BC. 

Now because of other league members' revenue streams and larger fanbases, BC is probably still one of the lower revenue teams in the conference. Because of the mix of private schools and BC's conservative nature of reporting, we will probably never get a true picture of where BC stands among its peers. 

What frustrates me about this number is that even with the healthy and growing revenues, BC remains so conservative. How has the indoor practice facility taken so long, when some of this revenue could have off set up-front costs? Also, why do we still nickle and dime so many coaches and balk at paying players? I don't want to spend money to just to spend, but it is clear that BC could do more.  

Saturday, May 28, 2016

RIP Don Horton

Former Offensive Line Coach Don Horton passed away after battling Parkinson's disease. Horton coached at BC for 10 years, all under Tom O'Brien. He then followed TOB to NC State. As part of the Cincinnati contingent, Horton recruited many of our Ohio prospects first as a Tight Ends coach and then as a Offensive Line coach.

If you follow many former BC players on social media, you will see an outpouring of emotion and respect for their former coach. My thoughts and prayers go out to those guys as well as Horton's family.

Friday, May 27, 2016

Baseball faces waiting game

As the various Conference Tournaments play out, BC Baseball is left to wait. Many projections still have them in the NCAAs, but upsets and the ever-changing RPIs make things unpredictable. I don't know if other ACC "bubble" teams like Clemson and Wake had good ACC Tournies, while BC fell out after one game. BC's resume is strong enough, but nothing is guaranteed.

Once things wrap up, newer projections will roll out and then the real invites. And unfortunately an NCAA invitation will influence how this season is viewed.


Thursday, May 26, 2016

Vegas win totals for BC and other FBS schools

Win totals bets have been out for BC and other programs for a little while, but I have not really looked at them since the end of Spring Ball and transfer season. At this point, Vegas has most of the information on the teams that they are going to get. The consensus on BC for 2016? 6.5 wins.

That number is pretty perfect to me. Obviously I want to take the over, but still feel BC will be around that area. The other thing I like about the number is that Vegas is throwing out last season and setting the number close to what Addazio achieved in his first two seasons. They see him as a 6.5 win coach. Now consistently winning at just above .500 is not ideal, but at least it is winning. I would demand a lot more, but getting to consistent winning is the first step in creating a better program.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

McDuffie joins recruiting class

It has been a busy week for Coach Addazio, as he and his staff collected another verbal late Monday. This time it was New York defensive player Isaiah McDuffie.

McDuffie originally committed to Syracuse. After their coaching change, he reopend the process and picked  BC.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

BC adds New Jersey Linebacker

Paul Theobald is the newest member of Addazio's 2017 recruiting class. He verballed Tuesday via Twitter and gives the class more defensive talent and continues the push into New Jersey.

A Seton Hall Prep product, Theobald carries 3 stars from 247 and 3 stars from Rivals. He is unranked by Scout. Other than BC, his best offers were from Rutgers and Northwestern.

Things won't stop now. Other rumored verbals are looming and should come in the following days.

Monday, May 23, 2016

Flutie DUI and other links

Natick Police arrested and charged BC WR Troy Flutie with DUI. Based on the report, it doesn't appear that anyone was hurt. While this is serious for Flutie, now that he is not part of the QB rotation, it is less of a big deal for BC Football. What will be interesting is to see how Addazio punishes Troy. My guess is he will miss the season opener in Ireland.

According to Jeff Goodman, Matt Milon is headed to William & Mary. Like all basketball transfers, I am trying not to overreact and hope that Christian's plans for replacing Milon's productivity work.

Villanova did not see a Flutie effect from winning the NCAA Tournament.

Sunday, May 22, 2016

More opponent previews

CFN put out two more ACC Atlantic previews. This week they looked at Clemson and Louisville. Of the two, I think Louisville is the better matchup for BC. Last year we really frustrated their Offense. While I trust Petrino to work out the kinks, I still think an aggressive approach can rattle the still young Jackson.

Clemson will probably start the season very high in the polls. We will be viewed as one of their conference cupcakes. Knowing Addazio, we will probably be highly conservative and hope to keep it close. Maybe things will change with the new Offensive leaders, but I still don't think Addazio will suddenly become a daring game manager.

The ultimate good news is that both games are at home.

Saturday, May 21, 2016

BC Baseball makes the ACC Tournament

Congrats the Boston College Baseball team. By beating Georgia Tech twice on Saturday, the team earned a spot in the ACC Tournament. This is the first time the team qualified for the ACC Tourney since 2010. The teams will play again for the ACC Tourney Opener on Tuesday.


Friday, May 20, 2016

Addazio preparing for Georgia Tech already

If there is one thing to takeaway from Thursday's ESPN article on Addazio and Paul Johnson, it is that BC will be ready for the Jackets' triple option offense. Addazio has been studying it for years. Because we are beginning the season facing a gimmick offense, I agree with Addazio that we need to start now. Defeating them won't just be about maintaining gap control and assignments. It is also about their speed and cutbacks.

But no matter what Addazio does, Johnson will have a counter. That is the beauty of a gimmick offense. You create problems for the opponent and can change the game with a few momentum plays. Because of the gimmick, Johnson is never totally lost like BC was last year. He can create layers of depth and plug new people in from year to year. Addazio will never have that luxury if he keeps switching OCs and philosophies.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

More recruiting help from Ohio State

Urban Meyer must really like Addazio. We knew about BC joining Ohio State on various satellite camps. Now BC will be part of Ohio State's on-campus camps in Columbus. These series of one day Mega Camps will also include some other friends of Meyer as well as many MAC schools.

This works for BC on a few levels. There will be hundreds of Ohio kids going through there and Meyer can't take them all. BC might be able to build relationships with the B list guys. We've been recruiting Ohio for years, so this will also allow us to encourage Ohio targets who can't make it to Boston to go to these Meyer camps.

This might seem like a lot of effort for just a few relevant kids, but I am glad Addazio is doing this. We need to turn over every rock we can find.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Darby to Arizona State

BC made a late push for New Jersey wide receiver Frank Darby, but he's headed to Arizona State. Since the 2016 recruit came on the radar so late, it doesn't really impact BC short-term or long-term plans. He would have been a "nice to have" type of player, but no need to lose sleep over it. The best sign of the whole affair was that the Admissions Office didn't get in the way of his recruitment. Late academic conflict is usually a red flag but clearly Addazio and Admissions came to some sort of common ground.

Darby playing at Arizona State probably won't come back to haunt us either. 

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

TV time "officially" set for Ireland game

We've all known about the kickoff and coverage of the BC-Georgia Tech Ireland game for months. Tuesday, ESPN made it official as they released their opening weekend coverage schedule. Basically it is wall-to-wall college football starting the Thursday before Labor Day. BC's game will be Saturday morning at 7:30 ET on ESPN2.

The ability to put live football on Saturday morning is really the biggest reason for the Ireland game. I am sure the Irish like the tourism boost and BC and Georgia Tech appreciate the marketing opportunity, but this is a TV event.

Monday, May 16, 2016

CFN's early look at FSU

It is the start of preview season and the first up is College Football News' ACC preview. They began with traditional power Florida State. Florida State was a critical turning point in BC's 2015 season. Wade went down and the offense couldn't do anything. Yet we still played them relatively close. In fact, Addazio has played the 'Noles well in each of his seasons...with nothing to show for it.

I actually think we have a shot against FSU this year. If our Defense remains competitive, there is no reason to think this game won't be close. It will be on BC's offense to help Addazio finally get over the FSU hump.

Also, CFN thinks BC will be the 10th best team in the ACC and cause all sorts of problems for the upper echelon of the conference.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

ACC Network not dead yet

With cord cutting and ESPN killing Disney's stock, the ACC Network has never felt further away. Yet Awful Announcing read through the ACC Meeting tea leaves and thinks the project may still be viable.

Although the specialty networks have been money drains for ESPN, my guess is they are still willing to do them just to ensure a long-term relationship with the ACC. Look at what is happening with the Big Ten. They have their own network independent of ESPN and are now looking for another blockbuster TV deal. I am sure that as ESPN and Disney decide how to budget their rights deals, they would rather have a true partnership (with equity) with the ACC than overpay to lose money on a Big Ten deal. 

Awful Announcing referenced the impatient ACC Athletic Directors. I am sure that is a factor, but the bigger factor is ESPN stopping the cord cutting. Once they have that figured out, then they can move onto creating the ACC Network.

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Simmons signs with Broncos and other links

Justin Simmons signed with the Broncos. Under the current bargaining agreement, there is not much negotiating room. Your pick really determines your pay.

If Mehdi Abdesmad doesn't make the Titans, he will be in high demand in Canada. As a Canadian, he can fill a valuable roster slot.

This guy thinks BC has the 5th best QB situation in the division. I remain more optimistic. If one of the guys steps up, we could surprise plenty of teams.

Friday, May 13, 2016

More looking back at Reid's 1994 Defense

Here is another video of 1994 game footage. This time it was the season opener vs Michigan. BC allowed 36 points, so it wasn't Reid's best effort that year. However, there is still a lot to learn. You can see that the front seven looks and formations are very similar to Brown's. Like Brown we also did a lot of twisting and stunting. 

Despite the score, the defense still made plays. This was a talented Michigan offense and the game swung on some big performances from future NFL guys like Toomer or Biakabutuka, not from bad schemes.  



Thursday, May 12, 2016

ACC to create replay command center


The ACC is going to follow the NFL and create a central command center to handle all replays. Decisions will no longer be made at the stadium. While I don't think this will save BC from the occasional bad call, I do appreciate the consistency the new system should bring.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Campaniles on two sides of the Camp Wars

As Jim Harbough and Urban Meyer create new satellite camps for every day of the summer, things are starting to get testy. Upset by Harbough's move into New Jersey, Meyer decided to hold a New Jersey camp on the same day. The dueling camps will force prospects and high school coaches to pick one over the other. One of the coaches upset by this schedule is Bergen Catholic's Nunzio Campanile. He will take his team to the Meyer camp.

BC remains committed to the Michigan camp, including new DBs coach Anthony Campanile. Nunzio Campanile even mentioned his brother's commitment:
"I love my brother more than anything in the world. I just don't want anything to do with my kids going to a camp at Paramus Catholic."


Fortunately, Campanile has enough pull in New Jersey and with his brother that BC won't miss out on any Garden State recruits who don't attend the Harbaugh camp.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Perry dunks!

I have concerns about the quality of play that EJ Perry faces in Massachusetts, but the kid clearly has athleticism. In the video below he gets up and throws down a dunk. If he can't break the QB depth chart, maybe Jim Christian can use him. (ht Eagle Tribune).

Sunday, May 08, 2016

Reeves could be added as 5th year

There was gossip last week that a former Ohio State player was on campus exploring a 5th year transfer. It seems that Armani Reeves confirmed via Twitter that he is that transfer. Reeves is a Massachusetts native from West Roxbury. Coming out of Catholic Memorial he earned four star ratings and never gave BC much of a thought (still during the Spaz days). He was a contributor but not a star at Ohio State and missed his final year with a medical issue reportedly related to concussions. Now with his degree, he is eligible to play immediately.

We have good depth in the defensive backfield, but Reeves would be welcome. The issue is if BC will clear him to play medically. I don't doubt that he did have a head injury, but the way the story reads, it wouldn't surprise me if Urban Meyer gave him a wink, wink, nudge, nudge to take a medical. Often times coaches at a football factory would rather free up a scholarship for another elite recruit and let someone like Reeves (who was a contributor but not a star) sit his final year. 

One other thing of note, Jim Reid recruited him to Virginia too. 

Like all 5th years, Reeves has little downslide to BC. I hope it works out for both parties. 

Saturday, May 07, 2016

Baseball wins as BC honors Frates


After a slow start, BC rallied to beat Wake Forest Saturday. The win gave the team the series over the Deacons and improved their ACC record to 11-14. But the wins were really secondary. The important moment came earlier as Boston College retired the jersey number (3) of former Eagle captain and current director of operations Peter Frates. His number joins Eddie Pellagrini's No. 13 as the only other baseball number given this honor.

The team has the week off before taking on Niagara next weekend.

Friday, May 06, 2016

BC leveraging Big Ten friends to tag along at satellite cmapes

Once the NCAA overturned their ban on satellite camps, it didn't take long for the Big Ten powers to reschedule them. While the ACC, as a conference, is still against satellite camps, BC is taking the right kind of baby steps. Instead of making a splash and spending money hosting our first satellite camps, BC is joining friendly programs at their camps.

First BC will be part of Michigan's camp at Paramus Catholic. My guess is Don Brown helped put this together. Some other programs with ties to Harbaugh -- like Maryland -- will also be there.

Later BC will join Ohio State and Urban Meyer at St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida. Presumably this was via Addazio's relationship with Meyer.

The good news about these camps is that you get to see prospects who you might normally get to Boston. The bad news is that all the elite players will be focused on Michigan and Ohio State. But that is the risk you take when the other program runs the camp. It is the same sort of deal when Harvard or UNH come to BC's camps at Alumni during the summer. As long as we make inroads with some prospects, it is worth it.

I hope these are huge successes for BC and we learn how to operate a satellite camp and run our own in the near future.

Thursday, May 05, 2016

Reminder: Frates number retired this weekend

BC Baseball doesn't draw big crowds, but this weekend might be a good time for the casual or curious BC fan to attend. The team has a critical series against Wake to keep ACC Tourney hopes alive. But most importantly the team will honor Pete Frates by retiring his number.

At this point Frates' story is well known and global due to the ice bucket challenge. But BC is still an important part of who he is and BC Baseball owes a lot of who they are to his passion for the team.

BC Baseball games are different from a day at Fenway and even different from our Football, Hockey and Basketball experiences, but it is still a fun time. This weekend, because of Frates, it should be fun and special.

Wednesday, May 04, 2016

ESPN optimistic about Towles

ESPN posted an article on recent ACC QB transfers and how their histories projects to our new QB Patrick Towles. The short history of these transfers is mixed, but the good news is that the successes are closely tied to BC. We all know about Tyler Murphy and how he carried the team in 2014. But there are also huge differences between Murphy and Towles. Murphy got to play in a run heavy system with Ryan Day calling the plays. Murphy was also less experienced than Towles having only started six games to Towles' 22 starts.

The other relevant QB in the article was Virginia Tech's Michael Brewer. Despite some injuries, his two years in Blacksburg were very productive and a seemingly easy transition. That is comforting considering his Offensive Coordinator in those two seasons is BC's current OC Scot Loeffler.

The most reassuring part of the article was this quote from Bobby Petrino:
“I’ve known Patrick for a long time,” Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said recently on the ACC teleconference. “He had a great high school career and we competed against him at Kentucky. He's a very fine quarterback. He's big and physical, has a good release, and can really throw the football. He definitely should do a good job there.


With regards to most things, I don't trust Bobby Petrino. However, evaluating college QBs is one area where his expertise is superior to most. If he likes Towles, I feel pretty good about him too.

Tuesday, May 03, 2016

BC looking to flip Iowa commit

New Jersey WR Frank Darby was all set to go to Iowa. He even attended their Spring Game a few weeks ago. However, some academic concerns -- Iowa wanted him to attend prep school -- had Darby looking around again. His first post-Iowa visit will be BC.  This is where things get interesting.

As a 2016 recruit, Darby would be available to play this fall and would presumably join other 2016 recruits when they get on campus this summer. Although he is a WR, he has the athleticism to play other positions. BC didn't recruit him last time around, but Darby has a strong relationship with new staffer Anthony Campanile. 

Getting him on campus for a visit is huge, but I also wonder where the Admissions Office stands on Darby. If Iowa had academic concerns, I don't see how our Admissions team won't. I hope that by getting Darby this far in the process, he's cleared that hurdle. It would be bad to publicly court this kid and then jerk him around like Iowa did...especially as we are rebuilding our New Jersey relationships. 

Monday, May 02, 2016

Sunday, May 01, 2016

Baseball, Softball both win weekend series

After a rough start, Baseball rallied this weekend won their series with Virginia Tech. It improved their ACC record to 9-13. There next game is against URI on Tuesday.

Softball swept Syracuse and improved to 10-8 in ACC play. They host Pittsburgh next.