Signs the players are buying in

Coaches spend countless hours texting and calling, and schools build shiny new facilities all in an effort to impress new recruits. But the most underrated tool in recruiting remains current players. They host potential recruits and they create the team culture.

When things turned bad under Spaz, the players were the canaries in the coal mine. You could see their comments on social media and read between the lines on recruiting stories. If the current players are not buying in, it is that much harder for recruits to buy into a coach or potential program. I think the current players believe in BC and in Addazio. The most recent example is Jonathan Hilliman's tweet about potential transfer Matt Hegarty.

I have no idea if Hilliman has any prior relationship with Hegarty. The former Notre Dame player is from New Mexico, so there is no obvious connection. I don't know if Hegarty is interested in BC or if the staff wants him, but it is a great sign that our current players want him. If they are this excited about a transfer, imagine what they are saying to the high school kids that come to campus.

Hilliman is only one guy, but he's one of our best young players. Let's hope other players believe in BC like he does and want great recruits and transfers to join the team.

Williams is an All American and other links

The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and the Football Writers' Association of America (FWAA) both named Andre Williams to their first-team All-America squads. Williams is only the 12th Eagle to make the first team. Nate Freese made the second team.

New commit Jonathan Hillman explained why he flipped from Rutgers to BC. Hopefully BC will pick up another commit or two based on other coaching changes.

Here's a feature on Nathan Gerbe.

Brian broke down the scholarship allotment and we are currently at 89. However, expect a lot of attrition after the bowl game.

Addazio flips Hillman from Rutgers to BC

After a relatively slow fall, BC is making recruiting news again. New Jersey Running Back Jonathan Hillman announced that he will attend BC. Previously Hillman verballed to Rutgers. The coaching staff shakeup there combined with BC's strong season and Andre Williams success, made the decision much easier for Hillman.

Addazio now has a loaded backfield coming on campus. Plus he's got Willis and Rouse returning. I doubt any of them approach Andre Williams' numbers next year, but as a group they might run more. We will also be a little more versatile and some of these guys can catch balls out of the backfield too.

I think BC still has a chance to flip a few more high-profile recruits. It should be an interesting recruiting season.