Spring injuries and other links

It is tough getting through Spring Practice without some problems. Addazio didn't get lucky this year. Two promising players went down this week. Elijah Johnson suffered a knee injury. BC isn't talking specifics but social media is saying it is a ACL. We will see how long he is out. The other loss is linebacker Max Richardson. He broke his foot. That recovery shouldn't be as long.

If Jared Dudley really does plan on coaching after the NBA, this season is another example of his instincts and ability to develop young players.

Former Eagle Ryan Quigley signed with the Vikings.

Quigley sells to Vick and other links

Former Eagle Ryan Quigley made headlines for the right reasons when he sold his jersey number to Michael Vick. Quigley is donating Vick's payment to a South Carolina charity that helps troubled teens.

Rutgers brought more embarrassment upon themselves and the Big Ten this week. The Big Lead wondered if we were one of the schools the Big Ten should have selected in the past.

Once again BC teams performed very well on the APR.

Some Lacrosse experts think BC is most likely to get upset in the opening of the NCAA Tournament. Our draw involves three conference champions.

FSU kickoff time and other links

BC-Florida State will kickoff at 3:30. Given the key afternoon slot means that it will be on ABC in most markets and "reversed" on ESPN2 or ESPNU in other markets. While it is not a great weekend for ACC games, it is still encouraging to see BC get one of the more desirable slots. It will also be good for attendance. BC has two weeks to get this game filled and rocking at kickoff.

The Jets have signed Ryan Quigley. 

Good news for the future as many committed Eagles are having strong high school seasons.

The Women's Soccer team lost to Clemson on Sunday. The Men's team beat Pitt on Saturday.

Culture change and other links

HD capped off her recent focus on BC with a article on the changing culture. I know what from what has been shared that the players are much more enthusiastic  Now Addazio needs to hold their belief when we hit the inevitable rough patch.

Emmett Cleary is proud of the BC Oline tradition but expects to be a late-round pick or a free agent.

Earlier in the week, HD held a Q&A with Alex Amidon. (Part 1 and Part 2).

Ryan Quigley is still hoping to catch on in the NFL.

Pat Forde thinks Steve Donahue will be on the hotseat next year.

Finally, this is video of invited walk-on Sam Donahue. The kid can shoot.

King runs well at ECAC and other links

Caroline King set new BC record for the 800 Meters at the ECAC Championship.

The Bears signed Ryan Quigley. He has a good chance to make the team.

Baseball split their series with Fordham.

Donahue picks up transfer and other links

The Heights reported that Alex Dragicevich will transfer to BC. Originally from Illinois, Dragicevich played his first two seasons at Notre Dame. He's a 6'7 wing player that can shoot. He'll have to sit out next season and then have two years of eligibility thereafter. I like the addition and think he'll help. My only concern is that it adds to an already crowded graduating class in 2015. The scholarships need to even out eventually or Donahue will have massive rebuilding jobs every four years.

Ryan Quigley signed a free agent deal with the Bears. He will be given the chance to compete for the starting punter position.

BC named Pat Mullane the new Captain of the Hockey team.

Year in Review: Biggest Surprises

Although it felt like a series of low points, there were plenty of pleasant surprises on this BC football team. As part of the Year in Review, I looked back on three guys who exceeded expectations.

1. Ryan Quigley. Quigley has been a solid punter from Day 1, so it may be hard to call him a surprise, but this year he took it to a new level. He was fourth in the nation in punts inside the 20...many of which were pinned inside the 10. Quigley was consistent and also did very nice job with our kickoffs. There were many times that I felt Spaz went too conservative and was too quick to punt, but Quigley always bailed him out. Many things went wrong this year, but anything related to Quigley did not. I wish he didn't punt so often, but it was a pleasure watching his work.

2. Dominic Appiah. When Spaz's defenses are at their best, it usually starts upfront. For the past three seasons we haven't really had a game changer up there. We expected guys like O'Neal or Quinn to step up or maybe get some big contributions from Ricci, but Appiah was the one who really progressed as the season wore on. As a DT, his job is to push the line and clog the middle. One of the reasons our defense got better towards the end of the season was because Appiah finally gave us a difference maker at DT. As we used more three-man fronts, Appiah was often the lone DT out there and played well. Plus I like his hustle. The defensive line has been an issue for a few years, but I think next year it will be a strength.

3. Manny Asprilla. Asprilla's rise was very similar to Appiah's. Other young DBs were supposed to make an impact this year. Not much was expected of Asprilla. Yet as the season wore on, he was getting more and more snaps. He was the one making tackles. Our corners are expected to cover and make plenty of tackles. Asprilla showed a toughness and instinct that should serve him well going forward. I also liked his quickness on corner blitzes. If his freshman year was any indication, Asprilla has a chance to be special.