Boyle to UConn, Kuechly honored and other links

Tim Boyle made it official: he will sign with UConn instead of BC this week. I usually wish bad things upon commitments that spurn BC, but I can't blame Boyle for this. He wasn't really wanted in Chestnut Hill. Best of luck to him in the future.

Luke Kuechly won the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

The Women's Basketball Team lost to Maryland.

Davis final 2 and other links

With less than a week before signing day, Addazio is making a final push on some key targets. One is Florida Running Back Robert Davis. He will be in Boston this weekend. Currently he favors Memphis. 

This didn't get much attention but a pipe burst in the Yawkey Complex over the weekend. The water damage was extensive, but fortunately no people or equipment will have to be moved. 

BCI wrote a good piece on how BC can emulate Stanford's football success. 

For those wondering what sort of offense we will have, Tim Boyle's coach thinks our QBs will run 15-20 times a game. 

Gerry Ward will represent BC as an "ACC Legend" at this year's ACC Tournament. Congrats to Gerry. (Does anyone else chuckle when these guys who never played in the ACC are tapped as "Legends"?)

The honors keep piling up as Jerry York will now enter the Beanpot Hall of Fame. 

Addazio recruiting like Cortes

Legend has it that when Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortes got to what is now Mexico, he had his ships burned. Like many historical anecdotes, I am sure there is some embellishment, but the lesson is simple: if you want full commitment, a leader needs to make sure his team has no other choice. That is sort of how I feel about Addazio's QB situation. First he landed a dual threat QB and now he has basically told our highest rated recruit Tim Boyle that the system is going to favor dual guys.

Boyle liked BC from the very beginning and has stayed true despite the terrible season under Spaz and the coaching change. I feel for him. That doesn't mean he is owed anything. Maybe Addazio is doing him a favor. He's now free to go where he is wanted.

As for what it means to BC...I hope Addazio has something in Walsh or has another ace up his sleeve. I don't know if Boyle would have been special, but he was a nice insurance policy. Now we are all in on dual threat QBs. It makes you wonder how we are going to use Rettig this season.

What sort of QB does Addazio need?

BC has a strong history recruiting pro-style, pocket passers. Jags recruited some dual-threat guys but Spaz reverted right back to the pocket mold when he took over. Despite his challenges, Spaz even landed two tall pocket passers for this upcoming class in Tim Boyle and Mackay Lowrie. When Addazio came on he said he was going to play to the team's strengths and build on what is here. Yet despite his proclamation and the connections he built with Boyle and Lowrie, Addazio went hard after a third QB in Michael Julian. 

Julian is an late blooming athletic kid from South Carolina. The recruiting sites categorize him as a "dual-threat" QB. He's right in line with Addazio's ideal QB based on his system at Florida and Temple. Even with the promises to the Spaz commitments, I had no problem with Addazio's decision. He needs to find the best players he can. But now that Julian has said "no" to BC, I am starting to wonder what sort of QB BC should recruit. And with the rise of the running QB in the NFL, what is a "pro-style" quarterback anymore?

A lot of the pro vs dual style is cover for race. If you look on the recruiting sites, "pro" style are predominately white, while "dual" are predominately black. For a variety of reasons, BC has been an easier sell to white, pocket passers. The guys who wanted to be the next Foley, Hasselbeck or Ryan. But that doesn't mean that there aren't exceptions. Bordner is a white QB from Maryland, but he is probably best categorized as "dual." Codi Boek was also recruited as a "dual" threat. But the color of the skin shouldn't really mater. What should mater is the QB's ability to throw and run. The ideal QB -- the guy I want BC to get -- is someone who can do both well. 

But stepping back, I started to rethink about Addazio's need to get a third guy. Shouldn't the offense execute well as long as the QB does most things well and right? Take Brian Kelly as an example. In all his stops he's used running and throwing QBs interchangeably  The framework of the offense is the same, but the types of plays and what the QB does is different. Steve Logan was the same way at BC. We ran the same offense with Matt Ryan as we did with Chris Crane, yet with Crane we ran the ball much more. If Addazio is going to have success at BC, he should be able to win with the QBs we have. The only way it makes sense to go hard after a third QB is if he thinks Boyle and Lowrie are not ACC caliber. 

We won't know if the new guys are any good for two years. We will know how adaptable Addazio and Day are well before then because Rettig is not a "dual" guy. I hope that they can score regardless of the QB's strengths, because if not we will have a lot of square pegs trying to fit in round holes. 

Recruiting news: decommit and more 3rd QB news

One of BC's highest rated recruits, Ohio Running Back LeShun Daniels decommitted and is now headed to Iowa. This one hurts. Running back is a position of need and emphasis for Addazio. Daniels had the chance to come in right away and contribute. Seeing players waiver is natural though and only more predictable when there is a coaching change. Fortunately Addazio is out trying to find another back.

One other thing that is more apparent is that BC is probably taking three QBs in this class. BC just offered a scholarship to South Carolina Dual Threat QB Michael Julian. We need QB talent but not three in one class. I know BC is honoring all of Spaz's commitments, but I expect something to give with the two QBs who verbaled to Spaz. It is clear Addazio is headed in a different direction. I just hope BC manages the roster and expectations well in this process.

BC adds a second QB commit and that's a good thing

Connecticut Quarterback Tim Boyle committed to BC and Spaz Wednesday. There is a lot to like about Boyle (see below), but what I am most excited about is that he is our second QB in this class. In a way I want Spaz to recruit like Noah trying to fill the Ark. We need two of everything! I think depth at key positions in this class is critical, because I anticipate this will be a transition class. If we do make a coaching change, many of our current commits will go elsewhere. By having two QBs in the fold BC hedges on one of them ditching BC if we make a coaching change.

Even if BC doesn't make a change, taking two QBs fits with the Steve Logan/Doug Martin strategy of recruiting two guys. The benefit of taking two a year means that over the course of five recruiting classes, you will have 10 potential QBs. It is a lot easier to find one really good QB and two decent ones when you bring in 10 as opposed to five or six. It is sort of a throw enough stuff against the wall and see what sticks. The guys that don't work out will leave or learn a new position.

What the Recruiting Services think of Boyle

Rivals: ***
Scout: ***
247: ***
ESPN: ***