The early names floated as Jarmond replacements

Martin Jarmond is now officially gone, so the BC side of the question is “who is next?”

BC is expected to name Vaughn Williams the interim. Williams was a long-time assistant AD under GDF and returned under Jarmond. He will probably be a candidate for the job full-time, but I would be surprised if any internal candidate got the job.

Based on speculation and gossip, I think Father Leahy and the Board still understand the importance of the role. While Jarmond’s time at BC was short, he validated their decision to focus on fundraising and being the face of the Athletic Department. In the midst of a Athletic Department Fund Raising Campaign and the most economically uncertain time in the last 50 years of college sports, I think they will still remain focused on someone who can be the face of the program and get people to open their wallets. These are some of the names already being floated. A few things to remember:

1. Jarmond was not one of the early names leaked last time, so it is very possible our future Athletic Director is unknown to all of us. 
2. BC has a history of over-correcting on a hire based on the previous hire's flaws. Gene was a bit dictatorial and had rubbed key people the wrong way, so they go with Brad Bates, who was not a big personality and was deferential. Bates was bland and a drag on fundraising, so they bring in a high-energy sales guy like Jarmond. The knock on Jarmond is that he wasn’t here for the long run, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see them hire someone who wants to be at BC a long time.

Vicky Chun, AD at Yale
Pros: Very experienced Athletic Director and fundraiser at private schools.
Cons: No experience at Power 5 programs.
Bottom Line: The Jarmond process showed that BC wanted to look beyond the traditional candidate pool. Don’t be surprised if they do it again by looking beyond the “boys club.”

Matt Hasselbeck, ESPN
Pros: Passionate about the job and the institution. Has the ability to be the face of the program yet is more than just a "rah rah" guy. He can switch hats to evaluate coaches and deal with the financials.
Cons: Zero experience.
Bottom Line: Matt’s supposed strong interest is intriguing. The timing is also intriguing as he was asked to help Jarmond during the Hafley process because Jarmond had rubbed a few influential people the wrong way. I don’t know why Hasselbeck would walk away from ESPN, but this is supposedly the one opportunity that would do it. I always liked him, but think the politics of this process will kill his candidacy.

Mark Jackson, AD at Villanova
Pros: From Boston, so this would/could be a final stop. Has been a big fundraiser and understands the importance of basketball. Also worked for Raiders, Patriots and USC, so he knows football.
Cons: You could claim he was in the right place at the right time for Villanova. USC, which knew him well, passed on him when they had their opening.
Bottom Line: He checks nearly every box you would want in a BC Athletic Director, but the obvious choice never seems to survive this process.

Graham Neff, Deputy AD at Clemson
Pros: CFO and business head of the biggest cash cow in the ACC. Deep ACC ties. Understands the financial implications ahead as well as anyone.
Cons: No history fundraising at a private school. Never made a coaching hire.
Bottom Line: He will probably be a P5 AD within five years and does keep BC firmly tied to the ACC decision makers, but he is still very young and has no ties to BC or any school like BC.

Zac Selmon, Sr Associate AD at Oklahoma
Pros: Like Jarmond, he is a young fundraiser from a football power. Has deep ties to the ACC (played at Wake, worked at UNC).
Cons: Has never made a coaching hire.
Bottom Line: His profile and career trajectory is close enough to Jarmond's that you can understand BC’s interest. But as I wrote, we tend to over-correct on hires, so I would be surprised if we hired Jarmond 2.0.

Hasselbeck favorite for MNF and other links

Matt Hasselbeck will call the Pro Bowl with Sean McDonough for ESPN in place of Jon Gruden. It is sort of an audition/tryout for the full-time role on Monday Night Football. It appears Hasselbeck is the network's favorite for the job.

Hockey lost to Providence. They have UNH Sunday.

That'll do it from The Heights. Let's get it back right here against New Hampshire on Sunday afternoon at 1pm. #BCEagles pic.twitter.com/v0XPmLaJGs

— BC Hockey (@BCHockey) January 13, 2018

If you haven' already heard, Hilliman is headed to Rutgers. This was rumored since the bowl game. As a graduate, he will be eligible to play immediately. Best of luck to him.

BC offered a 2019 Rhode Island Line prospect.

UMass looking for true home games and other links

UMass hopes to play more games on campus in the near future. What a shock that playing 90 miles away at Gillette wasn't an immediate success. Our games against the Minutemen would not be impacted. As much as I mock what they are doing, I am all for establishing a long-term series that goes Alumni-Gillette, Alumni-Gillette. That is a huge advantage for us.

Nick Clancy is solidly on the Falcons depth chart. Let's hope he gets plenty of playing time in the preseason games. 

SI predicts five wins this fall. 

Being surrounded by BC guys is making Matt Hasselbeck's transition to the Colts that much easier. 

ESPNBoston broke down things to watch as practice begins. 

Here is a round up of anonymous comments on BC from other ACC coaches. I am amazed by how shallow their knowledge of BC is. It shows we are a real afterthought. That will change soon. 

Swigert hurt and other links

Bobby Swigert is the latest BC starter to miss the Miami game. According to BC, he will miss multiple games after injuring his knee in the scrimmage.

Steve Donahue talked about his expectations for the Spain trip and how the players have spent their summer. For those who missed it, ESPN ranked our hoops program at 50th overall, all-time.

Here is a video clip of Spaz rewarding the walk-ons with scholarships.

Future Eagle David Coggins is inactive as his high school eligibility comes into question.

HD posted her clip of talking to Emmett Cleary.

I was at BC at the same time as Matt Hasselbeck and even then everyone thought he was a great guy off the field.

The women's soccer team beat UConn.

The men's team won its opener.

Volleyball started strong in our own invitational.

The wrong BC Matt talked to Chase Rettig

Matt Hasselbeck knows what it is like to lead BC during rough times.

This offseason Matt Ryan took Chase Rettig to dinner and told him to have fun. I love Matt Ryan but I am not sure he's the former BC QB that should talk to Rettig. Matt Ryan's BC was a very different place. He had one offensive coordinator for his first four seasons. Ryan was grew into his role. Things were good.

Rettig hasn't had that same luxury at Ryan. His redshirt was burned to save the offense in 2010 only to see him get hurt. He came back but the offense still sputtered. Last year due to the staff meltdown, Rettig dealt with two more coordinators. Things haven't been fun and Rettig is being asked to bring BC back and in turn save Spaz's job. If anyone can relate to all this chaos, it is Matt Hasselbeck. He dealt with three BC head coaches in five years. The offense was constantly being tweaked. He took a beating in the pocket while trying to make something happen offensively. He had to lead players and set an example even though the coach had sort of lost the team. Hasselbeck has a tough, smart and hard working player. BC didn't turn around in his Junior or Senior seasons, but how he handled himself earned him a spot in the NFL. Rettig needs to hear about those trials. He's better than his stats or his record but only BC fans know it. A little encouragement from a guy who was also better than his stats or record at BC might make the difference this year and next.

What if: Matt vs Matt

The above is a twitter exchange between Matt Hassellbeck and Matt Ryan. It's a harmless series of tweets but it got me thinking about what if the Matts had been on campus at the same time.


Outside of their NFL pedigrees, the Matts had a lot in common. Both were tall, well-rounded recruits from Northeast private schools. Both had decent offers aside from BC, but neither were considered top recruits. But where I think their BC careers become very similar is their ability to shine through QB controversies.

Hasselbeck earned starts as a redshirt sophomore. Only the following season saw him lose his spot in the preseason to Scott Mutryn. Hasselbeck persevered, pulled out a game in Hawaii and never looked back.

Ryan also endured a frustrating QB controversy. He won games as a back up, lost his job when Quinton Porter came back and then earned the job back. As we know, once Ryan earned the job, it was his for the next two and a half years.

But what if...what if Hasselbeck and Ryan had competed for the BC job at the same time. Who would have prevailed in this hypothetical QB controversy? Both could take big hits. Both proved they could adapt to new offenses. Both had the leadership intangibles. It would be a tough choice. Hasselbeck was more mobile. As a college player, Ryan had the better arm and proved to be great under pressure. I think if it came down to it, I would have to go with Matty Ice.

Eagles landing in the NFL

After all the ups and downs, all we wanted was for Mark Herzlich to have a chance. The New York Giants gave him one. As others have noted, Herzlich is just the latest BC-Giants connection. Multiple teams had interest, so I assume Mark signed with the Giants because of their assurances that he would make the team. I am happy for him and his family and cannot wait to see him make an impact in 2011.

Herzlich wasn't the only undrafted free agent to sign. Alex Albright -- whose injuries kept him from reaching his potential in college -- signed with the Cowboys. This deal surprised me a bit. Rob Ryan kept the 3-4 in Dallas, which leaves me wondering what position Alex will play. I don't know if he has the size to play DE? Can he play LB in the 3-4? I know Albright turned heads in his UFL tryouts, so he probably had options. Let's hope this was the right one.

Rich Lapham signed with Buffalo. Despite my occasional doubts about his potential, Rich's size will always open doors for him. Buffalo may prove to be a good opportunity.

James McCluskey joining the Raiders might be the most interesting signing of the day. After some UFL tryouts, McCluskey was somewhat resigned that the NFL would not happen. And then he got the call. I will stick to my guns that McCluskey can be a perfect NFL FB. He just needs to demonstrate his versatility.

Damik Scafe signed with the Chargers. Like his teammates in this class, Scafe had some real great BC moments, but just couldn't stay healthy.

The path from signee to official member of the final roster is long and treacherous. All of these guys will have to fight hard. I will update the news as it happens.

The new guys aren't the only ones making news. Some veteran Eagles like Matt Hasselbeck and Jamie Silva are looking for new teams. Pro bowler Damien Woody has decided to retire after a great NFL career.