On Thursday, Boston College announced Bill O’Brien’s first staff on the Heights. O’Brien found a good mixture of “his guys,” up-and-coming coaches, and continuity by maintaining a few key assistants from Hafley’s staff. In addition to the announced staff, which mainly consisted of on-field roles, reports on Saturday indicated an intriguing new member filling an advisory role to O’Brien in Doug Marrone. Berj Najarian was also confirmed as the new chief of staff for the Eagles.
Offensively, BC brought in former Patriots tight ends coach Will Lawing to serve as Offensive Coordinator. He has been coaching with O’Brien since the latter’s days as the head coach of the Texans, following him from there to Alabama to New England. Ultimately, this offense will be O’Brien’s, but it will be interesting to see who actually calls the offense. Savon Huggins (RBs), Matt Applebaum (OL), and Darrell Wyatt (WRs) were all retained – something that is probably a welcome sight for BC fans. Huggins helped mold Pat Garwo into a 1,000 yard rusher, and was instrumental in the emergence of BC’s power ground game behind Kye Robichaux last year. Applebaum returned to the Heights from a one-year stint in the NFL, and (boosted by the return of Christian Mahogany and an influx of transfer portal talent) completely transformed BC’s offensive line. Lastly, Wyatt returns as a primary recruiter and adds the title of Assistant Head Coach. Jonathan DiBiaso, who was an offensive analyst at BC last year, was promoted to QBs coach as well, and he has been a very active recruiter in these early stages of O’Brien’s regime.
On the defensive side of the ball, in steps Tim Lewis to helm the Eagles’ defense. A former NFL defensive coordinator, he most recently saw action in the XFL. His hire was perhaps a bit confusing considering his lack of recent NFL or college experience, as well as a lack of connection to BC. However, given O’Brien’s obvious offensive background his DC position is an extremely important position, and until proven otherwise Lewis deserves the benefit of the doubt. Jeff Commissiong returns to the Heights (where he coached from 2007-2012) by way of Cornell, where he spent the last three seasons as the LBs coach. Ray Brown, another very active recruiter, arrives from WSU to coach DBs in a positive hire – WSU has fielded some strong secondary units, and hopefully Brown can do the same at BC. Dan O’Brien – Tom O’Brien’s son – will coach LBs, while Matt Thurin was retained as Special Teams Coordinator.
In addition to these roles, Pete Thamel reported on Saturday that former Jacksonville and Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone will be joining the Eagle’s staff, likely in an advisory role. With spring practices starting on Monday, it is full steam ahead for BC Football.