What to expect from the Eagles this season
College football is upon us! The 2024 Boston College football season kicks off against Florida State on Labor Day, less than two weeks from now. We have spent the last two months previewing each Boston College position group and all of their opponents (which you can find here), finishing up this week with the receivers and QBs. So now it’s time to gather our writers to talk about their hopes and fears for the upcoming season, including their final record predictions.
The 2024 Boston College football season is here. First off, what gets you most excited looking ahead to this season?
Niraj: Just having some positive vibes during the football season. Bill O’Brien can do almost no harm. We may not win a whole lot of games, but I think we are going to have some real juice and an enjoyable time watching a team compete the way I expect this team to do. Dramatically fewer penalties (to their credit this was significantly better in the second half of last season) and a tough team that can be in every game.
Kieran: I’m excited to see Thomas Castellanos again. Who knows, maybe he’ll beat FSU and put the country on notice.
Curran: The obvious answer is Bill O’Brien and his ability to develop Castellanos as a passer this season. With that said, the starting defensive line returns all four starters and has been consistently dominating in camp. I’m excited to see how improved they will be after an underwhelming 2023 season.
Brian: I’m most excited to see this team play under Bill O’Brien. I think BC fans will see a different team on the field this year and won’t see a lot of those unforced errors we saw last year.
Curtis: Tailgating tbh.
What do you think this BC team’s greatest strength will be?
Niraj: I’m looking at this crop of receivers. They look to have a number of different skillsets that complement each other well. There’s Jerand Bradley who can go up and get the ball, Lewis Bond who’s proven his route running skills and good hands, Jaedn Skeete who just starting to come on late in the season and brings high end speed, an explosive Jayden McGowan, Reed Harris who O’Brien has been talking up all camp as a match-up nightmare, and you still have a reliable pair of veteran hands with Dino Tomlin – it’s a very deep group. Castellanos is going to have to improve as a passer in the O’Brien offense and they will make his life a whole lot easier.
Kieran: With BoB at the helm, I’m hoping the entire offense will be rolling by the midpoint of the season. If not the entire offense, at least Castellanos.
Curran: Depth at the offensive skill positions. The wide receiver and running back rooms might be the two deepest positions on the roster. Young receivers like Jaedn Skeete and Reed Harris are primed for breakthroughs alongside established veterans in Lewis Bond and Jerand Bradley. Treshaun Ward and Kye Robichaux form a dangerous starting RB tandem with several capable names waiting for their chance in the wings.
Brian: The running game will be the strength of this team. The combination of an offensive line under new leadership, Castellanos, and Robichaux will be really tough for teams to defend.
Curtis: If the OL can perform close to the level that they did last year, then I think the running game for BC is going to explode. Castellanos, Robichaux, and others with an extra year of cohesion together, plus hopefully a passing game that opens up a bit more, should create some great ground-and-pound action.
Who is your player to watch this season?
Niraj: Reed Harris. O’Brien has been talking him up a lot this offseason. We’ve only seen glimpses of him thus far, but based on pure bodily dimensions, the Montana man will be match-up nightmare.
Kieran: I’ll go with Neto Okpala. BC’s defensive line needs to vastly improve on last year’s performance, and I think Okpala can be the guy to spearhead that unit.
Curran: The Vinny Depalma Era is officially over on the Heights. His departure means that BC needs a new starting linebacker alongside veteran returner Kam Arnold. By all accounts, junior Daveon (Bam) Crouch has seized the starting job. He saw decent playing time towards the end of last season, and brings athleticism and energy to the defense.
Brian: My player to watch is Thomas Castellanos. I think this BC team will go as far as he will take us. I’d love to see his passing game develop this season. He’s just so dynamic and fun to watch.
Curtis: Kye Robichaux was already a terrific runner last year, and I expect him to do great things again this season. If the new coaching staff can open up the passing game to a greater extent, Robichaux is going to have a lot more room to run free. Of course, he’ll have some competition in the backfield for carries.
How immediately do you think we’ll see the impact of new head coach Bill O’Brien?
Niraj: Already have. For him to come in late in the cycle and steady the ship is a huge impact. BC experienced little to no turnover in the transfer portal and retained the guys that planned to come in. Other than that, I’ll double-down on the noticeable lack of penalties. There was a moment in the offseason where the O’Brien sent them for a lap after a bad penalty. I believe “They don’t do stuff like that anymore at BC” was the quote.
Kieran: I’m hoping right away, at least in terms of the way Castellanos performs. But we probably won’t know much until BoB has a year under his belt and more of his own recruits on the team.
Curran: Hopefully in Week 2 by beating Duquesne. That feels like the type of game Hafley would have lost.
Brian: I think we will see the team be more disciplined this season. I expect to see a different team in that sense, but I don’t expect to see many other immediately noticeable results. That can take time.
Curtis: Obviously the non-discipline on penalties is a huge factor that can be squashed by this coaching staff. Other than that, I’m looking forward to how BoB develops Castellanos and the passing offense in general. I think we could see an immediate impact schematically, especially after Hafley just kind of threw together a last-minute offense around Castellanos after prepping in the offseason with Emmett Morehead.
What about this team has you most worried for the upcoming season?
Niraj: That the offensive line takes too much of a step back. Suffice to say, last year’s unit was really, really good. They only lose two pieces, but they were pretty significant ones. There might just be a few too many unproven guys after Kendall, Taylor, and Trapilo. Not to mention there will be some shuffling which could make trouble for some of those guys. With a bit more of a focus on passing, that may also affect the overall performance of this group.
Kieran: I’m pretty worried about the defense and the secondary in particular. With Elijah Jones gone, the DB room seems to be lacking some firepower right now. The team is really going to need some new faces to step up and play better than anyone is expecting them to.
Curran: For all the excitement that O’Brien has brought to the Heights, he inherits a roster that is largely unchanged from last year. Even the portal additions originally committed under Hafley. This is a roster that won 6 regular season games last year against perhaps the easiest schedule in the country. How much growth is reasonable to expect?
Brian: The thing that worries me most is just the amount of new faces we have in the program. With new faces, you never really know what you’re going to get.
Curtis: I think there will be a few games this season when the doors just get blown off. BC’s defense was bad last season, especially in the redzone, and it will take multiple seasons to get it back where it needs to be. Things could get pretty depressing if BC gets blown out a bunch this season, but it’s a very real possibility.
What’s your hottest take?
Niraj: Donovan Ezeiruaku records double digits sacks. For context, BC only had 13 sacks as a team last season, good for 2nd-worst in the country. His career high in 2022 was 8.5 so to up the spice meter here I’ll say the combination of George Rooks and Cam Horsley account 10 sacks inside as well.
Kieran: Thomas Castellanos will enter the Heisman Trophy conversation this season. I’m not sure when, although it could be after the Florida State game if BC can somehow pull off that upset. The ACC quarterback hierarchy is murky right now, but Castellanos could be the face of the conference and in contention for some hardware by the end of this season.
Curran: Grayson James ends the season as the starter (I have PTSD from last year).
Brian: This isn’t really a very hot take, but I think Bill O’Brien leads the Eagles to a bowl game in his first season.
Curtis: Julian Edelman makes at least one appearance on the sidelines this season.
Finally, what is your prediction for Boston College’s record at the end of the regular season?
Niraj: 6-6, BoB gets us to bowl eligibility. I expect one or two unexpected wins, but at least one letdown when we look back on it. But to me this is positive!
Kieran: 6-6 and a bowl win to top it all off.
Curran: 6-6
Brian: 6-6
Curtis: I outlined a full prediction for BC’s schedule earlier this week! Read more here.