Image courtesy of B.C Athletics

We got a chance to visit with the Boston College Eagles on Friday as part of our camp visit. It was Practice #6 for them coming off of a day off.

The energy was high and you can tell that O’Brien and his staff push the pace. They are not afraid to get after the players and demand their best on every snap and rep. 

Here are five observations from our visit. 

1. Physicality aplenty on offense:  O’Brien set the tone in spring ball with physical practices and that has carried over into fall camp. The Eagles ran the football early in team periods today in an effort to set a physical tone. It worked as the pads were popping. Running backs Kye Robichaux and Treshaun Ward ran hard when their numbers were called. The two will be one of the best running back duos in the ACC. Don’t sleep on Datrell Jones who gives this running back room another big play threat out of the backfield. 

2. Dearth of skill on offense: Robichaux and Ward aside, the Eagles have talent and depth at the skill positions. Lewis Bond, Jerand Bradley, Jaedn Skeete, Dino Tomlin, Jayden McGowan and Reed Harris form a talented receiver group. North Carolina transfer Kamari Morales, Jeremiah Franklin and Matt Ragan form a tight end group that will be a big part of this offense. The Eagles will be in 12 personnel a lot. They will potent in that grouping.

3. Defense was flying: Defensive coordinator Tim Lewis is bringing in an aggressive, zone blitz oriented defense. So far, the returns are good. The front four of Neto Okpala, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Cam Horsley and George Rooks are going to give opposing offenses fits. So will the linebackers, who will be an integral part of the pressure package. In one of the team periods, Kam Arnold had a run stuff and a sack. This group will be active and they will play upfield. 

4. Secondary is deep: The secondary has some depth and there are some versatile pieces in this group, especially at safety. Cornerback Amari Jackson headlines the group but the Eagles also have Georgia State transfer Bryquice Brown, Max Tucker and Jalen Cheek who will all start in base and sub packages.

K.P Price and Cole Batson return at safety along with Ohio State transfers Cam Martinez and Ryan Turner. Martinez has been impressive in camp thus far. The secondary will allow Lewis to be as aggressive as he wants to be. 

5. Big plays: One theme of camp so far has been big plays and we saw it again on Friday. The Eagles have been pounding the ball and taking their shots over the top. Whether it’s Thomas Castellanos or Grayson James, the Eagles will be aggressive in the vertical passing game. They will take their shots when they are there. This offense will produce more big plays than we have seen in recent years.