Led by defensive end Harold Landry. The Eagles are looking to build on a strong finish in 2016 with a solid spring.
By John Sarianides
Boston College will open spring practices tomorrow morning at the Heights. The Eagles are coming off of a 7-6 season which featured season ending victories against Wake Forest and Maryland in the Quick Lane Bowl.
The Eagles will be returning 16 starters in 2017 including All-American and national sack leader Harold Landry. Landry will lead one of the best front sevens in all of college football.
The defense will once again be a strength for the Eagles. The offense on the other hand could once again be a question mark for the Eagles.
Here are the top five story lines heading into spring ball for the Eagles.
1. The Defense Could Be Dominant in 2017: Led by a front that features defensive end Harold Landry and linebacker Connor Strachan, the defense will be the strength of this Boston College team in 2017.
Defense has always been the Eagles calling card in the Steve Addazio era and this unit has a chance to be the best B.C defense during Addazio’s time at the Heights. That is saying a lot considering Boston College finished number one in the country in total defense in 2014.
2. Who Will Be the Starting Quarterback? The leader in the clubhouse is junior Darius Wade but redshirt freshmen Anthony Brown will push Wade in the spring. John Fadule and incoming freshmen E.J Perry IV will also take snaps in the spring. The job is Wade’s to lose. If he has a solid spring and proves that he can be an effective dual threat option, he will be the Eagles starting quarterback in 2017.
3. A Veteran Offensive Line Will Pave the Way: Two years ago, the Eagles offensive line was young and inexperienced. They have grown up since. Led by center Jon Baker and juniors Chris Lindstrom and Aaron Monteiro, the Eagles offensive line is once again a strength. They will pave the way for what could be one of the best rushing attacks in the country. Factor in tight ends Tom Sweeney, Garrison, Korab and Ray Marten and the Eagles could return to their ground and pound ways in 2017.
4. The Ground & Pound Express: The Eagles are at their best offensively when they can pound the ball and set up up their play action passing game. The Eagles usually experiment with their drop back passing game in the spring but I expect them to go back to their roots a little offensively this spring and run the football more.
With Wade at quarterback and running backs Jon Hilliman and Davon Jones back, the Eagles have a potent three headed monster in their backfield. I suspect we will see a lot of Wade, Hilliman and Jones in the back at the same time.
5. Building Off Of Last Season: The Eagles finished last season on a high note, beating Wake Forest to become bowl eligible and beating Maryland in the Quick Lane Bowl.
According to head coach Steve Addazio, the Eagles have had their best winter workouts since he’s been at the school. The Eagles are feeling good about themselves after last season’s finish. Couple that with the return of Landry and there is great deal optimism at the Heights.
The Eagles must ride that momentum into spring ball and put together 15 solid practices. If they can do that and play well in the annual spring game on April 22nd, the Eagles could really set themselves up for a strong start in 2017.
Spring football is vitally important because it gives the players and coaches the opportunity to lay the foundation for the upcoming season. If the Eagles have a good spring and figure some things out on both sides of the ball, they could be in position themselves to compete in the ACC in 2017.