Tag: Boston College Football

Wisconsin faces ACC opponent in Action Network bowl prediction ahead of Week 5

Wisconsin faces ACC opponent in Action Network bowl prediction ahead of Week 5

The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy released his bowl predictions ahead of Week 5 of the 2024 college football season on Monday.

The outlet’s preseason prediction had Wisconsin facing Texas A&M in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30. Now, Brett McMurphy forecasts the Badgers to land in the Bad Boy Mowers’ Pinstripe Bowl against the Boston College Eagles on Dec. 28 in Bronx, New York.

A member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Eagles are off to a blazing start in 2024. Boston College owns wins over Florida State, Duquesne and Michigan State through four weeks of play. The team’s sole loss was a 27-21 defeat against No. 11 Missouri.

Most notably, former Houston Texans’ head coach Bill O’Brien is in his first year manning Boston College’s sidelines. With 55 votes, the Eagles also landed just outside the Associated Press’ latest poll at No. 28 behind Washington State and Indiana.

If the prediction rings true, it would be the 23rd straight season that UW appears in a bowl game following the regular season.

The Badgers last appeared in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27, 2018, in a 35-3 victory over Miami (Florida). Former UW head coach Paul Chryst, accompanied by quarterback Jack Coan and all-world running back Jonathan Taylor, cruised to a victory before 37,821 fans at Yankee Stadium.

Rutgers (7-6) squared off against Miami (Florida) (7-6) in the 2023 Pinstripe Bowl, which figures to be where Wisconsin will land at the end of the season. The Badgers are scheduled to play No. 13 USC, No. 9 Penn State, No. 8 Oregon, Iowa and Nebraska this fall after starting the season 2-1.

Former Texas A&M O-line coach Steve Addazio will enter the broadcasting booth

Former Texas A&M O-line coach Steve Addazio will head to the broadcast booth as an ESPN college football analyst this coming season.

With Texas A&M’s 2024 campaign just four weeks away, Aggie fans will hear a familiar name in the broadcast booth this season. Former offensive line coach Steve Addazio has accepted a position with ESPN as a college football analyst for select games on the network.

Addazio’s coaching history is vast and fascinating. Those who remember the Florida Gators dynasty under Urban Meyer include the fiery Addazio roaming the sidelines from 2005-2010, winning two BCS National Championships while serving as the program’s TE coach, O-line coach, and offensive coordinator before departing for his first head coaching position.

After two seasons at Temple, Addazio spent seven seasons at Boston College before his firing. After two unsuccessful seasons at Colorado State, former Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher hired Addazio as the program’s O-line coach before the Aggies’ disastrous 2022 season.

Known for his recruiting prowess and development history after sending several Boston College offensive linemen to the NFL, many of us thought this was the right hire due to the talent and experience on the roster.

However, the veteran assistant failed to develop several starters to their full potential, including former starting center Bryce Foster, who transferred to Kansas this offseason. Even more surprising, current New England Patriots guard Layden Robinson was the only A&M O-line draft pick during his short tenure. Addazio was not retained under Mike Elko’s staff, and was replaced by current A&M O-line coach Adam Cushing.

Steve Addazio may have found his new career by bringing a ton of coaching experience and stories to the booth. In Week 1 of the 2024 season, Addazio will be paired with play-by-play broadcaster Clay Matvick in an undisclosed matchup.

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Ohio State football offers athlete from its backyard

Ohio State offers athlete from its backyard #GoBucks

Ohio State football has been making moves on the recruiting trail and it has found another underrated recruit from its own state. Bodpegn Miller is a three-star athlete in the class of 2025 from Mansfield, Ohio, and made some jaws drop at a recent Ohio State football camp.

Standing at 6-foot, 4-inches and 180-pounds, its pretty easy to picture Miller as a standout receiver in a future Ohio State offense. Also known as a prep track star, the Ontario High School stud is currently playing quarterback in the prep ranks as is seen as a diamond in the rough kind of prospect with a top-tier ceiling to go with the ball of clay potential.

The Buckeyes aren’t the only team interested in his services though. He has also received offers from Boston College and Big Ten foe, Northwestern. The Wildcats were his first Big Ten offer, which took place almost two months ago.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Josh Keatley on X.

 

Wisconsin football lands visit with former Boston College WR, top 2022 recruit

Wisconsin is still looking for upgrades in the transfer portal:

Wisconsin football recently hosted former Boston College transfer wide receiver Joseph Griffin Jr., per his social media. 

Griffin Jr. entered the transfer portal in April after two seasons with the Eagles. 247Sports had the Springfield, Massachusetts native as the No. 57 WR in the nation and No. 3 player in his state coming out of high school in the class of 2022. 

Griffin Jr. totaled 43 receptions, 579 receiving yards and six touchdowns during his tenure at Boston College. He started five games during his freshman season and saw his production increase slightly during his sophomore campaign.

Griffin Jr. received an offer from Wisconsin prior to committing to Boston College in the 2022 cycle, though that was while Paul Chryst was still the Badgers’ head coach.

He ultimately elected to stay local over offers from Notre Dame, Virginia, Wake Forest, Duke, Massachusetts and UW. 

247Sports has the former Eagle as the No. 102 WR in the portal and No. 678 transfer in the nation. The outlet has not yet logged crystal ball prediction for the receiver.

With previous ties to Wisconsin via recruiting, Griffin Jr. would be a significant addition for Phil Longo’s offense. Outside his visit to Wisconsin, he has yet to share other news about future opportunities on the gridiron. 

UPDATE: Griffin committed to the Badgers on Friday, May 10

ACC Football Teams Ranked by Returning Production for 2024

A look at each ACC team’s returning production for the upcoming 2024 season.

Forecasting which teams will rise to greatness in college football in any given season can prove challenging. However, a key indicator often lies in the roster’s returning players.

From seasoned fifth-year senior linebackers to up-and-coming junior quarterbacks, the presence of experienced athletes opting to continue with their respective programs can significantly bolster a team’s competitive advantage. This continuity becomes particularly crucial as other teams contend with talent depletion due to NFL draft selections, transfers, or eligibility regulations.

ESPN recently released a list of all 134 FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) teams, with each ACC team naturally being listed. Here is a look at each ACC team’s returning production on offense, defense, and total.

Updated 4/7

Every ACC football team’s ESPN preseason SP+ ranking

The ACC has some strong teams heading into the 2024 season, according to ESPN’s SP+.

The 2024 college football season is months away, but we all know that football remains on the mind throughout the offseason. 

Early rankings have been released all over the place, with ESPN’s Bill Connelly recently releasing the preseason ESPN SP+ rankings ($$$) for the 2024 season. These SP+ rankings consider multiple key factors regarding a football team, including returning production, recent recruiting, and recent history. A strong model; here is a bit more of what Connelly had to say about the rankings. 

“It’s a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. It is a predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football, not a résumé ranking. Along those same lines, these projections aren’t intended to be a guess at what the AP Top 25 will look like at the end of the season. These are simply early offseason power rankings based on the information we have been able to gather to date.”

Straightforward and to the point, these are power rankings based on what we know right now. So, how do Clemson and the rest of the ACC stack up in the first SP+ rankings for 2024? Check it out below.

Updated 2/16

Social media reacts: Boston College hires Bill O’Brien as their new head coach

Bill O’Brien was initially expected to be the Ohio State OC in 2024, but now he is Boston College’s head coach.

The Boston College football program landed a big name as their next head coach as former head coach Jeff Hafley departed for the NFL to become the Green Bay Packers’ new defensive coordinator.

With their vacancy at HC, the Eagles went out and landed Bill O’Brien as their program’s new leader. After just three weeks as Ohio State’s new offensive coordinator, O’Brien was back on the move and joining Boston College.

Things move fast in college football, and this was definitely one of those moments. It further added to one of the craziest off-seasons we’ve seen from the sport. The Boston native returns home.

With news like this comes reactions. Here is a look at how X (formerly known as Twitter) reacted to O’Brien joining Boston College as their HC.

ACC head coach Jeff Hafley heading to the NFL

Boston College is losing their head coach to the NFL.

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. —Boston College football Coach Jeff Hafley announced today that he is stepping down as the Gregory P. Barber ’69 and Family Head Coach to become the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers.

Hafley, who has led the Eagles since 2020 and finished the 2023 season with a record of 7-6 and a Wasabi Fenway Bowl victory over No. 17-ranked SMU, said the decision to leave BC was difficult, but that the opportunity to become defensive coordinator of the Packers was one that he could not pass up.

“I loved my four years at Boston College,” said Hafley.  “This is an exceptional place to coach given the caliber of student-athletes we recruit, the facilities, and the support from the University and BC fans. I will miss the players who gave so much of themselves these past four years, and my wife Gina and I will certainly miss the BC community and the many friends we have made here.”

William V. Campbell Director of Athletics Blake James thanked Hafley for his dedicated service to his players and BC football since being named head coach in December of 2019.

“We are incredibly grateful to Coach Hafley for his service to Boston College and to our student-athletes,” said James.  “He was a true ambassador of our institution, and under his leadership, the Eagles earned three bowl berths, excelled academically, and represented Boston College with class and distinction. We wish him, his wife, Gina, and their daughters, Hope and Leah, all the best in their next steps.”

James said that a national search for a new head coach will begin immediately.

“As a world-class institution with a strong tradition and a commitment to excellence, we are confident that we will find an exceptional new leader for our football program, and we will continue to do everything we can to support our student-athletes.”

– Via Boston College Athletic Communications 

Commanders set to travel and interview Ben Johnson

The Commanders are traveling to Ben Johnson next week.

Tuesday, brought the NFL world the news that the Commanders and Falcons are both planning on going to interview Ben Johnson next week.

Johnson, the Lions offensive coordinator has already interviewed with Washington once. What makes this Pelissero update an attention grabber is the Commanders are traveling to Johnson next week.

This does NOT mean Johnson is the only candidate the Commanders want. New GM Adam Peters no doubt understands he needs to have a couple of backup plans in place so that he can at least get one of his top choices during this hiring cycle.

However, the fact the Commanders are already planning on traveling to Johnson next week may indicate Johnson is their first choice. We will learn more this week and perhaps Peters will also schedule a second or third candidate to be interviewed again next week as well.

What’s more, is the urgency of interviewing Johnson. The Commanders are well aware that Johnson has already interviewed five teams.

Are the Commanders planning on interviewing Ravens DC Mike Macdonald as well next week?

Washington is interviewing Cowboys DC Dan Quinn and Rams DC Raheem Morris again this week. The Commanders interviewed Texans OC Bobby Slowik for a second time on Tuesday.

Johnson began coaching as a Boston College graduate assistant (2009-10) before coaching their tight ends in 2011.

Moving to the Miami Dolphins for six seasons (2013-18), Johnson was an offensive assistant, an assistant to the quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends coaches through 2017. In 2018, at age 32, he became an NFL position coach (wide receivers).

In 2019, Johnson became the offensive quality control coach for the Lions, then transitioned to be the Lions tight ends coach in the 2020-21 seasons. Johnson, now age 37, has been the Lions’ offensive coordinator in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

ACC Football 2024 Team Recruiting Rankings After Early Signing Day

Here is a full look at how the ACC stands in team recruiting rankings after early signing day.

Early signing day was, as it should be for every college football program nationwide, a very busy day.

High school players across the country signed their national letters of intent and secured the next step in their football careers as they prepare to join their new teams. The ACC had some good success on early signing day, with multiple ACC programs landing in the top 25 of class team rankings following the day. 

So, how does the ACC stack up against each other? That’s what we’re going to take a look at today. Here is a look at every ACC team’s 2024 team recruiting ranking according to 247Sports following early signing day.

Updated 12/25