With the second iteration of national signing day only eight days away, Boston College football head coach Jeff Hafley and his new staff have already added 17 new players to the Eagles’ 2020 recruiting class, including 12 signees, three verbal commits, one preferred walk-on, and one transfer.
The first returns on their efforts came in over the last several days, as three new players signed with the Eagles: Jiovanny Holmes, Kameron Arnold, and Mathew Rueve, according to 247Sports. All three players took official visits to the Heights over the weekend and are considered three-star recruits by 247Sports.
Multiple Eagles coaches took to Twitter early on Sunday and tweeted Hafley’s new slogan #GetIn before the signings were announced.
Recruiting coordinator Joe Sullivan tweeted out four different gifs of T-Pain, each captioned with Hafley’s trademark line.
Holmes was the first of the three to officially announce his commitment. The defensive back is rated as the 116th best safety in the country, per the 247Sports Composite. At 6-foot-2, Holmes is an example of a tall, agile defensive back, similar to other recruits in the 2020 class— including Denzel Blackwell and Cameron Horsley.
With the commitment of Matthew Rueve on Monday, the Eagles secured another quarterback for this recruiting cycle in addition to the acquisition of Notre Dame transfer Phil Jurkovec. The 6-foot-4 pro-style passer threw for 2,687 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior. Rueve’s other offers were from Akron, Kent State, and Western Kentucky, all of which play in Group of Five conferences.
Kameron Arnold rounded out the haul. Ranked as the 97th-best athlete in the country, per 247sports, Arnold primarily played defensive back in high school but has also played wide receiver.
Much of Hafley’s new coaching staff, comes to the Heights from the Midwest, particulary Ohio State. Recruits Holmes and Rueve are from Ohio, and Arnold hails from Michigan. Special teams coordinator Matt Thurin, who coached at Ohio State from 2014 to 2019, is listed as the primary recruiter for both Holmes and Arnold.
The announcement is the most recent of several recruiting developments for the Eagles in the last few weeks. Star receiver Kobay White announced on Wednesday that he has removed his name from the transfer portal and will return to the Heights for the 2020 season. Jurkovec, a top recruit in his high school class of 2018, transferred to BC from Notre Dame on Jan. 11.
The Eagles also added tight end Tommy Birmingham out of Pittsford, N.Y. on Monday. Birmingham, who is unranked by 247sports, will join the program as a preferred walk-on.
BC’s new coaching staff has also offered spots to 37 new players in future recruiting classes over the last week, including many in the 2021 and 2022 recruiting classes.
BC currently has 15 players in its 2020 recruiting class. Among ACC schools, only Virginia and Virginia Tech have fewer players committed.
Featured Image by Jess Rivilis / Heights Editor
