“It’s college football,” Boston College quarterback Grayson James said after his team’s bowl-game loss last December. “A lot can happen.”
And a lot has happened. Some of it was expected, and some of it was not.
For example, everyone who watched even one BC football game last season knew that defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku was NFL-bound. Not so expected? Perhaps Bill O’Brien’s portal pickups, one of which was recently named BC’s starting quarterback.
The pieces are all set for BC’s season kickoff against Fordham at the end of the month, and there’s quite a lot to catch up on. BC is not the team it was last December—not even close.
Here are some things you need to know before this season begins, and a look at each game.
What To Look for From Lonergan
During his brief stint as the offensive coordinator at Alabama, O’Brien initially helped recruit Dylan Lonergan, now a redshirt sophomore, to the Crimson Tide.
“[O’Brien] being a great guy throughout the recruiting process helped me a lot and made the decision a lot easier,” Lonergan said. “I knew it was a good opportunity here to come in and compete. This team is going to be on an uphill track for the next couple of years.”
After a summer of questions about who BC’s starting quarterback would be, O’Brien finally named Lonergan as the Eagles’ starter 18 days before their season-opener.
“We feel like he gives us the best chance to win right now,” O’Brien said. “I told Grayson, ‘Absolutely be ready to play.’ You always have to be ready to play. We got a lot of respect for both guys. It was a true competition.”
It was Lonergan’s pass game that ultimately won him the job, particularly his anticipation and accuracy. Although the 6-foot-2 sophomore has not seen much NCAA action, he was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, and O’Brien’s faith in him is a good sign.
BC is somewhat notorious for turnover at the quarterback position. Establishing a rhythm with Lonergan at the helm would benefit this team, especially when BC’s schedule gets rocky. Having a calm, poised character leading the team against Notre Dame and Southern Methodist will be crucial.
Lonergan beat out James, the senior quarterback who took over last season when Thomas Castellanos entered the transfer portal after being benched.
James led the Eagles to a 3–2 finish—not bad, considering they were on a three-game losing streak. Plus, O’Brien raves about James, especially his character on and off the field.
“We can’t say enough about Grayson and the way he handled it this morning,” O’Brien said. “He’s obviously disappointed, but also like, ‘Coach, I’m going to be a great teammate.’ That’s what you’re looking for at Boston College. ”
If things go south with Lonergan in charge, it doesn’t seem far-fetched to think O’Brien could take him out and give James a shot. After all, O’Brien has shown that if a quarterback doesn’t fit into his system, it’s the player that will change, not the system.
For now, though, it’s Lonergan that will be filling the most important role on the field. And only time can tell how that will fare for the Eagles.
“Like I said, I’ve been working ever since I got here,” Lonergan said. “I think I’m going to be ready for the moment. We’re all going to be ready for it. I’ve got a great team around me, great coaches. We’re all going to be there for each other.”
The Roster
The Defense:
Goodbyes are hard, especially when the player walking away is the 2024 Ted Hendricks Award winner. Stressing how much BC will miss Donovan Ezeiruaku might be like beating a dead horse. But that’s just how good he was—it’s hard to stop raving about the effect he had on the team last season. After all, O’Brien said that Ezeiruaku won a lot of games single-handedly.
Out of BC’s 31 sacks last year on defense, Ezeiruaku had 16.5, and Owen Stoudmire and Quintayvious Hutchins had 6 combined. Both enter 2025 as redshirt seniors and look to fill a major hole in BC’s roster. The Eagles also saw their defensive line lose George Rooks to Syracuse, but added Merrimack transfer Favor Bate.
The defensive line will be the biggest question for this team. The three seniors who make up the frontline spent last season in Ezeiruaku’s shadow, and a freshman is filling the final defensive end spot on the depth chart.
With BC allowing the fifth-fewest rushing yards per game in the ACC last season, a decline is inevitable—only time will tell if the second-rounder’s gap will be filled.
The Offense:
Two huge fixtures on the offensive line—center Drew Kendall and tackle Ozzy Trapilo—have both moved on to the NFL. And guard Jack Conley, who was at BC for six years and tied the record for most games of any player in BC history (60), is vying for a spot on the Patriots’ practice squad. Those are three of the four offensive linemen who started every game last season, gone.
Twelve-game starter Jude Bowry returns to left tackle after allowing two sacks last season, and All-ACC honorable mention Logan Taylor jumps back to left guard. Along with those two, BC added Princeton transfer and All-Ivy Second Team center Tommy Matheson to the trenches.
But with a running back room that’s stacked with potential, the offensive line becomes a secondary stress. True sophomore Turbo Richard was a sneaky third back for the Eagles in 2024, ripping off big gains in crucial moments. Jordan McDonald and Alex Broome will likely see a similar amount of snaps to Richard, a structure used last year with Kye Robichaux and Treshaun Ward.
But what will take pressure off the o-line is Lonergan’s ability to find trusty hands quickly out of the snap.
Although losing Kamari Morales at tight end, Jeremiah Franklin—who had zero drops last season—returns and is paired with Lonergan’s Alabama-transfer buddy Ty Lockwood.
The three top wideouts, yardage-wise—Lewis Bond, Jaedn Skeete, and Reed Harris—all return to take a lot of that weight off Lonergan’s shoulders. A total of 1,364 receiving yards was compiled between those three last year, giving the field general a balance of speed, strength, and height.
Additions:
Lockwood’s transfer to BC solidified a successful offseason for O’Brien and co., and was likely a considerable factor when deciding the starting quarterback. The former No. 2-overall ranked high school player in Tennessee offers a return to the two-tight-end structure that the BC offense utilized last year with Morales and Franklin.
And the cycle will only continue into 2026, when the senior Franklin will be replaced by Florida Atlantic transfer Zeke Moore at BC’s safety-blanket position. Although seeing limited touches, the speedy, 6-foot tight end has the potential to play a similar role.
Once again, though, all eyes will be on Lonergan. He’s been given all the tools to succeed, so at the end of the day, it comes down to how well the signal caller can play. The new and returning pieces don’t particularly mean anything if Lonergan doesn’t live up to the four-star hype that makes BC fans starry-eyed.
The Schedule
Week 1: Fordham
A season opener, especially at home, has a unique kind of energy. Add in the fact that the opposing team is not all that good at football, and BC has the chance to manufacture a blowout win that could rile up its fans.
Week 2: Michigan State
Last year, BC’s matchup against Michigan State might have been the best game of the season. The fire of the Red Bandanna game, paired with the rain pouring down and a comeback win, made it a must-see.
Although the game will be played in East Lansing this year, it’s hard to imagine that some of the passion from last year’s game won’t boil over into this year, sending BC into an opposing stadium with a powerful agenda.
Week 3: Stanford
This should be a win. It’s a late-night game for the Eagles, starting at 10:30 p.m. EST. But the Eagles should be expected to power through and beat the Cardinal in the two teams’ first meeting as ACC opponents.
Week 4: BYE
Week 5: California
This matchup should also be a win, and BC should have a nice-sized crowd as families make the trip to Chestnut Hill, hopefully creating a positive environment for a win.
Week 6: Pittsburgh
Last season’s loss versus BC capped off a 0–6 ending to the regular season after the Panthers started 7–0. The Alabama transfer quarterback Eli Holstein didn’t get his chance to shine in last year’s matchup, so Week 6 should be more entertaining than the dreary Thanksgiving weekend game in 2024.
Other than Michigan State, this will be the toughest opponent before the Eagles take on Clemson the week after. It’s vital for the team to keep their feet moving and stay focused from game to game. A win is expected, but keep your eyes peeled for a healthy Pitt team.
Week 7: Clemson
This is a chance for them to prove themselves. It’s the first of the Eagles’ three toughest games of the season. And while a loss here would certainly not be unexpected, a win would be season-defining.
The game falls on the Saturday before BC’s fall break, so student attendance will likely rely on how the Eagles fare up to this point. After all, few students are going to stay on campus for a football game they are certain their team will lose. But if the Eagles are 5–0, this will not be a game people want to miss.
Week 8: Connecticut
This game is going to be a lot more important than people think—not because it’ll be a nail-biter, but because the Eagles need to stomp them. Assuming a loss to a stacked Clemson team, beating UConn by 40-plus will help regain confidence before taking on the hardest three-game stretch BC has seen in a while.
Week 9: Louisville
This game might get lost in the conversation, considering it’s surrounded by matchups against Clemson, Notre Dame, and SMU. But Louisville is a tough team, and this won’t be a walk in the park. A loss here, especially if the three aforementioned games are also losses, would put a big stain on BC’s season.
Week 10: Notre Dame
Last time the Holy War was played, back in 2022, Notre Dame beat the Eagles 44–0. This year’s game may have a similar outcome, but it’s also possible that BC is flowing by Week 10 and can knock off this rival. It helps that this is a home game and that alumni will likely fill the stadium, eager to cast curses on the Irish.
Week 11: SMU
Coming off a game against Notre Dame, the Eagles are bound to be tired. And if they suffer a big loss in the Holy War, there’s a chance that they carry some frustration into this matchup against the Mustangs. But if there’s anything that can revive BC, it’s the fact that this is the Red Bandanna game.
Playing for the memory of Welles Crowther is a BC tradition, and one that these players and coaches take seriously. Win or lose, expect a hard effort in this game as the Eagles feed off the atmosphere in Alumni.
Week 12: Georgia Tech
If BC can’t grab any of the Clemson, Notre Dame, and SMU games, this could be a bounce-back opportunity. If they can win one of those games, carrying the momentum into this game and avoiding complacency will be crucial to finishing strong.
Week 13: BYE
Week 14: Syracuse
The question, at this point in the season, always lies in the possibility of a postseason. A final win could propel BC into a better bowl game, which is the ultimate goal for a team that doesn’t make the College Football Playoff.
Perhaps even more important than any bowl game is whether BC will finally get the eight-win season it’s been chasing for years.
Obviously, the possibility of an eight-win season depends primarily on what happens before this final matchup. But if the Orange is the only thing standing between the Eagles and that magic number, this game is crucial not only for players but also for O’Brien’s overall success in his second year in the job.
