The reporter pointed out that Boston University “seems to have plateaued at seven or six wins.” No one objected to the idea. “Can BC win the ACC, make the playoffs and win the national championship?” he continued.
what? here?
The Eagles have struggled to keep fans in the seats for all four quarters at Alumni Stadium, let alone qualify for the expanded College Football Playoff. Why would someone who is thinking of starting dropping elbows on the super heavyweights in this sport think so?
“BC –” O'Brien began, stopping as the room erupted in laughter. It's a national tournament. Sounds good.
“Tomorrow,” said the wise man.
What was O'Brien supposed to say? Boston College hasn't won nine games since his 2008 season. They haven't been above .500 in the ACC since 2009. Since 2008, he is 3-40 against ranked opponents, with only 12 of those games finishing within two points.
There is no doubt that BC Football achieves its core goals of pride, hard work, and community service. The Eagles even won a bowl game last year for the second time since 2007. But this is the world of college football, and such programs are left in the dust.
new era
The NCAA's amateurism model is collapsing. Click here to pay the play fee. Transfer portals and name, image, and likeness aggregation systems have made free agency possible. If the courts continue to rule in favor of unionization efforts at Dartmouth, the players could soon be considered employees. NCAA President Charlie Baker recently called again for the creation of a new tier in Division I that would allow elite schools to pay their players. As a member of the ACC, BC is ostensibly considered one of the elite.
But that may be only in name. That NIL organization, Friends of the Heights, wants to play that role, but it's not willing to pay top dollar for a game-changing player.
“A good QB in the portal costs $1 million, $1.5 million, $2 million,” University of Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said in November.
Coincidentally, O'Brien, who was Ohio State's offensive coordinator for three weeks after leaving the Patriots, was supposed to coach one of those quarterbacks. Will Howard, who won the Big 12 Championship at Kansas State, left when the school acquired his local five-star freshman (Avery Johnson). Howard declared for the NFL and was expected to be a mid-round pick, but he chose the Buckeyes over a handful of seven-figure Power Five starters.
O'Brien said he wants to embrace the new era, but added, “If the first question out of a guy's mouth is, 'How much are you going to pay me?' then that guy might not be the best fit for Boston.” Stated. College. “
British Columbia may be behind its peers, but it's not poor. ESPN reported that BC is raising its coaching “salary pool,” which is among the lowest in the ACC, into the top half of the conference. Proof of that is the hiring of O'Brien, who reportedly earned $5 million a year while coaching the Houston Texans. BC also plundered O'Brien's associate Craig Fitzgerald, a strength coach at the University of Florida.
“If the first question out of a guy’s mouth is, ‘How much are you going to pay me?’ then that guy might not be the best fit for Boston University.”
Bill O'Brien
Friends of the Heights is fighting the financial fatigue of existing donors and the old-fashioned attitudes of those who believe that a four-year high school scholarship is sufficient compensation. , is trying to fulfill that role.
“Who said there aren't four- and five-star athletes who want to come to Boston University?” said Scott Mutlin, one of the organization's four directors. “B.C. hasn't given them a reason to come in years.”
puncher's chance
The hope is to get some more players like Matt Ryan (BC's quarterback the last time they challenged for an ACC title) and Zay Flowers. Both of them turned a modest topic of talent acquisition into a major success.
Flowers was a three-star recruit in 2019, but he was just a 5-foot-11, 170-pound speedster from South Florida. There, players of his ilk grow like citrus fruits. He chose B.C. State over Appalachian State, Bowling Green, Buffalo and Cincinnati. He was ranked his No. 1,188 nationally (by 247Sports) and the 135th best wideout.
He left BC last season ranking first in career catches (200), receiving yards (3,056) and receiving touchdowns (29). He was selected by Baltimore with the 22nd pick in the 2023 NFL Draft as the third receiver and second ACC player selected.
Ryan was not mentioned in the school's February 2003 press release promoting B.C.'s signing class, but he was a tall, lean, triple-option quarterback from Philadelphia with a good arm. Ta. He was also recruited by the University of Iowa, Georgia Tech, UW, and Purdue. He developed into a No. 3 overall pick (2008 Atlanta) and NFL MVP (2016).
O'Brien, who once led scandal-plagued Penn State to a winning record (15-9 in two seasons), has punched above his weight before. On3's national reporter Andy Staples called BC's potential “fair to good” under their coach.
“The NIL issue is tough,” Staples told the Globe. “They're going to have to identify who they really want to keep and focus on them. But if the guy blows up, they may have to accept losing him.” [as a transfer]. They have to be good evaluation/development programs, but it was like Tom Coughlin, Tom O'Brien, or BC under Tom O'Brien. [Jeff Jagodzinski]. The difference now is that the players they did a great job developing may leave after their first good year. ”
Staples says if O'Brien can get the most out of a quarterback like Thomas Castellanos, who is “a lot of fun,” they could compete in the ACC.
James thinks BC has a chance as a puncher.
“If you look at the last few years, there was a team every year that I'm sure no one said, 'Hey, they're going to be in the championship.' I think he was a great candidate because he understood what we needed to be successful.”
Will he become the X-Factor?
“Yeah. That's right,” James said. “Again, I think the trump card is the education that incorporates Jesuit values and the great professional network that we have here.”
Indeed, toughness and cohesion can turn expected losses into surprising victories. Mutlin's come-from-behind victory over No. 1 Notre Dame in 1993 solidified his decision to leave his hometown of Cleveland for Chestnut Hill. He's asking donors to believe.
“I think it's shameful and disgraceful.” [say] You can't win with BC. You can do that,” said Mutlin, who also works as a sideline reporter for BC Radio. “It wasn't that long ago that you had success with a basketball program that was going to the tournament and competing for the Sweet 16, a top 25 football program, a national championship hockey team. There's no reason that wouldn't be the pattern.”
Certainly, times have changed. But he believes B.C. can play with the big boys if the B.C. community comes together.
“There are a lot of very successful businesses run by BC graduates,” Mutlin said. “Sure it's crazy. I'll probably get ridiculed and ridiculed for this, but I truly believe it can happen.
“You can pay for the most successful team, but if the company culture isn't strong enough to overcome any adversity, it doesn't matter how much you pay. Yes, it's possible. Without identity and culture, a team will never be successful.
“Are we going to raise $100 million? Probably not. But we are going to raise money. , I'm going to get a degree from Boston University, have a great experience at Boston University, and be able to pay five, 10, or even more prizes before that. Years from now.”
By then, O'Brien hopes to reward his followers. Why, he can't say.
“Look, again, I think Boston University is a place where a lot of great things can happen,” O’Brien said. “I'm not interested in making predictions. In fact, that's not my job. What I promise is that we will play hard, we will play tough and we will be very competitive, with players who will carry on the tradition. It means forming a soccer team with [of] These guys played here and played tough, tough football.
“Will we be able to win the national championship every year?” Do you know? Why not? I don't know. I'm not a predictor. I'm not a genie. I just want to say, we come out every Saturday and play to the best of our ability. ”
The audience that day in February seemed satisfied. He sold himself on hard work and hope.
Over and over, O'Brien and James reiterated their mantra of coming to B.C. to play good soccer, get a great education and give back to the community.
Great education, great soccer.
Is that all there is to BC?
Mutlin acknowledged that there is skepticism even among the most generous donors, and that it is difficult to seek more funding for a program that has a neutral track record.
To them he says: “Would you like to join us?”
Hey, no matter what happened last year, no matter what has happened in the last 15 years, hope forever springs.
“But if you have a vision and a plan, it's not just hope,” Mutlin says. “You choose whether to believe or not. It is better to believe in something and be wrong than not to believe in something and be right.”
Matt Porter can be reached at matthew.porter@globe.com.follow him @mattyports.
