New England sports fans looking for competitive local football this fall should get their fix in Foxboro. But if it’s extra you’re hoping for then don’t look much further than Chestnut Hill.
The Boston College Eagles are coming off a surprisingly competitive 2020 season, the first under coach Jeff Hafley (considered the second best interview in town last season, next to Cam Newton). BC went 6-5, but kept pace in several games against big programs, most notably the Clemson Tigers. This season, along with the program’s overall improvement, and the rising profile of quarterback Phil Jurkovec, seems to have garnered the Eagles enough attention to get a couple shots at the big dogs soon.
The Eagles and the Alabama Crimson Tide, considered the top program in college football (they just had six players taken in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft) have scheduled a home and away series, scheduled for 2031 and 2034 respectively. This is huge for BC, both in terms of potential revenue as well as clout, recruiting, the works. Said Alabama director of athletics greg Byrne, "The 2031 matchup in Chestnut Hill will be a great trip for our team and our fans, and we look forward to hosting the Eagles here in Tuscaloosa in 2034." For some local perspective on what it means we went right to our best source: The radio.
“BC football is experiencing a renaissance under Jeff Hafley,” said our own Jon Meterparel, play-by-play voice of the Eagles on the Boston College Radio Network (heard right here on WEEI). “Offensively, they’re one of the top three best in the ACC, headlined by the return of Phil Jurkovec and four offensive lineman who should be playing on Sundays in 2022. The stable of receivers is the most talented in recent memory. Zay Flowers has next level speed and an electrifying presence. The Alabama series should only serve to enhance the Eagles national profile, and increase interest in the program exponentially.”
But don’t just take Jon’s word for the ascension of BC, ranked 32nd in the nation in 2021 preseason polls by PFF. Many other experts have the Eagles, or the nucleus of the team, among the best in the country. Like ESPN’s Mel Kiper, considered the college football draft and rankings expert, who has BC’s quarterback, Phil Jurkovec, as the eighth best QB prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft. This year the eighth QB taken in the draft was Stanford’s Davis Mills, selected sixth seventh overall by the Houston Texans. Not too shabby.
Hafley is ranked pretty highly himself, coming in as the 40th best coach in college football in a recent CBS Sports ranking, finishing ahead of coaches from such vaunted programs as Florida State, Louisville and Virginia Tech. Again, this is only his second year, and football fans are already showing him top level respect.
This is a lot to live up to, and sophomore slumps can be tough to avoid, for both coach and QB. But then again they’ve got the program headed in the right direction, and their 2021 schedule has four winnable games before the rematch with Clemson in October. They’ve already caught Alabama’s attention. Another good game, maybe even an upset, against a perennial powerhouse like Clemson could really put the Eagles back on the national map.
Then we’ll just have to wait ten years for the games with Bama. Guess watching Mac Jones and Christian Barmore on Sundays in the highly anticipated Patriots season to come will have to satisfy our appetite after Eagles games on Saturdays for Crimson Tide action in Boston. Still, it’s quite a step for a program that hasn’t made those Flutie-sized strides in years.