Almost forgot.....

The big news of yesterday....we're playing USC, baby!! While the coming regular season series might be overshadowed a bit by our matchup with them in this year's national championship game, this is still amazing news. It also provides proof that the cupcake scheduling of the last few years was the work of Tom O'Brien, not Gene D. Nice job, Gene and Jags. Can anyone else smell a situation in LA similar to the Masshole invasion of San Francisco for the Diamond Walnut Bowl a few years ago??

Speaking of the Trojans, many BC fans have given up all hope on Jersey linebacker Brendan Beal, currently favoring USC and Florida, based on a recent Rivals article in which he named those teams as his lone top two. I for one have not. In the same article he made it clear that BC is his #3, well ahead of Ohio State and LSU. Really, is this anything we didn't know before?? I'm not particularly optimistic on Beal, but I'm no less optimistic than I was a few days ago. I think BC still has a small chance here, and to be honest, I think Florida's chances are closer to ours than they are to USC's. If I had to guess, I'd say 60% USC, 25% Florida, 15% BC. Beal will be coming to the Heights, and that means this staff will get the chance to close him. We're longshots here, don't get me wrong, but we're not out of the race yet--especially if Pete Carroll and Urban Meyer simply negative recruit each other into oblivion.

New commit; First scrimmage tomorrow

BC has added the verbal commitment of Holliston DE/TE Mike Stone. Stone is very much a sleeper prospect, but one look at the kid's measurables will tell you why the coaching staff offered; he is 6'7/230 and runs a 4.7 40. Sure, he's a 2-star, lightly regarded prospect with not much interest from the top programs....but does that remind you of a kid from Indiana we took a flyer on a few years ago in order to get his highly-touted, offensive tackle best friend?? Definitely not saying that Stone is going to be the next Kiwi, but I wouldn't write him off just yet either. The kid clearly has upside.

In other news, the team's first scrimmage will be held tomorrow. I probably won't be able to sneak into Alumni to check it out myself, but hopefully I'll get some thoughts from someone who can.

Practice is Underway

Fall practice began this week, with the team taking to the field in helmets but no pads. It's not full-contact hitting yet, but it's Football Season Eve, and that's always a great thing.

The limited reports we've gotten from practice so far are very encouraging. Not that it really comes as a surprise, but the new staff is apparently far more energetic and hands-on than its predecessor. To my consternation, Kevin Akins apparently saw time only at LB; that, of course, could change.

While the coming days will be important in getting the offensive line gelled together, the real progress won't begin until the pads come on and the scrimmages start. A huge help will be the strength of BC's defense; the front seven our O-line will be facing in the preseason is as good as any they'll face in the regular season. I also think that the caliber of student-athlete that BC attracts will really help us here; I expect our guys to be able to pick up the new scheme a lot more quickly than might be the case at other schools.

This team is getting zero respect in the media....but you know what?? I'm fine with that, and so is Gosder Cherilus. Every time we're written off, every pundit that fails to include us in his top 25, makes this team stronger. This is a great Boston College team, maybe the most talented in the school's history; we have 16 starters returning, including one of the top quarterbacks in the country; and we are no longer shackled by the worst offensive coordinator in D1A. What's not to love??

I promise that I'll severely step up the frequency of posting as the season approaches, but until then, some links from the local papers:

Herald - Five Questions Facing the Eagles
Herald - Challenger Back, Better
Globe - After Rain Delay, BC Eager to Get Started
Globe - New Job is His to Tackle

On the recruiting front, some somewhat disheartening news today as prized New Jersey LB Brendan Beal named BC as third in the running for his services, behind USC and Florida. I'm not too concerned about this. Obviously BC is a longshot to land Beal, but I don't think this is anything we didn't know before. I don't think we're completely out of the running. I think we have about a 10-15% chance of landing him, and this will only improve with a strong start.

In better news, we have apparently jumped into the thick of things for star New York wideout Marcus Sales, a guy that in my mind we should've been all over since day one.