Post-spring breakdown of Boston College, FSU's Game 4 opponent in '22

With spring football wrapping up on campuses across the country, the Warchant staff will take time the next couple of weeks to check in on Florida State’s upcoming 2022 opponents and see how they fared during spring.

We'll look at each team's question marks, key departures, new arrivals and more.

In this edition, we'll break down Boston College, the fourth game on FSU's 2022 schedule. The Seminoles will take on the Eagles inside Doak Campbell Stadium on Sept. 24.

In case you missed them, here are our earlier post-spring check-ins: Louisville Cardinals (Sept. 16) | LSU Tigers (Sept. 4)

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Third-year head coach Jeff Hafley and the Boston College Eagles didn't have a ton of questions to answer this spring, but one of the big ones they have is certainly significant.

BC's offensive line, which was a team strength in 2021, lost four starters from that unit, including first-round draft pick Zion Johnson. And the spring game didn't give a great indication of how the Eagles are going to replace that group since three projected starters were not available to participate.

The only other big question on offense is how the team will adapt to new offensive coordinator John McNulty. He comes over having spent the last two seasons as tight ends coach at Notre Dame, but he has a lengthy resume of coaching quarterbacks and wide receivers on the college and NFL levels.

The Eagles also will be looking for some young players to step up on the defensive line as well.

Hafley, who enters his third season in Chestnut Hill with an overall record of 12-11, has dealt with some major movement on the Eagles’ staff this offseason.

Former offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. was hired away by Pittsburgh, and while Hafley is very well-respected, he has more of a defensive background, so this was an important hire.

In McNulty, the Eagles bring in a veteran coach who has spent time with seven different NFL franchises as a quarterbacks or receivers coach. He also has served as Greg Schiano’s offensive coordinator at Rutgers.

McNulty brought in three new offensive assistants with him to BC. New offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo also brings extensive NFL experience and is a BC alum. Also hired were UCF wide receivers coach Darrell Wyatt for the same role, plus running backs coach Savon Huggins, a former player under McNulty.

Defensively, the entire staff returns, including defensive coordinator Tem Lukabu.

Other than the offensive line, there is plenty of returning talent from last year’s squad.

BC brings back its leading rusher, receiver and senior quarterback. Running back Pat Garko racked up over 1,000 yards last year and seven touchdowns, while undisputed top receiver Zay Flowers also is back for his senior year.

Along with the OL, the only other significant departure was at tight end, but the Eagles brought in 6-foot-6 transfer George Takas from Notre Dame. Guard Christian Mahogany is the lone starting offensive lineman returning.

Defensively, the secondary stands out as one of the better groups on the team; it also could be one of the best defensive backfields in the ACC. While FSU's Jordan Travis had an impressive day throwing against BC’s secondary last fall (251 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions), the unit ranked top-five in the nation statistically in passing yards allowed.

In 2022, both starting cornerbacks will be playing their senior seasons: Josh DeBerry (second on team with 53 tackles last year) and 6-foot-2 Elijah Jones. Behind them at safety is former five-star FSU signee Jaiden Woodbey.

Starting defensive end Marcus Valdez is back as a sixth-year senior, and linebacker Kam Arnold switched over from safety to become BC’s leading tackler last year.

* As mentioned above, offensive lineman Zion Johnson is a huge loss and was considered among the best in the country at his position; he was drafted in the first round at No. 17 overall. With Johnson gone, it’s likely time for redshirt sophomore Ozzy Trapilo, a former four-star recruit, to step in as a starter. Tackles Ben Petrula and Tyler Vrabel and center Alec Lindstrom will be tough to replace as well.

* Linebacker Isaiah Graham-Mobley was one of the main transfer acquisitions last season, having brought in major experience from Temple. Graham-Mobley's departure is a big loss, but the Eagles return several other top linebackers. Along with Kam Arnold, senior Vinny DePalma was third on the team in tackles and had two forced fumbles last year.

In what seems like a trend for FSU’s conference opponents in 2022, Boston College brings back starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec for his senior year. Jurkovec isn’t flashy or one of the most nation's most prolific passers, but he’s shown he can win games and lead the Eagles' offense effectively.

Jurkovec came out strong in 2021 with 303 yards passing and three touchdowns, plus 60 yards rushing, against Colgate. Then an injury sidelined him for several weeks, and BC went 0-4 in the ACC games he didn’t play in. Other than one strong start at Georgia Tech, Jurkovec struggled to regain his form when he came back late in the year.

For his career, Jurkovec sports a 26-to-9 touchdown-interception ratio and also has over 600 rushing yards and eight more scores.

Boston College media outlets researched to contribute to this report: BCEagles.com (official team site) and Eagle Action (Rivals).

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