Boston College Athletics
Six Eagles Hope to Make NFL Rosters
May 04, 2015 | Football
Chestnut Hill, Mass. - Four former members of the Boston College football team signed free agent contacts with NFL teams while two more have invitations to rookie mini-camp. Manuel Asprilla (San Diego Chargers), Josh Keyes (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Tyler Murphy (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Bobby Vardaro (Minnesota Vikings) signed contacts while Josh Bordner (Detroit Lions) and Dominique Williams (Cleveland Browns) will join minicamps.
Asprilla, a three-year starter at corner back for the Eagles, recorded 210 career tackles including, 150 solo stops, 15 tackles for a loss of 41 yards, two forced fumbles and four interceptions with 84 return yards. In his senior season, he was named to the All-New England team by the area's writers, ranking third on the defense with 70 tackles and second with 56 solo stops and leading the Eagles with nine pass breakups. He also tallied four tackles for a loss of 14 yards on the season. He was a member of the BC defense ranked second in the nation for allowing just 94.5 rushing yards per game.
The Everett, Mass., native earned ACC Defensive Back of the Week on Nov. 3, 2013 after leading BC with 10 tackles as the Eagles defeated Virginia Tech, 33-31, for its sixth win of the season. Asprilla tallied four solo stop and a tackle for a loss as BC became bowl eligible for the second straight year.
Bordner had a productive fifth year at Boston College after transitioning from a quarterback to wide receiver. He played in all 13 games, starting 10. He led the Eagles with 346 receiving yards, 27 receptions and 26.6 yards per game. He caught three touchdowns and averaged 12.8 yards per catch. He also became a great blocking tight end, clearing the way for long runs by quarterback Tyler Murphy and the BC running back core.
The Sukesville, Md., native was voted a team captain before the start of the season. He had a career-long 48-yard touchdown reception in a victory over Maine, finishing the day with three catches for 64 yards. He also caught four passes for 71 yards against Colorado State. Against Clemson, Bordner caught a six-yard touchdown and completed a 35-yard pass.
Keyes started all 13 games for the Eagles at SAM linebacker and earned All-ACC third-team honors by the league coaches and honorable mention accolades from the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSPMA). 66 tackles on the year, including a team-high 11.5 tackles for a loss of 45 yards and four sacks, he was also voted to the All-New England Team by area writers. In his 43 games in the Maroon and Gold, Keyes recorded 124 total tackles, including 79 solo stops, 16.5 tackles for a loss of 73 yards and two forced fumbles. He also sacked the quarterback 7.5 times for a loss of 58 yards.
The Ghent, N.Y,, native earned ACC Linebacker of the Week, FWAA National Defensive Player of the Week, Chuck Bednarik Award Player of the Week and ECAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in the victory over ninth-ranked Southern Cal, tallying eight tackles, including five solo stops and 5.5 tackles for loss - the most of the season of any Eagle - and a sack for a loss of eight yards. He also recorded a career-high 10 tackles (four solo), including two tackles for a loss of seven yards and a sack for a loss of six yards, and forced a fumble in the victory at NC State, garnering him ACC Linebacker of the Week and ECAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for a second time.
Murphy transferred to Boston College in the spring of 2014 after earning his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida, where he played three seasons for the Gators. He finished his graduate degree in administrative studies in one year at The Heights. A dual-threat quarterback, Murphy broke the 13-year ACC record set by Clemson's Woodrow Danzler in 2001, amassing 1,184 rushing yards. He also surpassed Eagle great Doug Flutie (939 yards) for BC's career record for quarterback rushing yards, completing the feat in nine games with 965 yards. Murphy also became the first BC QB to rush for 100 yards in a single game, which he did five times in 2014.
The Wethersfield, Conn., native ranked third in the ACC in rushing yards, topped only by two running backs. He ranked second among all quarterbacks nationally for rushing yards, third for yards per game (91.1) and first among all quarterbacks in the country for yards per carry (5.64). Murphy completed 120-of-211 passes for 1,526 yards with 11 passing touchdowns.
Murphy's best game came on Sept. 13 when he recorded a career-high 191 yards on 13 carries, averaging 14.7 yards per rush and scored a touchdown in the Eagles' upset of ninth-ranked Southern California. He earned ACC Offensive Back of the Week honors for his performance against the Trojans, recording the second-highest rushing total by an ACC quarterback in conference history. He was named to the All-New England Team, earned the team's William J. Flynn Most Valuable Player award and was named Walter Camp Connecticut Player of the Year.
Vardaro, a three-year starter at left guard who led the Eagles with 44 career starts, was a member of the offensive line that allowed the rush game to flourish. The Eagles ranked 14th in the nation with 254.7 yards per game in 2014 and averaged 212.5 yards per game, good for 20th nationally. He earned All-ACC third-team honors by the league's coaches and honorable mention accolades from ACSMA.
The North Reading, Mass., native helped pave the way for the Eagles to rack up over 500 yards of offense three times and over 400 yards five times. The offensive line blocked for a rushing attack that garnered at least 300 yards in four games. BC backs rush for 100 yards in nine times and the O line allowed just 21 sacks on the year. BC became the second ACC school since 2000 to record back-to-back games of at least 400 rushing yards (452 vs. USC, Sept. 13 and 413 vs. Maine, Sept. 20). In 2013, he was a member of the O line that yielded a Heisman Memorial Trophy finalist and the ACC's first Doak Walker Award recipient in running back Andre Williams, who became the 16th player in FBS history to rush for 2,000 yards in the regular season. He blocked for Williams in his historic 339-yard rushing performance against NC State on Nov. 16, 2013, setting ACC and school records.
Williams, a defensive back who has played in 42 career games for the Eagles, tallied 135 tackles in his career, including 90 solo stops and 7.5 tackles for a loss of 24 yards. In 2013, he started all 13 games at strong safety, recording 59 tackles, including four tackles for a loss of 12 yards, one interception and three pass breakups. He was voted a team captain before the start of the season and was awarded the Jay McGillis Memorial Scholarship in April 2014, honoring McGillis, a starting defensive back who passed away from leukemia in 1992.
In his senior campaign, the Brockton, Mass., native tallied eight tackles, including seven solo stops in the home opener against Pittsburgh and notched six unassisted tackles, including two for a loss of five yards against Clemson. He recorded his first career interception in his junior year against Florida State. In the same year, he recorded a career-high 13 tackles, including eight unassisted, in the victory at New Mexico State.
