Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
2017 BC Football Camp Insider: Linebackers
August 23, 2017 | Football, #ForBoston Files
Get to know the members of a real "Linebacker U"
When college football enthusiasts talk about Boston College, they often identify the Eagles as "O-Line U." BC, after all, has a legitimate claim to that moniker thanks to its lineage and tradition of producing NFL-ready, Super Bowl-winning talent. That's unquestionable and it's virtually unchallenged.
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But BC has a secondary moniker it can lay claim to: Linebacker U. In the face of more glamorous programs, the Eagles have a recent lineage of linebackers who helped form cores for NFL teams. Names like Bill Romanowski and Stephen Boyd dot the past, with the 21st century deepening that bench.
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Players like Mathias Kiwanuka, who played defensive end at The Heights but became an NFL 'backer, led to Mark Herzlich. Herzlich bridged to Luke Kuechly, who in turn passed off to Kevin Pierre-Louis. KPL became Steven Daniels, who became Matt Milano. And now, as the Eagles prepare for 2017, the torch is passed to another crop of talented student-athletes ready to take the next step.
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"These are tremendous young men, highly motivated in every phase of their life - football, academics, socially and then taking advantage of their opportunities, not just here but also with each other," defensive coordinator Jim Reid said. "Any time I've coached linebackers, the defensive line 'never makes a mistake.' They're four yards in front of (them), and we expect them to be aggressive. They'll be in their game exactly the way they should be, but when they're not, if we understand the scheme, we can help play off them."
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A Boston College linebacker has to be the right combination of tenacity and intelligence. Within the scheme, the player displays speed and aggression, attacking a play at full speed. But it has to come from an intelligent place, knowing where to attack and how to get to that spot. Getting to a spot is the result of knowing where teammates are, with communication dictating who is on what slide.
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It starts with the physical center of the defense. Now the centerpiece of the defense, senior Connor Strachan is arguably the most important player not named Harold Landry. He had a monster season last year, registering five or more tackles in every game except for three games. For what it's worth, Strachan didn't play in one of them (Syracuse) and saw limited snaps in the other two (blowout wins over Wagner and Buffalo).
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"Connor Strachan is a marquee player," head coach Steve Addazio said. "Connor is an elite player. He's big, strong and extremely fast. He really can run, and he's a four-year starter. He's a violent player, a competitive, tough-ass player. He's relentless and self-driven. You don't have to coach (guys like that) on effort. They want greatness every day, and they push themselves for it every day. Connor is like that."
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Like Strachan, Schwab is a senior with the ability to take over a game. He notched nine tackles in three games last year, including the Syracuse game his teammate missed. Against Clemson, he had nine solo tackles, illustrating his knack for getting to the ball and disrupting plays.
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"It's been a while, coming up on the fourth year (together)," Strachan said. "He's a great player who loves to attack the run like I do. Sometimes with kids, you're worried if they have hit courage, if they back off or shy away from blowing someone out. I remember the first snap against Clemson last year, (Ty) destroyed some receiver and the ball went flying. Having guys like that on the team get the juice going and the tempo going. So it's always fun to play with him."
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Because of their depth, the Eagles have a unique opportunity to put versatility on display in any given play. It allows them to explore different possibilities for each player. A player like Schwab can switch out from attacking the line into a coverage role. This preseason, the Eagles have done just that, working Strachan into an outside linebacker role while filtering in other players in different looks.
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"A lot of the stuff you can study, based on alignments and splits," Strachan said. "In our coverage, it kind of works as a unit. In man coverage, when you're playing man, there's times you've got a guy and it's (a question of) who is better. Then there's times where you have an idea of what kind of route they're running, and you have help over (the play) or behind you so you can reroute them and force them (into a different spot)."
Â
Being able to work one another is what helps create the lineage the Eagles are becoming known for. Older players are able to work with younger players on the field, which enables them to learn the system and scheme to teach their own group of younger guys in later years. It creates a seamless transition built on high play, but it also maintains consistency. It also helps build the unity necessary to create a defense ranking as one of the top units each of the last two seasons.
Â
"You go down to the locker and they're not talking about the Red Sox or the Bruins or the Celtics or anything of that nature," Reid said. "They're talking about the zone scheme and what are the tips, the leans and things of that nature. It's marvelous to watch."
Â
"A lot of it you've got to study," Strachan said. "Football, for the person in the stands, is just showing up on Saturday to play football, but it's all week. It's preparing. You can't imagine how much goes into each game. You've got to be able to react. You've got to be quick twitch and fly in there, and seeing something on film that's a play to recognize it on the field so you can explode in it.
Â
"I remember looking up to Josh Keyes (as a freshman)," he continued. "Sophomore year, I had Steve Daniel really showing me the ropes. This past year I got to kind of take control of the linebacker room with Matt Milano still there. Every year we've had guys going to the NFL. Linebackers are kind of the center of the defense, but it's really expanded. We had John Johnson. The defensive backs this year have got Kam Moore and Isaac Yiadom. The D-line has Harold Landry, Noa Merritt, and Zach Allen. A lot of guys are stepping up to take these roles and seeing how it's done, putting the work in. It's really just leadership continuing to pass it down."
Â
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But BC has a secondary moniker it can lay claim to: Linebacker U. In the face of more glamorous programs, the Eagles have a recent lineage of linebackers who helped form cores for NFL teams. Names like Bill Romanowski and Stephen Boyd dot the past, with the 21st century deepening that bench.
Â
Players like Mathias Kiwanuka, who played defensive end at The Heights but became an NFL 'backer, led to Mark Herzlich. Herzlich bridged to Luke Kuechly, who in turn passed off to Kevin Pierre-Louis. KPL became Steven Daniels, who became Matt Milano. And now, as the Eagles prepare for 2017, the torch is passed to another crop of talented student-athletes ready to take the next step.
Â
"These are tremendous young men, highly motivated in every phase of their life - football, academics, socially and then taking advantage of their opportunities, not just here but also with each other," defensive coordinator Jim Reid said. "Any time I've coached linebackers, the defensive line 'never makes a mistake.' They're four yards in front of (them), and we expect them to be aggressive. They'll be in their game exactly the way they should be, but when they're not, if we understand the scheme, we can help play off them."
Â
A Boston College linebacker has to be the right combination of tenacity and intelligence. Within the scheme, the player displays speed and aggression, attacking a play at full speed. But it has to come from an intelligent place, knowing where to attack and how to get to that spot. Getting to a spot is the result of knowing where teammates are, with communication dictating who is on what slide.
Â
It starts with the physical center of the defense. Now the centerpiece of the defense, senior Connor Strachan is arguably the most important player not named Harold Landry. He had a monster season last year, registering five or more tackles in every game except for three games. For what it's worth, Strachan didn't play in one of them (Syracuse) and saw limited snaps in the other two (blowout wins over Wagner and Buffalo).
Â
"Connor Strachan is a marquee player," head coach Steve Addazio said. "Connor is an elite player. He's big, strong and extremely fast. He really can run, and he's a four-year starter. He's a violent player, a competitive, tough-ass player. He's relentless and self-driven. You don't have to coach (guys like that) on effort. They want greatness every day, and they push themselves for it every day. Connor is like that."
Â
Like Strachan, Schwab is a senior with the ability to take over a game. He notched nine tackles in three games last year, including the Syracuse game his teammate missed. Against Clemson, he had nine solo tackles, illustrating his knack for getting to the ball and disrupting plays.
Â
"It's been a while, coming up on the fourth year (together)," Strachan said. "He's a great player who loves to attack the run like I do. Sometimes with kids, you're worried if they have hit courage, if they back off or shy away from blowing someone out. I remember the first snap against Clemson last year, (Ty) destroyed some receiver and the ball went flying. Having guys like that on the team get the juice going and the tempo going. So it's always fun to play with him."
Â
Because of their depth, the Eagles have a unique opportunity to put versatility on display in any given play. It allows them to explore different possibilities for each player. A player like Schwab can switch out from attacking the line into a coverage role. This preseason, the Eagles have done just that, working Strachan into an outside linebacker role while filtering in other players in different looks.
Â
"A lot of the stuff you can study, based on alignments and splits," Strachan said. "In our coverage, it kind of works as a unit. In man coverage, when you're playing man, there's times you've got a guy and it's (a question of) who is better. Then there's times where you have an idea of what kind of route they're running, and you have help over (the play) or behind you so you can reroute them and force them (into a different spot)."
Â
Being able to work one another is what helps create the lineage the Eagles are becoming known for. Older players are able to work with younger players on the field, which enables them to learn the system and scheme to teach their own group of younger guys in later years. It creates a seamless transition built on high play, but it also maintains consistency. It also helps build the unity necessary to create a defense ranking as one of the top units each of the last two seasons.
Â
"You go down to the locker and they're not talking about the Red Sox or the Bruins or the Celtics or anything of that nature," Reid said. "They're talking about the zone scheme and what are the tips, the leans and things of that nature. It's marvelous to watch."
Â
"A lot of it you've got to study," Strachan said. "Football, for the person in the stands, is just showing up on Saturday to play football, but it's all week. It's preparing. You can't imagine how much goes into each game. You've got to be able to react. You've got to be quick twitch and fly in there, and seeing something on film that's a play to recognize it on the field so you can explode in it.
Â
"I remember looking up to Josh Keyes (as a freshman)," he continued. "Sophomore year, I had Steve Daniel really showing me the ropes. This past year I got to kind of take control of the linebacker room with Matt Milano still there. Every year we've had guys going to the NFL. Linebackers are kind of the center of the defense, but it's really expanded. We had John Johnson. The defensive backs this year have got Kam Moore and Isaac Yiadom. The D-line has Harold Landry, Noa Merritt, and Zach Allen. A lot of guys are stepping up to take these roles and seeing how it's done, putting the work in. It's really just leadership continuing to pass it down."
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Players Mentioned
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