2017 BC Football Camp Insider: Wide Receivers

For all of the attention on Boston College football's offense, wide receivers can become afterthoughts. The quarterback is under constant scrutiny, and the running backs and offensive linemen always go hand-in-hand with power football and a run-first mentality. With only so much attention to go around, wideouts simply get lost in the shuffle.

That's something that fuels a position slowly becoming one of the Eagles' flashiest selling points. Just as BC rebuilt its quarterback room, they've changed the complexion of their wide receivers. Entering the 2017 season, they now have a fleet of gunners capable of stretching the field and going vertical while maintaining possession in a tempo offense.

"(The position) definitely grew a lot," quarterback Darius Wade said of his wideouts. "We had a lot of youth at wide receiver so now we all got to grow together. We've been able to establish our rapport together, which is very important at that position. Through the offseason, through spring, through the summer, we've done a very good job building a connection to get ready to go for the season."

BC developed its receivers through comprehensive development of players like Jeff Smith. An athlete recruit, Smith found himself starting at quarterback during the ill-fated 2015 season. Though he lacked refined passing skills, he had raw speed capable of breaking explosive plays. Given a hole against Notre Dame at Fenway Park that year, he hit the turbo key, going 80 yards for a score.

That made him an explosive and dangerous option in the passing game last season. He caught two deep balls against UMass in the second game of the year, then went for a 58-yard touchdown catch two weeks later. Though his output leveled off after catching five passes for 65 yards against Buffalo, he finished strong with a combined eight catches for 107 yards in the final two regular season games.

In Smith and fellow returnee Michael Walker, the Eagles return their two primary pass catchers from last season. Walker became a household name against NC State, when he went on a tear for six catches and 78 yards. He followed that up with four grabs for 45 yards and a touchdown against UConn, then finished the year with three catches for 63 yards and a score in the Quick Lane Bowl.

They're the most recognizable names, but the hard work is now developing a number of players poised for breakout years. Kobay White tends to be the first name on the list, and he's produced highlight reel catches as a deep threat in weekly scrimmages.

"Jeff Smith is a documented fast guy," head coach Steve Addazio said. "Mike Walker is a documented fast guy. Ben Glines can run. Kobay White can run. Christian McStravick is a big guy, but he can fly."

"The coaches have done a great job getting us adapted to the receivers and how they make cuts in certain areas of the field," quarterback Anthony Brown said. "We can just pinpoint and locate a certain area that we need to throw the ball. It's progressively gotten better for the quarterbacks with all of the receivers and the tight ends, too."

Much of the BC development is thanks to a familiar face. Position Coach Rich Gunnell was born in New Jersey, but he's become as much of a Massachusetts man as humanly possible. Arriving at BC as a player in 2006, he started his college career during the Matt Ryan era, then finished it with almost 200 catches for almost 2,500 receiving yards.

He's an Eagles legend with the Maroon and Gold running through his veins, even though things are a little different now that he's on the headset and not on the field.

"I tell these guys how much I want to trade places with them," Gunnell laughed. "We got a group of guys that love the game of football. They just work hard every day, and they're a group of really tough guys who want to be on the field."

Gunnell's task is more than just coaching pass catchers. Receivers need to play their role within the entire offensive scheme. On wide runs, it might require receivers to block out defensive backs, and their role downfield might be the difference between big plays and truly explosive moments.

That's where players like Charlie Callinan, at 6'4" and 235 pounds, can put a crushing blow on someone. But at the same time, Callinan is an adept receiver who improved every season. He's a senior this year after catching 24 passes for 286 yards last season in a possession role.

"You have to see what develops," Wade said. "We have a lot of depth and a lot of players that can do a lot of different things. We don't rely on just one player to do one type of thing, and as a team, that's what you want offensively. You want to have those weapons, and I feel like that's what we have. You just look for whatever opens up."

Boston College Athletics

2017 BC Football Camp Insider: Wide Receivers

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Players Mentioned

Anthony Brown

Charlie Callinan

Ben Glines

Christian McStravick

Jeff Smith

Darius Wade

Michael Walker

Kobay White

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