Boston College's Wrecking Crew

Alec Lindstrom is a happy man these days.

He's usually generally affable, but a noticeable glee enveloped the Boston College offensive lineman training camp launched over the weekend. It had nothing to do with the summer sunshine or some brand new blocking scheme, and it wasn't related to some hit he laid on an unsuspecting defensive lineman - especially since nobody was wearing pads yet.

That pure, unmistakable joy was due to the simplest reason he had: he was just happy to be back on a field with his fellow linemen.

"We have five returning offensive linemen," Lindstrom said, "and I have my five best friends coming back. Zion (Johnson) and Ben (Petrula) have another year, and they're my best friends on the line. The fact that we're best friends, hanging out, eating and watching film together is such a blessing because, for me being selfish, I get to hang out with my best friends."

O-LINE U 2021

Returning Starters: Zion Johnson (Sr.), Alec Lindstrom (Gr.), Christian Mahogany (RSo.), Ben Petrula (Gr.), Tyler Vrabel (RJr.)
Returning Letterwinners: Jack Conley (RSo.), Finnn Dirstine (RJr.), Erik Larson (RSo.), Blerim Rustemi (RSo.)
Newcomers/Redshirts: Dwayne Allick (RFr.), Kevin Cline (RFr.), Otto Hess (Fr.), Drew Kendall (Fr.), Illija Krajnovic (RFr.), Kevin Pyne (RFr.), Matthew Taylor (RFr.), Nick Thomas (Fr.), Ozzy Trapilo (RFr.)
Offensive Line Coach: Matt Applebaum (Second Season)

Goofing off and being with the boys might keep someone happy, but there's a more serious side to BC's offensive line mission. The unit long steadied Boston College's offense over the past two decades, but this line is potentially the most special among the storied groups. All five members are returning from last season, and as the calendar moves closer to kickoff against Colgate, the ceiling of what this one can accomplish can only get higher.

"We've always had good players," Petrula said of the team's trenchmen, "but I like to think our advantage right now is how experienced we are as a group. We had a couple of (years with) guys (rotating) in and out, and we would fill up the next (spot) with a younger guy and figure it out. But now we've had two years in a row (where) we all have the same experience with the same exact guys. That's really helpful."

BC's earned its high reputation over the past two decades, but last year's line entered the season with lofty expectations because of its own performance in 2019. The Eagles plowed the road for AJ Dillon to the tune of nearly 250 yards per game and helped turn the program's all-time leading rusher into the Green Bay Packers' second round draft pick.

The offense produced 200 yards in all but three games and blasted past the 300-yard mark on three separate occasions. There was a three game span where BC hit 400 yards and five touchdowns on two separate occasions, and the Eagles bookended their 429-yard game against NC State by blasting Syracuse for 496 yards before clinching bowl eligibility in the last game with 264 yards and a touchdown.

The offseason coaching change was perceived nationally as a program upheaval, but the return of four starters softened the landing for new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti and position coach Matt Applebaum. Petrula was a four-year starter who played center as a freshman in 2017 but moved outside to tackle for the next two seasons. Lindstrom was Chris Lindstrom's little brother, but the center earned starts in 2018 and returned to start every game in 2019. Tyler Vrabel was a green freshman in 2019, but the rookie son of Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel started every game as a blindside left tackle.

Position Notes

• All five returning starters started all 11 games in 2020, including Petrula, who has started 48 consecutive games dating back to week two of the 2017 season.
• Petrula has started at center, right tackle and right guard during his career.
• Four starters earned All-ACC honors in 2020, led by first team selection Lindstrom.
• Johnson and Lindstrom enter the season as Preseaon All-Americans and Preseason All-ACC picks.

Johnson transferred to BC but started every game at left guard. The true wild card, he developed under Applebaum in the Davidson program and reunited with his old coach for the 2020 season.

"I had a special relationship with Coach Applebaum because he was my line coach at Davidson," Johnson said. "He's a great coach, and he's a real coach. If you're making mistakes or doing something that's unacceptable, he'll let you know. That's a great quality that he has, but he's also not a guy who is going to get on you and not let you know what you did wrong. He's going to coach you, and he's going to call on the older guys to coach the younger guys."

It was a wealth of returning experience, but the coaching overhaul had to install a scheme and playbook amidst the strangest offseason in college football history. Vrabel moved to the right side in order to move Johnson to left tackle, and Petrula shifted inside to right guard. Christian Mahogany was the new starter at left guard, and only Lindstrom remained in the same position as the previous year.

The unit produced immediate results in the new pass-first scheme, but the changes and shifts offered admitted growing pains through the first few weeks of the season. The bell cow ground game lagged in its production and didn't record 100 yards in its first five games. BC would eventually explode to 264 yards and three touchdowns against Georgia Tech with two games near 200 yards against both Syracuse and Louisville, but it left an unmistakable room for growth.

"(The offense) is definitely different," Petrula said. "For better or for worse, we're going to throw. I like that we can get down the field and have explosive plays. As a player, that's something that I had to adjust to a little bit, but I think the unit has done a good job. I think I can still improve, but I've been doing a little bit better each training season through the season, through spring ball and now through camp."

It's why the unit is still widely recognized as one of the best, if not the best, in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Lindstrom returned for a redshirt senior season and already earned a spot on the Pro Football Focus All-America Team and the Rimington Trophy Watch List. He was named Second Team All-American by Phil Steele, an honor he shared with Johnson, a First Team All-American.

Both Johnson and Petrula took advantage of the NCAA's decision to offer a waiver to athletes from last season's COVID year and enrolled for an extra year of eligibility as graduate students. Mahogany and Vrabel, meanwhile, each matriculated forward one year to give BC an entirely-returning offensive line in front of Phil Jurkovec.

"We pride ourselves on being the best unit in the country this year," Lindstrom said. "We hold the highest standard, and we're going to work every day. We all have goals for our team, for ourselves, and everything. It's going to be awesome, and the experience that we have, coming back with all of five of us, is a blessing."

O-LINE U 2021

Position Notes

Players Mentioned

Dwayne Allick

Kevin Cline

Jack Conley

Otto Hess

Zion Johnson

Phil Jurkovec

Drew Kendall

Ilija Krajnovic

Erik Larson

Alec Lindstrom

Christian Mahogany

Ben Petrula

Kevin Pyne

Blerim Rustemi

Nick Thomas

Ozzy Trapilo

Tyler Vrabel