Spring Ball Notes: Practice No. 2

Boston College football took the field for day two of spring ball inside Fish Field House on Tuesday morning. The focus was on base calls, fundamentals and techniques before head coach Jeff Hafley and his staff begin to install their scheme in the coming practices.

Notes From Day Two:
New number, who dis?: Eleven players changed their number from the fall of 2021 to the spring of 2022, including three wide receivers and three linebackers. Sophomore wide receiver Jaden Williams will take over the number zero, which was first introduced to college football in 2020. Williams will be the first Eagle to permanently wear the number after classmate CJ Burton wore it in several games in 2021.

80->0 Jaden Williams, WR
27->5 Kam Arnold, LB
26->6 Alec Sinkfield, RB
28->7 Xavier Coleman, RB
43->8 Jaylen Blackwell, LB
8->9 Dante Reynolds, WR
15->10 Jalen Cheek, DB
83->11 Lewis Bond, WR
47->23 Cole Batson, DB
49->44 Casey Phinney, LB
88->78 Jackson Ness, OL (Former DL)

Playmakers: Phil Jurkovec guided the first team offense during offense vs. defense periods. He found big plays in connections with Williams and tight end Joey Luchetti. After having a ball knocked loose along the sideline, wide out Taji Johnson responded with a catch on a high ball in his next opportunity and then went deep across the middle for another reception from Jurkovec. Early-enrollee Amari Jackson made his first of two interceptions on a diving grab along the sideline. He later nabbed a pick after classmate Jeremiah Franklin went high for a catch, but linebacker Jaylen Blackwell jarred the ball loose on the way to the ground, leaving it for Jackson to claim.

From the Blindside: In the search to replace three-year starter Tyler Vrabel at left tackle, Jack Conley, who started one game at left tackle last season, has gotten the bulk of the snaps protecting the quarterback's blindside. Conley and sophomore defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku competed in one of the more intense on-field competitions on the day. As a true freshman, Ezeiruaku played in 10 games with 21 tackles and three sacks. Playing on the second team, early-enrollees Jude Bowry (left tackle) and Edwin Kolenge (defensive end) showcased their talents in one-on-one opportunities during the team sessions.

Tight End Production: In the last four years, the BC tight end room has produced two NFL draft picks, the number-one pick of the CFL and most recently Trae Berry, who played in the Senior Bowl in January ahead of this year's NFL draft. The leading returners to the room both had big days on the field with Luchetti and redshirt junior Spencer Witter each contributing multiple receptions from Jurkovec. Redshirt-sophomore Hans Lillis also caught several passes, including a one-handed catch on a deep ball.

Stepping Up: The BC roster features 22 redshirt-freshmen that waited in the wings for an opportunity during their freshman seasons in 2021 and several are seeing increased snaps in the early going. On offense, Emmett Morehead carries the load at quarterback with the second team. Running back Xavier Coleman and wide receiver Dante Reynolds both contributed big gains with the first and second team offense.

Players Mentioned

Kam Arnold

Cole Batson

Jaylen Blackwell

Lewis Bond

Jude Bowry

CJ Burton

Jalen Cheek

Xavier Coleman

Jack Conley

Donovan Ezeiruaku

Jeremiah Franklin

Amari Jackson

Taji Johnson

Phil Jurkovec

Edwin Kolenge

Hans Lillis

Joey Luchetti

Emmett Morehead

Jackson Ness

Dante Reynolds

Alec Sinkfield

Tyler Vrabel

Jaden Williams

Spencer Witter

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