Boston College Athletics
Photo by: Ethan Roy
"O-Line U" Out To Reclaim Moniker
August 21, 2023 | Football, #ForBoston Files
Matt Applebaum is back in the saddle, which BC hopes will get its O-Line convoy moving again.
Matt Applebaum looked at the forecast and winced. Summer in South Florida was always a tough go, but he still held out hope, even the smallest sliver, that he wouldn't need to pack boxes in the 100-plus degree heat index. He had just done this, and one year later, his limited offseason consisted of loading boxes for a move between Miami and Boston.
Just one year earlier, Applebaum loaded up a Massachusetts based U-Haul and transplanted back to the National Football League after an eight-year jaunt through college football. Hired as the offensive line coach for the resurgent Dolphins, he joined a staff that helped end a seven-year playoff drought with its third straight winning record, but even as boxes sat in his house, he missed the construction project that he'd helped start in Chestnut Hill.
So after a postseason appearance where Miami nearly ended the Buffalo Bills' run to the AFC Championship in the first round, Applebaum loaded his life back into a moving van and headed back to New England to complete his personal mission to develop BC back into the "O-Line U" reputation it richly and rightfully wants to reclaim.
"We loved it here," Applebaum said of his decision to return. "We never wanted to leave. I love the school, I love what the school's about, and I love the kids that this place attracts. To come to work and interact with our players, that's the best part of my day, and the staff here is phenomenal. There are times that there are opportunities that you can't turn down, but ultimately things weren't working out and there was an opportunity [to return to BC]."
Bringing back Applebaum was a little ironic for BC because he helped build the offensive line room. His first two years produced several recruiting commits, and he principally built relationships with the families of players who formed the current unit's upper class units. He coached Zion Johnson at Davidson before he moved to BC and ultimately became a first round pick, and he was the line coach for the infamous unit built around Johnson, Alec Lindstrom, Ben Petrula and Tyler Vrabel.
Jack Conley was a redshirt sophomore on that team and earned two starts, but the bridge he provided into last year's production was heavily influenced by needing to play four different positions amidst the unit's overall injury woes. A certified MASH unit existed for virtually the entire season, and the unit didn't have any kind of experienced bodies to plug-and-play when someone went down hurt, a fact that head coach Jeff Hafley readily acknowledges and is hell-bent on avoiding for the 2023 season.
"We have a pretty good idea [of who should start]," Hafley said, "and I know we have a top-six or maybe top-seven [on the depth chart]. Those guys all need reps, but we have them solidified into where they're playing. When they're playing, there's continuity within the same guys playing with one another. That's really important. The memories of not having the same line for nine straight weeks, hopefully that never happens again in the history of football. It makes it fun to have continuity within the group, but you also need to be ready to plug in some guys because we all know how that could go."
That thousand-yard stare is enough to completely change the unit for Applebaum's return despite having personnel that he recruited and helped develop over his initial tenure. The names are the same - and the families are still the ones he got to know - but those memories scarred a unit for a program historically built around its success.
The analytics are well-known. Running behind the half-dozen different groupings and defensive linemen who converted to play offense on the fly pushed BC's running game to dead last in the bowl subdivision. A unit that averaged 165 yards per game in 2021 dropped by a factor of 100 yards per game and fell even further behind the eight-ball in the last three games of the season. The snow at Notre Dame deeply impacted the team's ability to run the ball, but the anemia existed well through the upset win over nationally-ranked NC State and the season-ended loss to Syracuse.
"We've got depth because we have a lot more guys this year," Hafley said. "Take Kyle Hergel for example. We've gotten him reps at center because that's going to help him for the future. Unless you're just the top guy making an NFL roster, you have to have versatility, but asking who our best players are forces us to find out if a starter can become something like a backup center. That's the stuff that we're thinking about now because I hope we never have to go and get a defensive lineman and play him on offense unless it starts in the spring."
The responsibility carries the added weight of a program's reputation easily identified by the first round NFL jerseys lining Fish Field House, but Applebaum fully understands how it's his job to get the unit back on its train tracks. He recruited these players because their prospect profiles fit Boston College perfectly, and he grasps how to build the unit into a single entity. He's done it before, specifically here and at this school, and it's why he returned.
"Just like the room was before, it's made of high-caliber human beings," Applebaum said. "They're hard-working and diligent and passionate about being good football players. They're passionate about carrying on the tradition and going out to win football games for their school. They're making a lot of strides, and I give them all the credit for that because they put in the work to do everything that I've asked them to do. I'm really pleased with where we're at and where we're going."
Boston College opens its 2023 season on Saturday, September 2 with a home game against Northern Illinois. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 pm with tickets available by visiting bceagles.com/tickets or by calling the Boston College ticket office at 617-552-GoBC. Television coverage for the game will be available via ACC Network with online streaming through ESPN's online platform for subscribers with access to the channel.
Â
Just one year earlier, Applebaum loaded up a Massachusetts based U-Haul and transplanted back to the National Football League after an eight-year jaunt through college football. Hired as the offensive line coach for the resurgent Dolphins, he joined a staff that helped end a seven-year playoff drought with its third straight winning record, but even as boxes sat in his house, he missed the construction project that he'd helped start in Chestnut Hill.
So after a postseason appearance where Miami nearly ended the Buffalo Bills' run to the AFC Championship in the first round, Applebaum loaded his life back into a moving van and headed back to New England to complete his personal mission to develop BC back into the "O-Line U" reputation it richly and rightfully wants to reclaim.
"We loved it here," Applebaum said of his decision to return. "We never wanted to leave. I love the school, I love what the school's about, and I love the kids that this place attracts. To come to work and interact with our players, that's the best part of my day, and the staff here is phenomenal. There are times that there are opportunities that you can't turn down, but ultimately things weren't working out and there was an opportunity [to return to BC]."
Bringing back Applebaum was a little ironic for BC because he helped build the offensive line room. His first two years produced several recruiting commits, and he principally built relationships with the families of players who formed the current unit's upper class units. He coached Zion Johnson at Davidson before he moved to BC and ultimately became a first round pick, and he was the line coach for the infamous unit built around Johnson, Alec Lindstrom, Ben Petrula and Tyler Vrabel.
Jack Conley was a redshirt sophomore on that team and earned two starts, but the bridge he provided into last year's production was heavily influenced by needing to play four different positions amidst the unit's overall injury woes. A certified MASH unit existed for virtually the entire season, and the unit didn't have any kind of experienced bodies to plug-and-play when someone went down hurt, a fact that head coach Jeff Hafley readily acknowledges and is hell-bent on avoiding for the 2023 season.
"We have a pretty good idea [of who should start]," Hafley said, "and I know we have a top-six or maybe top-seven [on the depth chart]. Those guys all need reps, but we have them solidified into where they're playing. When they're playing, there's continuity within the same guys playing with one another. That's really important. The memories of not having the same line for nine straight weeks, hopefully that never happens again in the history of football. It makes it fun to have continuity within the group, but you also need to be ready to plug in some guys because we all know how that could go."
That thousand-yard stare is enough to completely change the unit for Applebaum's return despite having personnel that he recruited and helped develop over his initial tenure. The names are the same - and the families are still the ones he got to know - but those memories scarred a unit for a program historically built around its success.
The analytics are well-known. Running behind the half-dozen different groupings and defensive linemen who converted to play offense on the fly pushed BC's running game to dead last in the bowl subdivision. A unit that averaged 165 yards per game in 2021 dropped by a factor of 100 yards per game and fell even further behind the eight-ball in the last three games of the season. The snow at Notre Dame deeply impacted the team's ability to run the ball, but the anemia existed well through the upset win over nationally-ranked NC State and the season-ended loss to Syracuse.
"We've got depth because we have a lot more guys this year," Hafley said. "Take Kyle Hergel for example. We've gotten him reps at center because that's going to help him for the future. Unless you're just the top guy making an NFL roster, you have to have versatility, but asking who our best players are forces us to find out if a starter can become something like a backup center. That's the stuff that we're thinking about now because I hope we never have to go and get a defensive lineman and play him on offense unless it starts in the spring."
The responsibility carries the added weight of a program's reputation easily identified by the first round NFL jerseys lining Fish Field House, but Applebaum fully understands how it's his job to get the unit back on its train tracks. He recruited these players because their prospect profiles fit Boston College perfectly, and he grasps how to build the unit into a single entity. He's done it before, specifically here and at this school, and it's why he returned.
"Just like the room was before, it's made of high-caliber human beings," Applebaum said. "They're hard-working and diligent and passionate about being good football players. They're passionate about carrying on the tradition and going out to win football games for their school. They're making a lot of strides, and I give them all the credit for that because they put in the work to do everything that I've asked them to do. I'm really pleased with where we're at and where we're going."
Boston College opens its 2023 season on Saturday, September 2 with a home game against Northern Illinois. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 pm with tickets available by visiting bceagles.com/tickets or by calling the Boston College ticket office at 617-552-GoBC. Television coverage for the game will be available via ACC Network with online streaming through ESPN's online platform for subscribers with access to the channel.
Â
Players Mentioned
OL
/ Football
OL
/ FootballWomen's Basketball: Coach Pop Joins ACC Network Basketball Podcast
Tuesday, May 05
#20 Baseball Defeats Clemson (May 1, 2026)
Saturday, May 02
No. 20 Baseball defeats UMass Lowell (April 28, 2026)
Wednesday, April 29
From the Desk of Blake James | Episode 8
Friday, April 24
