Transfer Portal Closes With New Arrivals And New Outlook
January 22, 2026 | Football, #ForBoston Files
Boston College is going to look very different in 2026.
Located near the finger inlet of Michigan's geographic mitten, the unincorporated community of University Center carries a long tradition of higher education. Starting in the early 20th century, the home of Bay City Junior College grew into Delta College's public community college before the arrival of Saginaw Valley College as a four-year private institution in November 1963. Fast forward to the 1970s, the incorporation of a state-supported college that subsequently provided the future Saginaw Valley State University with a growing home. Now a bustling community in Saginaw County, its location is perfectly situated as a smaller and more northern option away from the dense population centers in Detroit, Grand Rapids and Lansing.
It remains the most recent addition to the Michigan state system of higher education, but its spot within the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contains some of the longest regional significance and history of the Division II level. Former quarterback Jonathon Jennings, for example, threw for 10,710 yards and 96 touchdowns before embarking on a professional career in Canada. Mason McKenzie earned GLIAC Freshman of the Year honors in 2024 after producing 2,716 all-purpose yards with 20 combined touchdowns. Known as a rugged and tough dual-threat quarterback, he led the Cardinals on a four-game winning streak during the 2025 season before ending the year with a last second, game-winning drive to defeat Michigan Tech en route to GLIAC Player of the Year honors.
Once an underrated piece of the Division II landscape, his burgeoning reputation forced him to reconsider his options after this past season, and having entered the transfer portal, the link between the Great Lakes and the major metropolitan area of Boston, Massachusetts was secured when he committed to head coach Bill O'Brien as part of a massive incoming transfer class that's set to redefine Boston College's structure and foundation.
"This is a special place, a place where you're going to go to class in person and participate in a lot of community activities," said O'Brien during his first offseason media appearance on Tuesday. "You're going to be busy, so we need the right type of guys. I think you look at different categories of players. You look at players that are grad transfers, that have played three or four years and have graduated from a school, and another category of guys that are from a lower level that were very productive. Then there are guys that maybe didn't play a whole lot. They were at a bigger school and were backup players. Maybe they were on special teams, and we try to categorize the guys that we bring in."
BC's incoming transfer class condensed that methodology into a new era defined by the portal's accelerated timeline. The former dual-window stretching through both the winter and spring seasons transformed this year under the NCAA's decision to shrink the timeframe into a 15-day window at the start of January, and the number of players who opted to leave their programs for new starts resulted in a blistering chaos that occasionally played out in the public sphere.Â
More than 1,200 bowl subdivision players entered the portal at a dizzying pace when the window opened, and O'Brien found himself in a landscape that was significantly different from even his first year and first full offseason. Aided by new general manager Kenyatta Watson and a direction steeped in shared messaging, nearly 50 potential football players arrived on campus before making their decision on their next step.
"Kenyatta's been great," said O'Brien. "He just knows a lot of people because he's been in this business for a long time…I would say he knows high school coaches in every state. He knows prospects and guys that he's recruited over many, many years in every single state. So he's been able to connect. He knows parents. He knows the coaches, the people that are responsible for these guys."
"These kids, it's like speed dating," he explained. "They come in on a 24-hour or 36-hour deal, and they have flights to catch. They're bringing their parents in, their families, and some of them brought the coaches with them or a coach with them. It's a team effort."
Clearing and sifting through this information allowed O'Brien to rebuild his roster with a team that's now steaming towards spring practice. A new quarterback in McKenzie led the early returns, but wouldn't be the only signal caller the Eagles brought in from the portal, adding Arkansas transfer Grayson Wilson as well. The team rebuilt its depth chart on both sides of the ball by acquiring players like wide receiver Javarius Green and defensive lineman Demetrius Ballard. Evan Dickens was a 1,000-yard rusher for Liberty last season, and Kameron Howard developed into a three-star transfer after moving from Charlotte to Alabama. Both Trevon Humphrey and Reggie Jackson are big bodies with experience at the offensive tackle position, and linebacker Bodie Kahoun traded his Notre Dame golden dome for the other side of the Holy War rivalry.
Nearly every position group short of the kicking specialists found new personnel, which means the Eagles now face the proposition of building a new chemistry into the culture that was forged through the toughness associated with last year's disappointment.
"Obviously there's a long list of guys," O'Brien admitted. "It's a brand new team. We're just looking forward to bringing these guys together and getting to work with them."
It remains the most recent addition to the Michigan state system of higher education, but its spot within the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contains some of the longest regional significance and history of the Division II level. Former quarterback Jonathon Jennings, for example, threw for 10,710 yards and 96 touchdowns before embarking on a professional career in Canada. Mason McKenzie earned GLIAC Freshman of the Year honors in 2024 after producing 2,716 all-purpose yards with 20 combined touchdowns. Known as a rugged and tough dual-threat quarterback, he led the Cardinals on a four-game winning streak during the 2025 season before ending the year with a last second, game-winning drive to defeat Michigan Tech en route to GLIAC Player of the Year honors.
Once an underrated piece of the Division II landscape, his burgeoning reputation forced him to reconsider his options after this past season, and having entered the transfer portal, the link between the Great Lakes and the major metropolitan area of Boston, Massachusetts was secured when he committed to head coach Bill O'Brien as part of a massive incoming transfer class that's set to redefine Boston College's structure and foundation.
"This is a special place, a place where you're going to go to class in person and participate in a lot of community activities," said O'Brien during his first offseason media appearance on Tuesday. "You're going to be busy, so we need the right type of guys. I think you look at different categories of players. You look at players that are grad transfers, that have played three or four years and have graduated from a school, and another category of guys that are from a lower level that were very productive. Then there are guys that maybe didn't play a whole lot. They were at a bigger school and were backup players. Maybe they were on special teams, and we try to categorize the guys that we bring in."
BC's incoming transfer class condensed that methodology into a new era defined by the portal's accelerated timeline. The former dual-window stretching through both the winter and spring seasons transformed this year under the NCAA's decision to shrink the timeframe into a 15-day window at the start of January, and the number of players who opted to leave their programs for new starts resulted in a blistering chaos that occasionally played out in the public sphere.Â
More than 1,200 bowl subdivision players entered the portal at a dizzying pace when the window opened, and O'Brien found himself in a landscape that was significantly different from even his first year and first full offseason. Aided by new general manager Kenyatta Watson and a direction steeped in shared messaging, nearly 50 potential football players arrived on campus before making their decision on their next step.
"Kenyatta's been great," said O'Brien. "He just knows a lot of people because he's been in this business for a long time…I would say he knows high school coaches in every state. He knows prospects and guys that he's recruited over many, many years in every single state. So he's been able to connect. He knows parents. He knows the coaches, the people that are responsible for these guys."
"These kids, it's like speed dating," he explained. "They come in on a 24-hour or 36-hour deal, and they have flights to catch. They're bringing their parents in, their families, and some of them brought the coaches with them or a coach with them. It's a team effort."
Clearing and sifting through this information allowed O'Brien to rebuild his roster with a team that's now steaming towards spring practice. A new quarterback in McKenzie led the early returns, but wouldn't be the only signal caller the Eagles brought in from the portal, adding Arkansas transfer Grayson Wilson as well. The team rebuilt its depth chart on both sides of the ball by acquiring players like wide receiver Javarius Green and defensive lineman Demetrius Ballard. Evan Dickens was a 1,000-yard rusher for Liberty last season, and Kameron Howard developed into a three-star transfer after moving from Charlotte to Alabama. Both Trevon Humphrey and Reggie Jackson are big bodies with experience at the offensive tackle position, and linebacker Bodie Kahoun traded his Notre Dame golden dome for the other side of the Holy War rivalry.
Nearly every position group short of the kicking specialists found new personnel, which means the Eagles now face the proposition of building a new chemistry into the culture that was forged through the toughness associated with last year's disappointment.
"Obviously there's a long list of guys," O'Brien admitted. "It's a brand new team. We're just looking forward to bringing these guys together and getting to work with them."
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