Staff Directory
- Title:
- Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties
- Email:
- Phone:
- 552-3010
Matt Thurin enters his seventh season as Boston College’s special teams coordinator/safeties coach. Thurin came to the Heights after a five-year stint at Ohio State.
In 2025, Luca Lombardo garnered national attention. The redshirt junior ranked third in the country in field goal percentage (94.1%) after making 16-of-17 attempts, including a long of 52. He also made all 35 of his extra point attempts this season. Under Thurin’s tutelage, the Eagles allowed just three yards per punt return this season, which ranked sixth nationally and second in the ACC. In addition, safeties KP Price, Omar Thornton and Carter Davis were the Eagles top three tacklers in 2025. Price finished with 94 tackles, including three for loss, three quarterback hits, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery en route to All-ACC Second-Team honors. His 5.4 solo tackles per game was third-best in the country and best in the ACC. Thornton’s 82 tackles were second-best on the team to go with four forced fumbles, two sacks and one interception. He forced 0.33 fumbles per game, which ranked sixth nationally and third-best in the ACC. Davis finished the 2025 campaign with 59 total tackles, third-best on the team this season.
In the final game of 2024, Thurin coached a unit that blocked a PAT returned for two points and blocked a punt that set up a touchdown against Nebraska in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. Under Thurin’s tutelage, both Liam Connor and Luca Lombardo saw action in the kicking game, going 3-for-5 on field goals in total.
The BC special teams unit blocked two kicks in 2023 and did not allow a blocked kick or punt on the season. Thurin oversaw the development of Connor, who ascended to placekicker after serving as the kickoff specialist as a freshman in 2022. Connor went 11-for-14 on field goals, including three makes of 45 yards.
Thurin also coached safeties in his first four years with the Eagles. Under his tutelage, strong safety Jaiden Woodbey was a two-time All-ACC Honorable Mention.
Boston College’s 2022 special teams unit was one of just four in the ACC to block two or more kicks. A blocked extra-point against Louisville proved to be the difference in the Eagles’ first league win of the season.
In 2021, Connor Lytton was second in the ACC and 11th nationally in field goal percentage, connecting on 11 of his 12 attempts including both from 40+ yards. Grant Carlson ranked top-30 nationally in punting average (44.2) while Travis Levy ranked second in the ACC and 15th nationally in kickoff return average (27.5).
In his first season at the Heights, Thurin made a major impact in the improvement of Boston College’s special teams. BC finished 34th nationally in field goal percentage in 2020, the best finish for the Eagles since 2013. Aaron Boumerhi converted 16-of-20 of his field goal attempts while Grant Carlson averaged over 42 yards per punt, including 15 punts pinned inside the 20-yard line.
Thurin worked together with former BC head coach Jeff Hafley for one season with the Buckeyes as Thurin worked with the safeties and on special teams as a defensive quality control coach.Thurin was part of three consecutive Big Ten Conference championship teams at Ohio State and also victories in the 2019 Rose Bowl, the 2018 Cotton Bowl and the 2016 Fiesta Bowl.
A native of Louisville, Ohio, Thurin attended Baldwin Wallace University where he played football and baseball before an injury ended his playing career. He played for Baldwin Wallace’s 2003 Division III playoff team and graduated in 2007 with a degree in early childhood education. He has a master’s in education from Akron (2009).
Thurin came to Columbus after working three seasons – 2012-14 – as secondary coach and special team’s coordinator at Columbia University. In 2011, Thurin was a graduate assistant at the University of Colorado, working along the offensive line and on special teams. Prior to that, he spent three seasons at Akron as a defensive graduate assistant working with the Zip linebackers and secondary. Thurin’s coaching career also includes a year at Walsh University.
Thurin is married to Elizabeth Tinto, from Chesapeake, Va. The couple has an eight year old daughter, Adaline, and a four year old son, Joseph Rhett.
The Thurin File
Birthday: June 27, 1984
Hometown: Louisville, Ohio
High School: Louisville
Alma Mater: Baldwin-Wallace, 2007
Degrees: Early Childhood Education; Master’s in Education from Akron, 2009
Family: Wife Elizabeth; daughter Adaline; son Joseph Rhett
Coaching Career
2020-present: Boston College (Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties)
2015-19: Ohio State (Defensive Quality Control)
2012-14: Columbia (Special Teams Coordinator/Secondary)
2011: Colorado (Offensive Graduate Assistant)
2008-10: Akron (Defensive Graduate Assistant)
2007: Walsh (Graduate Assistant/Tight Ends)
