Boston College is not a place with ridiculous expectations for football. That’s probably best evidenced by the tenure of the recently fired Steve Addazio, who was fired Sunday. He lasted seven seasons at BC and never won more than seven games or had a winning record in ACC play, going 21-35 overall. Compare that to 2001-2010, when the Eagles only had one season of less than eight wins and when they finished in the top 25 five times.
This is a pretty attractive job considering the expectations relevant to the program’s history of good success. The recruiting base isn’t great, but as Power 5 conferences go, the ACC is about as manageable as it gets considering there’s only one powerhouse in Clemson.
Word I’m hearing is the Eagles would love to take a big swing at Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell. The 46-year-old former Ohio State defensive lineman has turned the Bearcats into a legitimate Top 25-caliber program. They are 21-4 the past two seasons. The feeling here is that the Ohio native would probably only leave Cincinnati for a really good Big Ten vacancy, but maybe the Eagles could tempt him.
Two other Group of 5 head coaches also on the Boston College radar, according to a person familiar with the matter, are Toledo’s Jason Candle and Appalachian State’s Eli Drinkwitz. Candle is 34-19 with the Rockets, and though his team had a down season at 6-6 this year, I’m told he is still very well-regarded by some key folks in Chestnut Hill. Drinkwitz, 36, has produced a superb debut season, going 11-1. Both guys are considered very bright, creative offensive minds.
Skip Holtz is a New England native and has done a very nice job at Louisiana Tech. He is 9-3 this season, the fourth time he’s won nine in the previous six seasons. The 55-year-old once won 10 games at UConn in the late 1990s.
One NFL coach to know for this vacancy is Shane Waldron, who played at Tufts and has built an impressive résumé since, spending five years on the New England Patriots staff, three years at Notre Dame and a few years at UMass before returning to the NFL, where he linked up with Sean McVay in Washington. The 40-year-old is now the Los Angeles Rams’ passing game coordinator.
There are a bunch of rising star coordinators who might intrigue the Eagles brass. Pedigree and fit could be big factors here. Athletic director Martin Jarmond came from Ohio State and remains well-connected to the Buckeyes program, and there are several good options with Buckeyes ties.
Ohio State co-coordinator Jeff Hafley, 40, is a New Jersey native whose stock continues to rise. The architect of the nation’s No. 1 defense has emerged as a hot name in coaching circles. Hafley has strong ties in the Northeast and the talent-rich Garden State. Before coming to Rutgers, Hafley proved to be an elite recruiter in New Jersey for Pitt.
UCLA coach Chip Kelly said he figured Hafley was “the real deal” right before he hired him on his staff in San Francisco because he coached the secondary for Greg Schiano, himself a former defensive backs coach. “He really reminds me a lot of Ryan (Day),” says Kelly, who coached Day at New Hampshire and worked with him at several coaching stops. “He’s a hell of a teacher.”
Another defensive coordinator who I’m hearing could be in play is Cincinnati’s Marcus Freeman. The 33-year-old former Ohio State linebacker appears destined to run his own program in the not-too-distant future. His unit was No. 11 in the FBS in total defense during the Bearcats’ breakout 2018 season. Freeman was pursued for the Akron and Bowling Green head coaching jobs last year, and word is he really impressed those folks. He also turned down a Power 5 defensive coordinator job.
Another Buckeye who could end up in the mix is Ohio State linebackers coach Al Washington. The 35-year-old played at Boston College in the early 2000s. He spent five seasons as a coach with the Eagles before going from Cincinnati to Michigan to the Buckeyes. He’s done a terrific job this season improving the Buckeyes linebacking group.
An Ivy League guy to watch is Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko. From New Jersey, Elko took a run defense that had an average rank of 11 in the SEC against the the four seasons before he arrived and transformed it into the No. 2 unit in the league. His work at Notre Dame and Wake Forest, two places with tough academic standards, was also outstanding. Temple was very interested in Elko last season before he opted to remain at A&M.
One of Elko’s protégés, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea, also figures to get consideration. Lea, a former Vanderbilt player, has impressed while running the defense in South Bend and could be a very good fit with this vacancy.
(Photo: Joe Sargent / Getty Images)
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