Boston College Football

Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is close to finalizing a deal with Boston College to be its next head football coach, per Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.

Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic confirmed the news.

Hafley, 40, is in his first year as Ohio State's co-DC. The Buckeyes defense has been dominant under his watch, allowing just 12.5 points per game. That mark ranks third-best in Division I-FCS.

Hafley was a secondary coach at numerous stops prior to his Ohio State tenure, including the San Francisco 49ers from 2016-2018. He's been coaching college or pro ball since 2001, when he graduated from Siena College. He played wide receiver for the Saints from 1997-2000.

Hafley has never been a head coach at any level, but his track record at Ohio State speaks for itself after the 13-0 Buckeyes won the Big Ten and rolled into the College Football Playoff as a No. 2 seed.

He will replace Steve Addazio, who was fired after going 44-44 from 2013-2019. The Eagles went 7-6 in four of his seven seasons and 6-6 last year. The Eagles are headed to the Birmingham Bowl under interim head coach Rich Gunnell. Addazio is now Colorado State's head coach.

Hafley is tasked with guiding the Eagles to past glory days, with one period being a four-year stretch from 2004-2007 when they finished 21st or higher in the final Associated Press poll.

The 2007 team led by quarterback Matt Ryan posted the high-water mark with an 11-3 record and a No. 10 spot in the AP poll. The Eagles started that season 8-0 and reached No. 2 in November.

BC's best all-time result was after the 1984 season, when Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie guided the Eagles to a Cotton Bowl victory and a No. 5 AP ranking.

The door is open for BC (or any other ACC team not named Clemson) to achieve a greater level of success. The conference has fallen on hard times outside the perennial national powerhouse Tigers, and there's a chance for someone to be the best of the rest on a consistent basis until the Tigers' seemingly impenetrable dynasty ends someday.

UVA was the only other ACC team to finish in the top 25 of the College Football Playoff rankings outside Clemson, going 9-4 and ending at 24th. No other ACC team won more than eight games.

BC's first game next season will be on Saturday, September 5, 2020, against an old rival in Division-I FCS Holy Cross, which won the Patriot League.

Editor's Note: College football is BACK. Get to know the three SURE-FIRE superstars who are guaranteed to dominate this season.

Part 1 (Tuesday): Nick Bosa

Part 2 (today): AJ Dillon

Part 3 (Thursday): Ed Oliver

           

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Watch the video. It's 15 seconds of utterly hypnotic football.

If you look hard enough, it tells a different story with every replay.

"All I remember is I wanted to get him off me," Boston College tailback AJ Dillon says of the Louisville defender he threw to the ground en route to a 75-yard touchdown run. "And I wanted to get around that corner."

You may not know Dillon, but consider this statement from an NFL scout to Bleacher Report: "If our league had a one-and-done like the NBA, [Dillon] is the perfect candidate."

Watch the video. The true freshman running back in his first career start—seven weeks into the season—looks like a senior All-American, a man among boys. He's reminiscent of former LSU tailback Leonard Fournette, 245 pounds of rumbling terror, tossing defenders aside like rag dolls and running away from others like they're stuck on pause.

He's not shifty or deceptive like Bryce Love of Stanford or dangerous and dynamic like Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin, both of whom run behind massive offensive lines and are the most recognizable faces of college football at the tailback position. He's much more than that.

He's a chiseled player with 8 percent body fat. He once set the New England high school record for the 100-meter dash, not because he trained for it, but because, what the heck, he figured, let's see how fast I can run it.

He didn't start last year until the middle of October and still rushed for 1,589 yards and 14 touchdowns. He's the product of a single-parent household for much of his life, raised by his mother in New London, Connecticut, with equal parts unconditional love and unrelenting discipline every step of the way.

Jessyca Campbell worked multiple jobs while raising AJ, leaving for one at 6 a.m and returning from the last well past midnight. If she wanted to succeed in life, if she wanted to earn her master's degree and reach her goals, she needed AJ to fall in line and follow her lead.

Do as I say, AJ. Watch what I do.

"We've made it too easy on kids today," says Campbell, who later married AJ's stepfather, Charles, when AJ was 12. "You go to a playground now, and kids may play well side by side, but they don't know how to communicate. They can't socially interact. Then when they get older, you don't see work ethic as young people."

She stops here to explain her life as a single mother: working as a teacher and then heading off to wait tables before finding her way home late at night to grade papers, produce lesson plans and go over AJ's homework prior to sleeping a few hours and starting all over again.

The rules were non-negotiable: AJ did his homework at the dinner table whether Jessyca was there or not. At one point, his mother had five jobs, working as a teacher, a server at two restaurants, a receptionist at a local hospital and a paid intern while earning her master's in education.

She woke early and rousted AJ to run wind sprints at 5 a.m. and to teach him the finer points of football. She learned how to recognize A- and B-gaps on the line of scrimmage and at one point bought a parachute she attached to AJ for cardio training.

Her dad, Thom Gatewood, was an All-American at Notre Dame, the first African American captain in Irish history and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. So yeah, Jessyca could figure out a thing or two about the sport.

She also had a firm grip on what was important and how it would impact AJ.

"In my mind, I didn't want to be a statistic, a young black mom raising a child," Campbell continues. "I told AJ: 'This is our situation, but that doesn't mean you can't work hard, you can't have goals, you can't reach everything you want in life. You can go with the flow, but that's not who we are.' I pushed him hard every single day."

She stops again, this time her voice trailing off with emotion. "I've been called a lot of things for AJ," she says. "But I do what I do for the betterment of him."

---

Watch the video. He just wants to throw the defender, Louisville's Chucky Williams, down and out of his path. Just like he wanted to release the anchor of New London from pulling him under. Both were obstacles to reaching his goals.

"My hometown is one of those places where people get stuck," Dillon says. "You're born there, you go through high school and people tend to stay right there."

So 14-year-old AJ sat down one day and wrote a letter to his mother. It was a five-page, neatly printed and detailed request to attend a Massachusetts boarding school, where he could get a good education and play football at a higher level. It was also a place where college scouts could more easily see him play.

Lawrence Academy is a renowned prep school in New England, with no academic breaks for athletes. You can either do the work, or you can't. If you can't, you're not playing football.

"I'm reading the letter and crying because he's coming at me exactly the way I wanted him to," Campbell says. "My husband and I said, 'We gotta give a shot.' He says to us: 'It's not a shot. When I make this commitment, I'm not coming back.'"

When Dillon arrived in Groton, Massachusetts, about an hour northwest of Boston and 90 minutes from New London, he cried off and on for the first three weeks he was there. This rustic campus in the rolling hills of Groton may as well have been the other side of the world.

He didn't fit in, football hadn't begun and he missed that comfortable safety net. He wanted to come home. For a kid born in Baltimore and raised in New London, the morning fog sweeping off the hills wasn't exactly as peaceful and inviting as it sounds.

"I told him that's not an option," Campbell says. "It's going to suck, and in a couple of days, it's going to suck a little less. That's not very profound advice, but it's what he needed to hear. There were times when I cried for him, but I've never told him that."

Eventually, it did suck less. Eventually, he made friends, football began and the reason he left for Lawrence quickly came into focus. He set records and dominated at the private school, but many colleges didn't know what to make of his game tape against clearly inferior opponents. Some said he should play linebacker.

"They couldn't see it," says Paul Zukauskas, Dillon's coach at Lawrence and a former All-American offensive lineman at BC who played four years in the NFL. "Then FSU timed him from the game tape, and suddenly, he's not just running away from rinky-dink kids in New England. The best way I described it was he's faster than anybody that can tackle him, and nobody that's as fast as him can tackle him."

By his senior year, Dillon had offers from all over the country. Notre Dame wanted him. So did Florida State and Michigan and every other major program where he would have a much better chance of attaining one of the goals that he set for himself at Lawrence: winning the Heisman Trophy.

He chose Boston College because, more than anything, it was close to home, close to Jessyca and close enough to see the life that waited for him if he didn't make it out.

When told of the NFL scout's one-and-done assessment of Dillon, Zukauskas doesn't flinch. He played with a first-round pick at BC (William Green) and with and against numerous elite backs in the NFL.

"AJ has more talent in terms of physical attributes, in what he can do from a size and speed standpoint, than I've been around—even at the NFL level," Zukauskas says. "He could have gone to the [NFL] combine as a junior in high school and turned heads. He's absolutely the type of guy I could see as a one-and-done.

"Look, I'm not saying he's the best player that has ever been born, but I guarantee he can hang in the NFL right now."

---

Watch the video. Jaire Alexander, Louisville's star defensive back and a first-round pick of the Green Bay Packers, crashes in from the right on a run blitz and bounces off one of Dillon's tree-trunk legs—helplessly falling to the ground.

"Never should have happened," Dillon says.

Why? Because had he fully understood the position, Dillon, who had never been tutored by a running backs coach before arriving at Boston College, would've recognized the corner blitz and avoided it or called it out to the offensive line.

But that wasn't life at Lawrence Academy, where a limited coaching staff meant everyone double-trained players. The quarterbacks coach was also the school's director of college counseling (for the entire school), and there was a good chance he either wasn't making it to practice or was late. So guess who coached the running backs?

The guy who missed the corner blitz against Louisville.

Dillon used drills he learned at college camps and worked individually with the running backs before Lawrence team drills began. But calling them team drills would be a stretch.

His first two years at Lawrence, the full roster was in the high 30s. His junior and senior year, it had reached the high 40s. That's just the number of players on the roster—not necessarily guys who can compete for spots or even 22 players who could scrimmage.

"Our jayvee and varsity were combined, and we realistically had 14-15 guys who could play. A lot of us played both ways," says Eddie Fish, Dillon's best friend who played at Lawrence and is a reserve offensive lineman at BC. "We weren't really installing an offense and scrimmaging. It was a lot of power and a lot of counter to [Dillon]. We had a good offensive line, and we'd cover up the guys up front, and AJ would take over. I guess some things never change."

When BC opened fall camp earlier this month, it marked one year to the day that Dillon was first taught the nuances of playing the position, from the idea of setting up blocks and understanding when to run patiently and when to attack to the subtle changes a defense makes that tip its play. "I'm just a big ball of clay waiting to be molded," he says.

"It's a different game for him now," says BC head coach Steve Addazio. "Every young guy learns and adjusts and improves. But AJ is a completely different player now."

This time a year ago, Dillon didn't even know how to recognize fronts. Now he's figuring out how to make the most of his carries.

He knows the realities of running backs in the NFL, that the average lifespan is just under four years. He knows those 300 carries last year could easily become more than 1,000 over three years at BC—and quickly take a toll on his body. "Some of those carries last year weren't smart," Dillon says. "I know how to protect my body better because now I know the position, I know what the defense is going to do. There is no more unknown."

---

Watch the video. Dillon is running away from second-level defenders, both with the angle on him. It's not that the defense is giving up over the final 30 yards; it's that Dillon is separating at a ridiculous rate.

Just like he had to separate from New London and forge his own path. He'd never seen a cow before arriving at Lawrence and barely knew anything outside New London. But by the time he graduated and moved on to BC, his world had completely changed.

"The experiences I've had have made me a better person," Dillon says.

He learned another language and made friends with others outside his socioeconomic orbit. He's close friends with a Saudi Arabian prince and has friendships with children from some of the wealthiest families in America.

The father of one of his friends is the director of the musical Wicked. Another friend's father is from Venezuela, and his son was sent to Lawrence, Dillon says, because the family didn't want him to be kidnapped and ransomed.

Earlier this spring, Zukauskas asked Dillon if he would speak to Project Deep, an educational program for Boston youth focusing on social and athletic growth. A room full of fresh-faced kids, some from the most impoverished areas of Boston, stared at the young man who was once one of them.

"I told them: Don't ever let football use you; you use football," Dillon says. "When you go to college and the NFL, you're going to feel like everything is about football. If that's the way you look at it, you're eventually going to hate it. It's going to become a chore, and you're not going to reach your full potential.

"But if you use football as an element, a tool, to get out of your neighborhood, to get an education, to meet new people, experience different cultures ... you'll be able to have everything you want."

At the end of the speech, the director of Project Deep pulled Zukauskas aside and told him the organization has had speakers from MLB, the NHL, NFL and the NBA. None hit home like Dillon.

"He crushed it," Zukauskas says. "Not that we should be surprised."

---

Watch the video. As he crosses the goal line, Dillon half-raises his hands in an awkward celebration before turning and running to the sideline. He was at a loss for how to celebrate.

"I guess," he says, "because there was more to do."

It's so much more than a game now for college football's next great star. Now he wants to be part of something much bigger in college sports.

Next in his crosshairs: the NCAA's rule that prohibits players from making money off their names and images.

He was studying philosophy earlier this spring and reading about Thrasymachus, a sophist in ancient Greece, 400 BC. Thrasymachus said, "Justice is nothing but the advantage of the stronger."

"Immediately, I was like, yep, the NCAA," Dillon says.

The concept, Dillon says, should be simple. You have a brand, and someone wants to use your brand. Why can't the NCAA let the market figure out supply and demand?

"If someone downtown wants to name a burger after me, why can't I get 10 percent of that?" Dillon says.

Don't pay players a penny from the money earned from games, Dillon says. Keep it all for the universities and their general funds, but allow players to use the money from their names and images any way they see fit—and allow capitalism to work its magic.

"It can be done, but they don't want to do it—and not because [the NCAA] would be losing money," Dillon says. "It's the idea that other people are in charge of their athletes. They don't have control."

Watch the video. Throughout those 15 seconds, Dillon is in complete control.

There was never really a question of what was around that corner.

Only how quickly he'd get there.

Former Boston College running back Jamall Anderson released a two-minute video showing alcohol being served and strippers present at a recruiting party at the university in 1995.

The video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows then-underaged recruits taking shots and getting lap dances from strippers, presumably in hopes of landing the players' commitments to the program.

"This 22-year-old video, which is alleged to have taken place at Boston College, depicts unauthorized and unacceptable behavior that does not reflect the culture of BC or the standards to which our student-athletes are held," Boston College said in a statement.

Anderson admitted to committing credit card fraud to help fund the parties. In 1997, he was among a group of players who were kicked off the team for their involvement in betting on college football, including B.C. games. 

At the time, Anderson said people in the program were aware of the violations.

"Gambling was so universal on the team" Anderson said to the Associated Press at the time. "All the coaches knew we were gambling."

Anderson is releasing the video in part to help promote a new book he says will help young student-athletes learn from his mistakes. 

 

Former Boston College defensive lineman Max Holloway died Thursday morning in a car accident at the age of 26, the school announced.

According to BCEagles.com, the fatal crash occurred in Holloway's hometown of Lutz, Florida.

Holloway played for the Eagles from 2009 through 2011 primarily at defensive end before declaring early for the NFL draft.

Boston College head coach Steve Addazio said the following regarding Holloway's death: "We are all shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic news. Our thoughts and prayers are with Max's family and loved ones during this difficult time."

Boston College athletic director Brad Bates also released a statement: "The entire Boston College athletic department sends their prayers and condolences to Max's family and friends. We are all devastated to hear the news of Max's untimely passing."

Holloway registered 99 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception in his three years with BC.

His best campaign came as a sophomore in 2010 when he set career highs with 14 tackles for loss and four sacks for the 7-6 Eagles.

Holloway was not selected in the 2012 NFL draft, but he saw action for the Arena Football League's Tampa Bay Storm in 2013.

His father, Brian Holloway, was a three-time Pro Bowler as an offensive lineman for the New England Patriots.

    

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

Former Boston College and New England Patriots defensive tackle Ron Brace died at the age of 29, Kevin Duffy of MassLive.com confirmed Sunday.

Al Washington, Eagles special teams coordinator and a former teammate of Brace, tweeted his thoughts:

Ron Brace Teammate,Friend & Brother.You Will Be Missed.We Love You & BCFB Will Make You PROUD! Rest Easy Big Ron!🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/ZxfJWdpmV9

— Al Washington (@CoachWash56) April 24, 2016

AJ Brooks, Brace's teammate at Boston College, shared his thoughts via Facebook:

Brace's cause of death has not been disclosed.

"We were deeply saddened to hear the news this morning of Ron Brace's death," the Patriots said in a statement. "Seven years ago tomorrow (4/25/09), we drafted Ron after his standout career at Boston College. During his Patriots career, the Springfield native was always eager to volunteer and give back in our communities, especially when those community initiatives were held in Western Mass. It is difficult to believe that someone so young and in the prime of his life is no longer with us. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ron's family, friends and the many former teammates who will mourn Ron's passing."

He was a second-round pick (40th overall) in the 2009 NFL draft. In four years with the Patriots, he accumulated 39 tackles and a forced fumble in 39 games. He was cut by the team in December 2012 and signed with Washington in February 2013, though the Redskins released him before the 2013 season began.

In four seasons at Boston College, Brace recorded 85 tackles (including 22 for loss) and five sacks.   

Without considering Jalen Ramsey as a safety prospect, the top safety spot remains unclaimed for the 2016 NFL draft process.

Boise State’s Darian Thompson seems to have assumed the top spot, but after a lackluster NFL combine, he’s far from a lock. Florida’s Keanu Neal earned an NFL draft invite, implying that he should be going high in the draft as well.

But Boston College’s Justin Simmons deserves to be in contention for the top safety spot. The former cornerback turned do-it-all safety offers natural ball skills, adequate and developing safety pickup coverage and efficient tackling that, coupled with top-flight athleticism, should merit Simmons’ place in the top overall safety discussion. He should be in the mix for a surprise second-round option.

Ball Skills and Finishing Ability

The trait of “ball skills” has always been a crucial part of defensive back evaluation, but it’s grown in importance over the last few years.

In the past, most teams saved third down as their passing down, so a dropped interception usually still meant a team was going to punt and possession would be changed. However, as the passing game becomes a more frequent three-down option, defensive backs need to be able to finish at the catch point, contest throws on multiple downs and, when possible, finish interception opportunities.

Ball skills are both developed and instinctive. Over his four-year career at Boston College, Simmons has bounced between cornerback and free safety, earning starts at both spots.

Along with that experience in multiple situations and attacking the ball from multiple foot platforms, Simmons offers that unique, instinctive timing to adjust subtly when the ball is in the air.

In the two plays below (shown together in one GIF), Simmons’ inherent timing and reaction in passing plays allowed him to snag two interceptions in the team's game against Notre Dame. While neither are a testament to all of the coverage upside he possesses, they highlight the ball-hawking upside he offers as a finishing center fielder.

More impressively, however, is Simmons’ footwork in center field coverage when he’s forced to read and react. Playing center field requires more than just hands or lateral quickness. It’s about gathering steps, staying low and balanced in coverage and, when the opportunity arises, exploding on a throwing window in the seams.

As in the play below, Simmons plays with a textbook pedal, the control to cross feet and anticipate the ball, and finish at the catch point for the interception with room to return.

Adequate Yet Improving Coverage Pick-Ups

Still developing as a free safety, Simmons needs to improve his timing and man-pickup from his safety position. While he clearly has the footwork after playing cornerback, and he gets work as a slot corner (an area he can prove effective if need be), his work in pick-up coverage when aligned as a safety still needs improvement.

In the play below, you’ll see Simmons in a Cover 2 alignment and drop as he comes into the frame after the first cornerback stays put. 

Simmons stays low in his pedal and comes off just slightly delayed on the corner route. While he’s better suited as a Cover 3 free safety, he’ll need to work as a half-field safety in time.

It’s plays like this that he should anticipate and finish at the catch point rather than allow a catch, though it’s clear he narrowly missed an interception opportunity here and could see his footwork cleaned up quickly in the NFL.

Reliability as a Run Defender

Strong safeties are generally the safeties that offer the big hits, explosive tackles and dislodging plays on the ball-carrier that wind up in highlight reels.

But, generally, free safeties are relied upon to be the last line of defense, to finish with efficiency and reliability, not subject themselves to broken tackles.

Simmons rarely shows off powerful tackling ability in coverage, though it’s certainly in his arsenal, particularly on shorter and underneath routes when he’s in position. 

In the play below, Simmons saw one of college football’s most dynamic running quarterbacks take off in the midfield on a 2nd-and-long play. With only Simmons separating Clemson’s Deshaun Watson from the end zone, the safety forced Watson to adjust laterally and was required to slow down. That gave Simmons the opportunity to get closer to the runner before engaging as a tackler and finishing the play.

Simmons' tackle not only prevented a touchdown, but it kept Watson in 3rd-and-long. It’s that efficiency and reliability that NFL teams should covet in Simmons as a midfield tackler.

Despite postseason draft buzz after a strong Shrine Game and NFL Scouting Combine, Justin Simmons still hasn’t merited much national discussion on his upside.

But just because he hasn’t earned press clippings or rumored first-round interest doesn’t mean Simmons isn’t worthy of a top-100 pick. In fact, by my grading scale and evaluation, Simmons is well worth a second-round pick and could be an immediate nickel and free safety option for an NFL team.

NFL teams covet versatility, athleticism and ball skills in their defensive backs. Simmons not only offers all three of those traits, but every reason to expect him to continue to grow at the next level.

While he may remain a sleeper at this point in the draft process, don’t sleep on Simmons meriting a top-100 selection and earning significant playing time early in his NFL career.

We're nearing the end of the NFL draft evaluation process, and the majority of the elite prospects have been analyzed from every angle over the past 12 months. 

But inevitably, late risers emerge, such as Boston College Eagles safety Justin Simmons. 

Understandably, many fans are skeptical of these so-called late risers. After all, Simmons hasn't set foot on the field since November, so what could he possibly have done to go from off-the-radar prospect to one of the hottest names in the draft?

Simmons will inevitably be labeled a workout warrior thanks to his impressive NFL combine numbers, but his rise is a result of far more than his numbers in Indianapolis. 

Every year a handful of players put on a combine performance that forces evaluators to go back and give a prospect who may not have been a priority a more serious look.

This was exactly my experience with Simmons this season.

Having not watched much Boston College football during the year, Simmons never made his way into my notes during the season. He was a former cornerback converting to safety, so he didn't enter the season with any significant draft buzz to make him a prospect worth seeking out during the year. But his combine performance forced many evaluators, myself included, to go back and give him a serious assessment—and the results were impressive. 

To appreciate Simmons' potential value in the NFL, it helps to have an understanding of the role safeties play in different defensive schemes. 

On a very basic level, regardless of scheme, the free safety is generally the deepest defensive back on the field, responsible for covering the most ground in the deep secondary. The strong safety tends to play more man coverage and act as the eighth defender in the box in certain alignments.

Simmons is capable of playing the free safety role in any scheme, but his highest value is specific to the Cover 1, which has become the predominant base coverage for most NFL teams. 

Every team mixes up their looks throughout the game to confuse the quarterback, but the Cover 1 scheme heavily relies on a single-high safety (the free safety). 

To provide an example, we'll use the Detroit Lions due to their apparent interest in Simmons. According to Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, the Lions have met with Simmons three times this offseason. 

This particular play starts out with a Cover 1 look with Glover Quin operating as the free safety, while Isa Abdul-Quddus is the strong safety in the box. 

As the play unfolds, Quin drops back and becomes responsible for providing protection in the shaded region of the image below, which features two Oakland Raiders receivers on this particular play. 

As the free safety, Quin is arguably the most important defender on the field in this situation. His ability to read the quarterback and get to either receiver in time to contest the reception is critical to the success of this defense. 

Ultimately, quarterback Derek Carr checked down to an underneath receiver on this play, potentially due to Quin's positioning on the field, threatening both receivers in his area. 

In a Cover 1 defense, the free safety's ability to provide help over the top allows cornerbacks to play more aggressively near the line of scrimmage. Typically cornerbacks are instructed to try to force receivers to the middle of field, which complicates the read for the quarterback and leads to more turnovers. But none of that is possible without a reliable rangy free safety as protection. 

Simmons played a variety of roles in the Boston College defense, but the single-high free safety was one of his primary responsibilities in 2015. 

Here's a look at his positioning as a Cover 1 free safety on a 1st-and-10 play against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish:

As the deep safety, Simmons' range and ability to read the quarterback is what sets him apart. 

These skills were on display throughout his game against Notre Dame—NFL Network's Mike Mayock is among those who have praised his performance against the Irish—but his rage showed up at an elite level on this interception in particular:

The range Simmons shows on this play is obvious, but his ability to quickly read and react to the quarterback is really what sets up this play. Plenty of defensive backs have the ability to cover the ground Simmons does on this interception, but his quick reaction to the quarterback's decision is a skill that sets him apart from other free safety prospects in this draft class. 

Simmons also showed off his playmaking ability with an interception off the Clemson Tigers' Deshaun Watson. Once again, Boston College shows a Cover 1 look with Simmons as the single-high free safety. As Watson drops back, he appears to underestimate Simmons' range, as he cuts in front of the Clemson receiver for the interception.

In addition to his range in coverage, Simmons shows off an impressive closing ability in the run game. His athleticism gives him the ability to cover ground, but it's his quick reaction to the developing play that allows him to reach another level with his playmaking ability. 

While free safeties are most valuable for their skills in coverage, the ability to step up against the run is also a critical skill in the Cover 1. 

The Cover 1 allows for teams to stack the box, but it also puts them at risk of allowing longer run plays. If the linebackers get sealed off or drawn out of position by misdirection, a crease can open up for the running back, which forces the free safety to essentially become the last line of defense.

This scenario plays out against against Notre Dame, with Simmons as the free safety in Cover 1. Fortunately for Boston College, Simmons quickly diagnoses the play and the running lane he needs to step into, then he closes the gap with impressive speed and makes a strong wrap-up tackle. 

Simmons' ability to break down in space makes him an elite open-field tackler. He's capable of making these plays charging in from his deep safety position against the run and also makes many similar plays on quick-strike passing plays underneath. 

In terms of his NFL draft stock, Simmons' place on draft boards likely falls in a wide range depending on the role teams see for him in the NFL. 

While this evaluation has been focused on Simmons' value as a free safety in Cover 1, it's also worth noting his prowess against the run and his man coverage skills from his days as a cornerback could lead some teams to view him as an option at strong safety. 

Teams that view Simmons as a free safety in Cover 1 could potentially justify him as a first-round selection based on his range, reaction skills and the value of the position in a Cover 1 defense. However, teams evaluating him as strong safety may have concerns about his size limiting him lining up in the box and may have a much lower grade. 

As a result, Simmons' place on draft day will be determined by whether a team falls in love with his skill set and sees an immediate starting role. If a team does view Simmons as an instant-impact rookie, the late first round is a reasonable landing spot.

Regardless of when Simmons comes of the board, if he finds himself in the right system, he has all the tools necessary to carve out a long career in the NFL.

Boston College Eagles quarterback Darius Wade suffered a broken ankle when he was sacked on Sept. 18 against the Florida State Seminoles.

Continue for updates.

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Wade Needs Surgery, Out for Season

Saturday, Sept. 19

Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated reported Wade is expected to undergo surgery on his broken ankle this weekend. 

ESPN.com's Andrea Adelson caught a glimpse of the sack:

Wade's ankle twisted in a way it shouldn't. Third starting ACC QB out with injury in 3 weeks.

— Andrea Adelson (@aadelsonESPN) September 19, 2015

Reddit CFB showed how Wade's leg bent on his way down under the weight of Lawrence-Stample:

FSU mugs BC QB for the ball: #FSUvsBC https://t.co/ARwQiUtii5

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) September 19, 2015

At the time of his exit, Wade was leading the team in rushing with 38 yards while adding another 47 yards through the air. But he struggled, throwing an interception on 4-of-12 passing. 

Upon Wade's departure, freshmen Troy Flutie, nephew of former NFL quarterback Doug Flutie, and Jeff Smith took snaps under center. 

With Wade's season over, Boston College will probably choose one of the two to be the starter moving forward. The Eagles also have another freshman in John Fadule on the roster.

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com. 

The Pittsburgh Panthers and the Boston College Eagles are both coming off lopsided victories in their season openers, and this Friday night at Alumni Stadium they will clash in this ACC opener for both teams. The game is set to kick off at 7 p.m. (ET), and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Pitt stumbled down the stretch last season, with just three straight-up wins in its last seven games, but it got this season going in the right direction with a 62-0 rout of Division IAA Delaware as a 24-point home favorite. The total went “over” the 59.5-point line in that game (all lines from previous weeks or years came from Covers.com).

The Eagles faced the Massachusetts Minutemen out of the MAC East in their season opener and blew a tight game open in the second half to come away with a 30-7 victory as 17-point road favorites. The total in that game stayed “under” the 49-point closing betting line.

Pittsburgh at Boston College Betting Storylines

Pittsburgh did an excellent job establishing the run in its opener with a total of 409 yards on the ground. James Conner led the way with 153 yards and four rushing touchdowns on just 14 carries. Rachid Ibrahim also did a good job with 91 total yards on 14 runs.

Quarterback Chad Voytik put the ball in the air only 13 times, but he did complete 10 throws for 84 yards and two more scores. You get the feeling that the Panthers are going to have to take to the air a bit more against BC.

The defense pitched a shutout for the first time in nine seasons, and the Panthers out-gained Delaware 501-64 in total yards. Kick returner and wide receiver Tyler Boyd made an immediate impact with a 34-yard punt return and a 12-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, but he did not play the second half after dislocating a finger in his left hand. He is listed as “probable” for Friday night.

The Eagles lost their final two games of the 2013 season, both SU and ATS, but they gained some positive momentum in a big way against UMass. They will return home, where they are 4-1 SU and a perfect 5-0 ATS in their last five home games. BC also relied heavily on its running game in this past Saturday’s win with a total of 338 yards on the ground, but most of that production came from quarterback Tyler Murphy. He completed 17-of-24 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown while adding another 118 yards and a score with his legs.

Give credit to BC’s defense for the win as well by pitching a shutout in three of the four quarters. The game actually remained tight heading into the second half, but the Eagles put things away with a 43-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Josh Bordner and a 21-yard field goal in the final quarter. Bordner ended the day with four receptions for 81 yards, and Dan Crimmins had seven catches for 52 yards.

 

Pittsburgh at Boston College Betting Odds and Trends by Doc’s Sports

Point Spread: Pittsburgh -4.5

Total Line: OFF

The Panthers are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games, and they have covered the spread in their last three road games. The total has stayed under in four of their last five games on the road.                                                       

The Eagles have gone 5-2 SU in their last seven games overall, including a 5-1 SU record in their last five games at home. The total has gone “over” in six of their last seven games.

Head-to-head in this ACC matchup, Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in the last five meetings, and the total has stayed under in four of the last six games between these two.

College Football Picks: Pittsburgh at Boston College Betting Predictions

Both of these teams came into the new season as long shots to compete for their respective division title in the ACC, so in my opinion the gap in talent is not wide enough to justify the 4.5-point spread favoring the road team. BC may not get the SU win on its home field this Friday night, but I am betting that the Eagles play well enough to cover with the points.

 

Take: # 304 Boston College (+4.5) over Pittsburgh- 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4

We all know that Andre Williams, Boston College's star running back and one of the six Heisman Trophy finalists, is the nation's leading rusher. We know he's racked up over 2,000 yards rushing this season and is the only player in the FBS to do so. We know he's had one of the best seasons of any player in college football this year. 

And yet, we don't.

Just ask yourself, how many Boston College Eagles games did you catch on ESPN this year? How many times did you watch Williams craft one of his masterpieces in 2013?

The Eagles are just 7-5 this year, which is a big reason why Williams is being widely overlooked as a legitimate candidate for the country's top individual honor. But Williams is having a year that doesn't just stand out among his peers this season; it is also among the best in college football history.

Since 1977, only eight players have run for more yards in a season than Williams. If he rushes for at least 84 yards in the AdvoCare V100 Bowl against Arizona, that number will go down to three.

Player	Rushing Yards	Year	School
Barry Sanders	2,628	1988	Oklahoma State
Kevin Smith	2,567	2007	UCF
Marcus Allen	2,427	1981	USC
Troy Davis	2,185	1996	Iowa State
LaDainian Tomlinson	2,158	2000	TCU
Mike Rozier	2,148	1983	Nebraska
Matt Forte	2,127	2007	Tulane
Ricky Williams	2,124	1998	Texas
Andre Williams	2,102	2013	Boston College

A product of Parkland High School in Allentown, Pa., Williams was rated as just a 3-star back by Rivals. He had offers from four schools—Boston College, Akron, Temple and Vanderbilt—before signing with the Eagles in 2009.

Williams appeared in all 13 games as a freshman, earning 95 touches for 461 yards. His numbers slowly trended upward through his junior year. Then, this season, they skyrocketed.

Year	Attempts	Yards	YPC	TDs
2010	95	461	4.9	2
2011	124	517	4.2	4
2012	130	584	4.5	4
2013	329	2,102	6.4	17

In the season's first two weeks, Williams racked up 318 yards and was already closing in on his entire junior year totals. After a lackluster showing against USC followed by a solid performance versus Florida State, Williams made his first big statement of the year with five touchdowns and 263 yards against Army.

Williams has rushed for 200 yards or more in a game five times this year, but no game was better than the Eagles' 38-21 win against NC State. In that Nov. 16 contest, Williams had 339 yards and averaged over eight yards per carry, adding two touchdowns. 

What's crazy about Williams' performance in the regular season is that it was cut short. Against Syracuse, he injured his shoulder and was forced to leave the game with only 29 yards on nine carries.

According to USA Today's Mark Blaudschun, head coach Steve Addazio said Williams will play in the bowl game, adding: "Playing on New Year's Eve is great because it gives him more time to heal along with the other guys, so everybody should be ready to roll." 

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Williams' season is that he's been able to have this type of success despite the fact that every defense knows Williams is just going to pound it straight ahead.

The Eagles are just 113th in the nation in passing, with 150.5 yards per game in that department. Quarterback Chase Rettig has 1,804 yards through the air this year and hasn't thrown for 300 yards in a game yet.

Maybe that's why Williams is so appreciative of his offensive line. Per Blaudschun, if Williams ends up winning the Heisman Trophy, he will literally share it with his linemen. 

"If I actually win the Heisman, I will chop it up and give each of them a piece of the trophy," he said.

Williams is easily the biggest reason the Eagles are bowl-bound for the first time in three seasons. He is the most important player on any BCS team, and that includes Jameis Winston, who has way more talent around him in Tallahassee.

That's why he's a Heisman Trophy finalist. And that's why he is more than deserving of winning the award.