Earlier today Brian pulled a jewel out of Heather Dinich's fluff piece on Frank Spaziani, and the health concerns of Kevin Rogers. But there was much more in that article:
"Spaziani said the Eagles will likely remain under the 85 scholarship limit, but that’s normal for the program, which typically saves a few to reward walk-ons and for late recruiting. The priority for the team this offseason, Spaziani said, is to pick up where it left off – on a winning note."
Fantastic. So instead of going out and grabbing higher quality players to fill the roster, Spaz is going to be content with filling the back end of the depth chart with walk-ons and pray that a good player falls on his lap. While the rest of the NCAA is oversigning with very little repercussion, Spaz is content to undersign. You can rest assure that Nick Saban, Les Miles or even Frank Beamer would probably laugh at this strategy. This is a very conservative recruiting strategy and a poor way to create a competitive team.
What bothered me the most about this strategy -- other than HD letting it go unquestioned -- is that this mentality is just another example of how Spaziani's strategy feeds perfectly into the excuses that the administration uses to defend Spaz. Injuries happen in sports, it's a fact of life, and when BC loses players due to injury and don't have the depth to fill the gaps all of a sudden games are "lost due to injuries". Then all of a sudden bad game strategies and play calling can be overlooked due to missing starters and "lack of experience" at key positions.
Boston College is not in any position to be relying on walk ons and recruits that just fall in their lap. Sure an Al Louis Jean may fall on their door step, but how many other recruits end up with the Eagles' so late in the game? This is a tough strategy to be confident in and be able to plan for the future. The Eagles' need depth, and quality players, so that we aren't stuck with wide receivers playing safety, and juggling offensive linemen positions every week because they don't have any guards left on the roster.
But then again maybe Spaz will be able to find a deep threat Wide Receiver in the Superfan section next season.