Boston College Football 2016: Assessing The Quarterback Position

In 2015 the quarterback position was a mess for Boston College football. A mix of injury, youth, questionable play calling, and bad decisions led to a disastrous season at the position this past season. First, Darius Wade was knocked out of the season, after breaking his foot against Florida State. Then Steve Addazio and former Offensive Coordinator Todd Fitch couldn't figure out who to play, as a combination of Troy Flutie, Jeff Smith and John Fadule were cycled in ineffectively throughout the season. But what will 2016 hold for BC quarterbacks? Let's look.

Change of Style

Todd Fitch is gone. Addazio brought in his Temple OC Scot Loeffler, and with him a new style of offense. Gone will be the option attack, and the run first quarterback. Instead, here comes the pro style offense, something many BC fans have clamored for.  What this will look like under Steve Addazio remains to be seen, but he now has a stable of QB's who on paper should be able to run that style of offense.

The Help

Addazio clearly learned a valuable lesson in 2015: you need more than one quarterback with experience on your roster, or you're in for a world of hurt. BC went out and addressed this issue by going out and landing University of Kentucky graduate transfer Patrick Towles. The 6'5 signal caller threw for 2148 yards, 9 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last year for the Wildcats.  Already on campus, you have to imagine that Towles is the favorite to be the starter going into this season. But it won't be just handed to him, he's going to have to earn it.

The Return Of D-Wade

One of the biggest disappointments in 2015 had to be the season ending injury to Darius Wade. Honestly we didn't get to see much of his first attempt at running an offense. He had 25 passes against Maine, played a smattering against Howard and then got knocked out against Florida State. It's hard to gauge what D-Wade can and can not do. Hopefully the offensive line will give him more time to throw the ball as well, as he seemed to be running for his life for most of the snaps he was in. While Towles could win the starting job, a healthy Wade, with a little tutelage from Loeffler could jump in and start as well.

The Future?

Easily one of the biggest recruits BC landed in the Class of 2016 has to be quarterback Anthony Brown. A 3* from Holmdel, NJ, Brown has a pro style set mixed with mobility that Addazio wants out of his quarterback. But it's important to note that Brown is raw, and could use time to learn the playbook and work on his mechanics to make him college ready. If BC can keep Wade and Towles healthy, Brown will most likely redshirt, allowing him to battle with Darius Wade for the starting role in 2017.

The Rest Of The Crew

John Fadule and Troy Flutie most likely will round out the depth chart at quarterback for BC. Unless there is an emergency at the position, or something drastically improves in their game, neither will likely factor in the position battle in 2016. Jeff Smith will be interesting to watch as well, not at the quarterback position, but as a possible position switch candidate. He has good speed, and elusiveness, so like Elijah Robinson in 2015, you have to wonder if Addazio is considering utilizing him in another role in 2016.

Projected Starter: Patrick Towles
Projected Backup: Darius Wade