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Last year one of the biggest issues facing Boston College football, was the inexperience and play of the offensive line. By the Syracuse game there were two freshman and one sophomore on the line, and some of the issues with the offense could be linked to the play up front, and the statistics from the end of the year clearly reflect this struggle.
Looking at last year’s depth chart one of the things that stands out was the weight of the offensive line. Steve Addazio prides himself on bruising bulls up front that can push around even the best defensive line, and what we saw in 2015 were some younger guys that were clearly not up to the size and standard of an Addazio Offensive Line.
Over the past week BC has updated their roster with updated weights, numbers etc., and the first thing that stood out to me was how much the offensive line bulked up during the offseason. Looking at the chart below you can see that younger players like Chris Lindstrom, Austin Stevens and Wyatt Knopfke put on substantial weight. Lindstrom especially, was a lean 260, not the weight you want on an O-lineman, but now he is a sturdy 300 pounds. But it wasn’t just guys putting on weight, tackles like Anthony Palazollo and Aaron Monteiro trimmed down to around 300 a piece, with Monteiro dropping a staggering 30+ pounds (which will be a huge asset for him).
The offensive line starting five are all almost 300 pounds now (Lindstrom, Baker, Jimmy Lowrery, Monteiro, Cashman), plus BC has guys on the bench
| Name | Position | 2015 Weight | 2016 Weight | Net Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truman Gutapfel | DT | 282 | 288 | 6 |
| Ray Smith | DT | 264 | 292 | 28 |
| Wyatt Ray | DE | 230 | 249 | 19 |
| Jon Baker | C | 293 | 298 | 5 |
| Aaron Monteiro | T | 336 | 305 | -31 |
| Sam Schmal | T | 294 | 309 | 15 |
| Chris Lindstrom | G | 260 | 298 | 38 |
| Austin Stevens | G | 270 | 289 | 19 |
| Wyatt Knopfke | G | 285 | 300 | 15 |
| Joel Rich | OL | 282 | 292 | 10 |
Also included on the chart are a few defensive line players that bulked up this offseason. The most notable was Ray Smith, a defensive tackle that put on almost 30 pounds this winter. But the lack of sizable defensive tackles, which many were rightfully concerned about, seems to no longer be an issue as BC has quite a few that fit the mold of a college tackle.
Weight management is clearly something that is important in college football, and a good staff can manage this effectively as players progress through their system. Just looking at the raw numbers it looks like Addazio and his staff have their players heading in right direction.