BC Football: Huge Recruiting Update With Adam Baliatico Of 247Sports.com

Today we got the chance to talk with Adam Baliatico of the newly relaunchedBC’s 247sports.com team site. 247 is a great site for recruiting and other BC news and we are honored to have Adam stop by to talk BC recruiting. You can follow Adam and the site at @BCEagles247

BC Interruption: New England has been a point of emphasis for this coaching staff with Addazio claiming he wants to build a fence around the region. What are some of the big local names that Addazio could be targeting in 2018 from this area, and are there any "under the radar" names we should be watching out for?

Adam of 247: Great question as that is the key to any successful program. The Northeast is a very talented and deep region this year, although the state of Massachusets does not have many targets. 3-star WR Jake Bobo committed to Duke over BC and Syracuse a few weeks ago, but Boston College is in great shape for composite 3-star Groton Academy guard Finn Dirstine. Look for Finn to commit sometime in the next few months. Another prospect BC is in great shape for is 3-star BC high Running Back Daniel Abraham, who will likely commit to the program in the next few months. We had a VIP update with him a few weeks ago where he talked about growing up as a Boston College fan and going to games as a kid. The BC staff is very high on Providence WR Jehlani Galloway and I could easily see the 6-foot-1 WR choosing the Eagles soon. However, in terms of the main talent in the Northeast, the state of New Jersey is where I could really see BC doing work this year, thanks in large part to Anthony Campanille, who recruits the state heavily. Right now, BC is in on many of the states talented players including 3-star Don Bosco Prep safety Kevin Brennan, 3-star St. Joes Regional Safety Evan Stewart, 3-star Vineland ATH Isaih Pacheco and 3-star Vineland LB Nihym Anderosn, 3-star Pope John XXIII LB Nick DeNucci, 4-star St. Peters Prep Safety Shayne Simon, 3-star DePaul Catholic LB Vinny DePalma and several other three star recruits in the state. Last year BC landed a solid haul from the state of NJ and I expect them to get an even better group this year, likely landing 4-5 commits from the state. In terms of the under-the-radar kids BC could get locally, one kid to keep an eye on is Jalin Cooper from the Syracuse area, but he has started to blow up lately. Also keep an eye on Joey Luchetti, who Boston College offered last week. The 6-5 defensive end out of Lawrence Academy is likely to commit to the Eagles and he is a long, rangy athlete that the Eagles have turned into a great pass rusher so often in the past few years.

BCI: Al Washington has left for a new role with Cincy. He clearly was one of the up and coming recruiters for the Eagles. Who is going to pick up that role for BC this year?

Adam of 247: Boston College has a couple dynamic recruiters on the staff and the two that I think will prove to be the most talented in replacing Washington are Campanille and Ricky Brown. Coach Camp, as they call him, has a track record of landing big time recruits and will likely add another solid group to his resume this year. Coach Brown has picked up recruiting in Georgia and the Eagles have a strong presence in the state. Look for Brown to add a good haul as well, as the young, energetic coach has a lot of momentum with some top targets right now

BCI: A.J. Dillon was clearly the jewel of the 2017 class. Who could be the biggest name BC lands this year?

Adam of 247: Dillon was a massive coup for Boston College and looking at their board now, it is hard to see a four star recruit that is clearly a BC lean or is highly interested in the program. A few 4-star recruits BC is in the mix for are St. Peters Prep Safety Shayne Simon, Cardinal Hayes OT Qadir White, St. Joes Regional DE Dorian Hardy, and Rancocas Valley ATH Iverson Clement. While BC may not land the "big" fish in this class, they are in a really strong position with a lot of high three-star recruits, some of whom could eventually see a bump up to four stars. The most talented recruit I think BC is seriously involved with at this point is Devin Leary, a QB from NJ. Maryland and Rutgers are the main competition for him, but if they can convince him to come on board, that could help them land a very strong Class of 2018.

BCI: Every year Addazio claims he wants to land another QB. Who are some of the names he is targeting in 2018?

Adam of 247: The top quarterabcks on the board right now are Timber Creek (NJ) QB Devin Leary, St. Johns College (DC) QB Kevin Doyle and St. Xavier (OH) QB Chase Wolf. Of the three, the most realistic target is Wolf, who will visit Boston College for spring practice and is a BC lean at this point. Wolf comes from a BC pipeline and spoke highly to BC 247 when we interviewed him a few weeks ago. At this point, he is targeting a May or even April commitment date, and I see him eventually being the QB to lead the Eagles Class of 2018 forward. Wolf is a big, athletic QB with a strong arm and some mobility and he would be a good fit for the Eagles.

BCI: BC finished last year going 7-6 with a bowl victory and some momentum, but on the other hand they got pasted against good opponents. What is the general vibe recruits have regarding this program? And is there any worry or hesitation in kids because they fear Addazio may not be back in 2018?

Adam of 247: I have yet to hear a 2018 recruit mention Addazio's job status to me as a concern of theirs. Most recruits I have spoken with have talked very highly of BC and their staff, and I think by and large, the kids are not aware that with a new AD coming in, Addazio may be on the hot seat. However, if Addazio comes out with a good product on the field next year, which I really expect him to do, that could catapult this class forward. If BC wins 7 or 8 or maybe even 9 games next year led by a veteran squad, that could launch BC towards a top 40 class. If BC struggles, the recruiting class will struggle with it. Right now, I think BC will land a solid group of early commits, and depending on how their season goes, they could land some of the bigger fish they are going after during the fall and winter months.

BCI: The Indoor Practice Facility is a big deal for the program. Do you think it's already having an impact on the recruiting trail?

Adam of 247: Until construction gets going, I don't think the indoor practice facility will have any tangible effects on recruiting. So far, not one recruit has mentioned those facilities as a selling point to me and not one has even mentioned the BC staff using them as a pitch. I think for the staff, it is hard to sell the kids on the facility until construction is underway. Once that happens, and especially as it progresses further, I think you will see BC start to use it as a selling point and it will be a very strong one at that. When you combine Boston College's campus and education with what should be top notch facilities and hopefully a winning product on the field, that has all the elements lined up to start building a really talented and successful program up here at Boston College.

Again thanks to Adam Baliatico of BC’s 247sports.com site. You can follow Adam and the site at @BCEagles247