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Boston College Announces 2019 Football Recruiting Class

A Sneak Peak at Some of the Newest Members of the Maroon and Gold

Clemson v Boston College Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images

Below is the recruiting list of the newest members of the Boston College family and their respective bios. Lots to like on the list, especially QB Sam Johnson who was a huge 4* grab out of Michigan. Welcome to the heights guys!

2019 Boston College Football Recruiting Class

Player Position Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School

Spencer Bono DE 6-4 245 Cleves, Ohio/Elder

Ireland Burke DT 6-3 290 Jamaica, N.Y./Pope John XXIII

Jack Conley OL 6-8 280 New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan

Josh DeBerry CB 6-0 175 Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./De La Salle

Zay Flowers CB 5-11 170 Fort Lauderdale, Fla./University School

Patrick Garwo RB 5-9 212 Levittown, Pa./Conwell-Egan

Connor Grieco DB 6-3 183 Montvale, N.J./St. Joseph’s Regional

Izaiah Henderson DT 6-5 275 Hazlet, N.J./Mater Dei Prep

Sam Johnson QB 6-4 200 Wixom, Mich./Walled Lake Western

Steve Lubischer DB 6-1 192 Oceanport, N.J./Red Bank Catholic

Jackson Ness DE 6-5 265 Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington

Blerim Rustemi OL 6-4 280 Lincoln Park, N.J./DePaul Catholic

Bryce Sebastian WR 5-9 160 West Haven, Conn./Cheshire Academy

Shitta Sillah LB 6-5 220 Somerset, N.J./Meter Dei Prep

Ethon Williams WR 6-0 195 Arnold, Md./Broadneck

Jalen Williams DB 6-0 190 Fort Washington, Md./Landon School

Notes on the 2019 recruiting class:

10 high school captains

Four players won state titles

State breakdown: Position Breakdown:

New Jersey: 5 Defensive Backs: 5

Michigan: 2 Defensive Linemen: 4

Ohio: 2 Offensive Linemen: 2

Maryland: 2 Quarterbacks: 1

Connecticut: 2 Running Backs: 1

New York: 1 Wide Receivers: 2

Florida: 1 Linebackers: 1

Pennsylvania: 1

Spencer Bono

Defensive End

6-4, 245

Cleves, Ohio/Elder

Rated the top weakside defensive end in Ohio according to 247Sports … ranked as a three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals … listed as the No. 25 player in Ohio and the nation’s No. 45 weakside defensive end by 247Sports … rated as the No. 30 prospect from the state of Ohio by ESPN … picked up all-district first team and all-state third team recognition … posted 53 tackles, seven sacks and forced one fumble as a senior … son of Tracy Knue and Rick Bono … hails from the same high school as current Boston College special teams coordinator and former BC and NFL linebacker Ricky Brown … played for head coach Doug Ramsey at Elder.

Ireland Burke

Defensive Tackle

6-3, 290

Jamaica, N.Y./Pope John XXIII

Rated as the No. 64 defensive tackle nationally and the No. 2 defensive tackle prospect in New Jersey according to 247Sports … rated the No. 20 prospect in New Jersey by 247Sports … listed as the third-best defensive tackle in New Jersey by ESPN … rated the No. 36 player in the Garden State and the 85th-best defensive tackle nationally according to ESPN … missed his junior season due to a knee injury … played for head coach Brian Carlson at Pope John XXIII … former high school teammate of current BC freshman linebacker Nick DeNucci … 52 tackles and two sacks as a senior, including a season-high 10 tackles against Paramus Catholic and Seton Hall Prep … team captain as a senior … all-conference and all-county selection … son of Susan Bassaragh.

Jack Conley

Offensive Lineman

6-8, 280

New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan

A three-star prospect by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals … ranked as a top-10 prospect in Connecticut by all three outlets and as high as No. 6 by Rivals … started all 13 games as a senior for a 10-3 New Canaan team that reached the state championship game … named all-state and all-conference first team offensive tackle as a junior and senior … added three sacks on the defensive side of the ball … son of Doreen and Bill Conley … team captain … comes from the same high school as Boston College All-America defensive end Zach Allen … played for head coach Lou Marinelli at New Canaan.

Josh DeBerry

Cornerback

6-0, 175

Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./De La Salle

Ranked as a three-star prospect by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals … rated as the No. 28 recruit out of the state of Michigan … led De La Salle to back-to-back state championships with a 12-win season in 2018 … provided 44 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions and 20 pass deflections as a senior … ran the ball for 243 yards on 38 carries with three touchdowns and caught 36 passes for 770 yards and nine scores in 2018 … played for head coach Mike Giannone at De La Salle.

Zay Flowers

Cornerback

5-11, 170

Fort Lauderdale, Fla./University School

A three-star recruit according to 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals … rated the No. 83 wide receiver nationally by Rivals … listed as the No. 116 athlete nationally and the No. 179 player in Florida by ESPN … listed as the No. 184 prospect in Florida by 247Sports … helped guide the Sharks to back-to-back Florida class 4A state semifinal appearances as a junior and senior … played both wide receiver and defensive back at University School, but will play at cornerback at Boston College … team captain … played for head coach Daniel Luque at University School … son of Willie Flowers and Malika Palmer.

Patrick Garwo

Running Back

5-9, 212

Levittown, Pa./Conwell-Egan

The top-rated running back in Pennsylvania and the nation’s 30th-best running back according to 247Sports … rated as the No. 8 prospect overall in Pennsylvania by 247Sports … Pennsylvania’s highest-rated running back according to Rivals.com and the state’s No. 9 overall prospect … regarded as the nation’s No. 21 running back recruit by Rivals.com … third-best prospect overall in the Keystone State and the state’s top running back according to ESPN … listed as the No. 29 running back in the country by ESPN … set the single-season school record for rushing with 1,879 yards as a junior, breaking the mark held by Steve Slaton … led the Eagles to the PIAA Class 3A semifinals as a junior, the best finish in school history for Conwell-Egan … led his team to the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals as a senior with a 13-1 record … broke his own school record with 1,922 yards and 29 touchdowns his senior season … Bucks County Player of the Year as a junior and senior … left as the school’s all-time scoring leader … played for head coach Jack Techtman at Conwell-Egan … captain as a junior and senior … led his team to the Philadelphia Catholic League championship as a junior and senior … son of Patrick and Linda Garwo.

Connor Grieco

Defensive Back

6-3, 183

Montvale, N.J./St. Joseph Regional

Rated the No. 1 safety in New Jersey according to ESPN … rated as the No. 32 prospect overall in the Garden State and the 82nd-best safety nationally by ESPN … No. 21 overall player in New Jersey according to 247Sports and the nation’s No. 78 safety … NJ.com second-team all-state selection as a senior … finished with 55 tackles, 38 solo and three interceptions … defended 18 passes from his safety position … led St. Joseph’s to the state championship with a 13-0 win over Bergen Catholic … St. Joseph’s finished the year as the No. 1 team in New Jersey … USA Today first-team all-state selection as a senior … all-North Jersey selection by the Bergen Record … former high school teammate of current BC freshman linebacker Evan Stewart … played for former BC standout Augie Hoffman at St. Joseph’s Regional … team captain … team finished the season ranked No. 19 nationally … North Jersey Sports Defensive Player of the Year as a senior … son of Todd and Marie Grieco.

Izaiah Henderson

Defensive Tackle

6-5, 275

Hazlet, N.J./Mater Dei Prep

Rated as the No. 2 defensive tackle and New Jersey’s 14th-best overall prospect according to ESPN … three-star prospect according to ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports … led the Seraphs to a 10-2 record and finished as the runner-up to Red Bank Catholic in the Non-Public Group III championship game … helped guide his team to the Shore Conference Patriot Division championship as a senior, the school’s third consecutive division title … Asbury Park Press all-area first-team selection on a Mater Dei defense that recorded three shutouts and had four other games allowing eight points or less … 60 tackles, nine sacks, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and a touchdown … Shore Conference Patriot Division Defensive Player of the Year … USA Today first-team all-state selection … played for head coach Dino Mangiero at Mater Dei Prep … son of Danielle Henderson … team captain … scheduled to enroll in January at Boston College … one of two Mater Dei Prep standouts to sign with Boston College, joining teammate Shitta Sillah at the Heights.

Sam Johnson

Quarterback

6-4, 200

Wixom, Mich./Walled Lake Western

Rated a four-star quarterback by ESPN and the 226th ranked prospect in the ESPN300 … a three-star recruit by both 247Sports and Rivals … rated as the No. 12 quarterback nationally by ESPN and the No. 5 recruit out of Michigan … earned all-conference honors, while guiding team to city and district championships and a regional final appearance … threw for 2,115 yards and 23 touchdowns to just five interceptions and rushed for 263 yards and five scores as a junior… son of Shawnda and Sam Johnson … scheduled to enroll in January at Boston College … played for head coach Alex Grignon at Walled Lake Western.

Steve Lubischer

Defensive Back

6-1, 192

Oceanport, N.J./Red Bank Catholic

Three-star prospect according to ESPN who is rated as the No. 40 dual-threat quarterback nationally … one of the top prospects in New Jersey who will play at safety for Boston College … father Steve and his uncle Nick both played football at Boston College in the early 1980s … one of the key players in Red Bank Catholic’s drive to an undefeated season and the NJSIAA Non-Public Group II championship as the state’s top-ranked team … Asbury Park Press all-area first-team selection and USA Today all-state first-team honoree … 85-of-122 passing (69.6% completions) for 1,678 yards and 21 touchdowns … also rank for 377 yards and seven touchdowns en route to being named the Shore Conference Freedom Division Offensive Player of the Year … led the Caseys to their first unbeaten season since 1960 … team captain … son of Steve and Diane Lubischer … played for head coach Frank Edgerly at Red Bank Catholic.

Jackson Ness

Defensive End

6-5, 265

Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington

Ranked as a three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals … rated as the No. 31 prospect from Ohio by Rivals … earned all-state second team and all-district first team honors … named first team all-conference and the Ohio Capital Conference Player of the Year … son of Emily and John Ness … played for head coach Joel Cutler at Upper Arlington … team captain … two-way starter on the offensive and defensive lines.

Blerim Rustemi

Offensive Line

6-4, 280

Lincoln Park, N.J./DePaul Catholic

A three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals who is rated as the third-best offensive guard in New Jersey by ESPN … rated as New Jersey’s 29th-best overall prospect and the 67th-best offensive guard nationally according to ESPN … No. 31 player overall and the state’s No. 3 offensive tackle according to Rivals … second-best offensive guard in New Jersey by 247Sports … listed as the No. 34 overall prospect in the Garden State and the nation’s No. 79 offensive guard by 247Sports … played both ways and on special teams throughout his high school career … former high school teammate with current Boston College freshman linebacker Vinny DePalma … as a junior, part of a DePaul Catholic squad that won the Non-Public Group III state championship … played for head coach John McKenna at DePaul Catholic … son of Besim and Fatima Rustemi.

Bryce Sebastian

Wide Receiver

5-9, 160

West Haven, Conn./Cheshire Academy

A three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals … rated as a top-10 prospect in the state of Connecticut by all three outlets, including a high of No. 7 by 247Sports … No. 2 wide receiver in Connecticut according to 247Sports and the nation’s No. 85 prospect at wide receiver … rated as the No. 1 athlete in Connecticut by ESPN … brother Brandon plays cornerback at BC … son of Mayra and Craig Sebastian … played for head coach Dave Dykeman at Cheshire.

Shitta Sillah

Linebacker

6-5, 220

Somerset, N.J./Mater Dei Prep

The number one outside linebacker prospect in New Jersey according to 247Sports and New Jersey’s ninth-best prospect … three-star recruit who is rated as New Jersey’s No. 2 outside linebacker according to ESPN and Rivals … No. 15 overall player in the Garden State according to ESPN … rated by Rivals as the No. 14 player in New Jersey … helped guide the Seraphs to a 10-2 record and finished as the runner-up to Red Bank Catholic in the Non-Public Group III championship game … key part on a team that won the Shore Conference Patriot Division championship as a senior, the school’s third consecutive division title … Asbury Park Press all-area first-team selection on a Mater Dei defense that recorded three shutouts and had four other games allowing eight points or less … 52 tackles, 10 sacks and a fumble recovery as a senior … USA Today first-team all-state selection … played for head coach Dino Mangiero at Mater Dei Prep … son of Abdulai and Abbey Sillah … one of two Mater Dei Prep standouts to sign with Boston College, joining teammate Izaiah Henderson at the Heights.

Ethon Williams

Wide Receiver

6-0, 195

Arnold, Md./Broadneck

A three-star prospect by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals… ranked as the No. 21 prospect from Maryland by ESPN and No. 24 by 247Sports … owns the Maryland state record for career touchdown receptions with 53 … helped team to 10-1 record, including a 9-0 mark in regional play, in 2018 … all-county first team member with 992 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior … Capital Gazette Player of the Year … finished his career with a county-record 3,222 receiving yards; beating the previous record by over 500 yards … totaled 53 career touchdowns and 196 catches; both county records … team captain … son of Michele Ladson and Troy Williams … will enroll at Boston College in January … played for head coach Rob Harris at Broadneck.