Breaking Down the Boston College Football Roster: The Quarterbacks

With the release of the Boston College football roster yesterday, we’ll start our annual summertime series breaking down the Boston College Eagles by position.

First up:

Quarterback

The Starter: Anthony Brown (Jr..)

The Backups: Matt Valecce (R-Fr.), Sam Johnson (Fr.)

The Analysis: This will be the third year that Anthony Brown has been the starting quarterback for the Boston College Eagles. It’s the first time under Steve Addazio that a quarterback has been in the starting role for this long.

Brown has shown signs of absolute brilliance during the past two years. In particular, BC’s thrilling defeat of Wake Forest comes to mind, as Brown threw for five touchdowns in the game to power the Eagles past the Demon Deacons. With that said, Brown has been prone to mistake at pivotal moments in the game.

At his best, Brown is one of the best (if not the best) quarterbacks Addazio has ever had, and the Eagles will need him to be at his best in order to be competitive this year.

With that said, one thing that Brown’s seasons have been marked by is injury. Brown was knocked out of his freshman year in the third-to-last game of the regular season with a leg injury, missing the last two regular season games and the infamous 2017 Pinstripe Bowl. Brown didn't miss any games during the 2018 campaign despite getting knocked out of the game against Clemson in the first quarter, but he was shaky for the last two games of the season before [REDACTED] at the [REDACTED] game in Dallas last year.

The thing is, after Brown’s previous injuries, it was clear who would take his place. In 2017, Darius Wade stepped up in relief, and while no one would say that he should have been starting to begin with, he certainly performed admirably. In 2018, E.J. Perry came in relief against Clemson, and while he certainly had his struggles, it certainly leads one to wonder if that had more to do with him making his first appearance against mighty Clemson rather than his abilities.

The thing is, if Brown goes down with an injury this year (God forbid), it’s verrrrrry unclear who is taking over, and what they’re getting with whoever it will be. E.J. Perry is no longer with the team, and third stringer Matt McDonald transferred to Bowling Green earlier this year. That means whomever the backup will be will be rather untested. Right now Matt Valecce is the backup, but Sam Johnson comes into the program as one of the most highly touted prospects in Steve Addazio’s tenure, so the chances of Johnson taking over the back-up role are rather likely. With that said, even if Johnson becomes the backup, he’s still a freshman, and one has to wonder about his level of readiness should the situation necessitate, because, even as good as Johnson is supposed to be, coming in as a freshman and playing with little preparation is a feat that is difficult for even the best players in the country.

In summation, Anthony Brown should be poised to turn in a strong junior year under center. That said, if he goes down with an injury again, buckle up.