Eagles of Tomorrow, Today: Previewing the BC Freshman Class on Offense

As we very vividly remember, the 2022 Boston College Eagles were exceptionally young. In fact, the two-deep featured 34 underclassmen, including nine starters, which was the most in the conference. The offense had five true freshman log a healthy amount of real game time. Alex Broome was the team’s second leading rusher, Cam Barfield logged 25 carries, Joe Griffin Jr. electrified in the back half of the season on the receiving front, tight end Jeremiah Franklin played in nearly every game, and lineman Jude Bowry even started two games.

Now a lot of that was due to injuries and a team that just didn’t feature much depth. It wasn’t exactly a good thing either to be featuring so many young players, but on the bright side, growing strong. In case this happens all over again, today we’re taking a look at the bright future Eagles and see who may be making an impact on a field near you.

Quarterback

While the two leading signal callers up top are clear, Jacobe Robinson could be the future. The big QB from Texas was the #9 rated ESPN QB coming in the class. He has some impressive physical tools and made some nice plays during the Spring Game. That early campus arrival may do him well. Another note on this front is that Peter Delaportas, who briefly flirted with the transfer portal a few months ago, is back with the team for his redshirt freshman season.

Receivers

Jaedn Skeete, Nate Johnson, Montrell Wade and Reed Harris are the key receivers from this class on the roster. Skeete was rated a top 10 receiver in the state and signed on alongside Datrell Jones who we’ll discuss shortly. Skeete came on really strong last season and was selected to play in the All-American Bowl earlier this year. Johnson was a top 100 and three star prospect out of Florida. He was a four-year starter who played on both sides of the ball, tallying loads of stats.

Harris is a big 6-3, 200 pound target. The Montana man was recruited as a pure athlete and was the best player in the state. It looks like Hafley has settled on the former quarterback to shine outside. Montrell Wade rounds out the bunch as another Texas wide receiver. He also played both sides of the ball and was honored for both in high school.

At tight end, Holden Symonds is already the second biggest one on the team (a pound or two lighter than George Takacs). The former basketball player is from in state and was a solid three star prospect. There are a number of names ahead, but size alone could push him into action.

Running Back

The only back of the class is the aforementioned Datrell Jones out of local Catholic Memorial. He was as high as a four-star prospect on some recruiting sites. He was the New England Football Journal’s Div. II Player of the Year, and he recently picked up a nice NIL deal with a Boston health food restaurant. with only seven other running backs in the mix, Jones could impress and start earning opportunity.

Offensive Line

Two lineman to remember, hopefully not for this year if things go right, are Ryan Mickow and Michael Crounse. Both are three star prospects and from Florida and Maryland, respectively. Crounse’s father played at Notre Dame, so kudos to teaching his son to make better decisions. He was a three year starter in high school and could work at tackle or guard. Mickow is a huge 6-7 and was a two-year and state champion.