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By most objective measures, Boston College brought in one of the worst recruiting classes of any BCS AQ program. And even worse than several non-AQs. But recruiting classes are ranked based on star power -- potential -- and not head-to-head results. Searching for some positive takeaways from this National Signing Day, I set out to determine whether Boston College football beat anyone head-to-head on the recruiting trail this year.
Using Rivals database of offers, I looked at two things:
1) Where do guys with Boston College offers end up? Who is beating Boston College on the players they offered?
2) On other schools' offer lists, how many players ended up at BC? Who did BC beat for players? (You know, other than trolling the crap out of the MAC).
This isn't perfect by any means. Offers are temporal in nature. One day a player has them; the next it's gone and the program's leadership has completely turned over.
Let's see how Boston College fared against some other programs:
Victories
Ohio: 0 recruits
Boston College: 4 recruits (Barksdale, Johnson, Kavalec, Walsh)
No, not Ohio State. Ohio University. As far as MAC programs go, Ohio is one of the better ones. WR Drew Barksdale, DB John Johnson and DE Kevin Kavalec all claimed offers to join the Bobcats football program, while Addazio flipped dual-threat QB James Walsh's commitment. The Eagles won the head-to-head with the Bobcats on the recruiting trail by the largest of margins this year.
#MACtion
Rest of the MAC: 3 commits (all from Toledo, John Stepec, Michael Julian, Delando Johnson)
Boston College: 10 commits (Barksdale, Johnson, Kavalec, Milano, Montgomery, Rich, Walsh)
If Spaz and the previous coaching staff accomplished anything on the recruiting trail this past year, they successfully trolled the MAC. BC commits had 10 offers from MAC schools. The only school to recruit away any players with BC offers was Toledo, surprisingly. Ohio DE John Stepec, QB Michael Julian and ATH Delando Johnson all signed with the Rockets, while BC's James Walsh was the only BC commit with a Toledo offer. When you are getting beat on the recruiting trail by Toledo, you know it's bad.
The rest of the MAC includes UMass, where BC went 2-0 in head-to-head recruiting battles with the Minutemen.
Missouri: 0 commits
Boston College: 2 commits (Johnson, Montgomery)
The SEC's Missouri Tigers seem like a strange program for BC to be going head-to-head with for recruits. Still, BC managed to sign two incoming players -- John Johnson and Tevin Montgomery -- with offers to join the Missouri football program. Rivals ranked Missouri's incoming class as just the 39th in the nation, good for last in the SEC.
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BC beat Air Force 2-0, so that's a thing.
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Yeah, that's it for the wins. Ready for the losses?
Epic Beatdowns
Notre Dame: 9 commits (Devin Butler, Rashad Kinlaw, Mike McGlinchey, William Fuller, Tarean Folston, Doug Randolph, Isaac Rochell, John Montelus, Malik Zaire)
Boston College: 0 commits
Not a single recruit chose the Eagles over the Irish, not even Everett product OL John Montelus. Spaz vs. Brian Kelly. I mean, can you blame them?
Michigan: 9 commits
Boston College: 0 commits
Predictable.
Pittsburgh: 9 commits (Shakir Soto, Devon Edwards, Rachid Ibrahim, Alexander Officer, Reginald Green, Scott Orndoff, Dorian Johnson, Tra'von Chapman, Tyler Boyd)
Boston College: 1 commit (Johnson)
The Panthers, which have yet to play a down of football in the ACC, absolutely bludgeoned BC this year. This wasn't close. This is arguably the most damning indictment of the recruiting class Spaz left this program. Look at where the nine Pitt commits with BC offers came from -- PA, OH, MD, NY, NJ, PA, PA, OH, PA. All states where Boston College has traditionally recruited well. The only BC commit with a Pitt offer was Johnson.
The bad news (or good news, depending on how you look at is) is this was Pitt head coach Paul Chryst's first full recruiting class with the Panthers football program. I'm hopeful Addazio can have a similar turnaround in 2014 but this one was one of the truly bad head-to-head beats for Boston College.
Northwestern: 7 commits (Kyle Queiro, Keith Watkins, Sam Coverdale, Matt Harris, Matt Alviti, Eric Joraskie, Godwin Igwebuike)
Boston College: 0 commits
Recruits had the benefit of watching these programs actually go head-to-head the last two seasons. Unfortunately, the results on the field made it easy for players to decide between Northwestern and Boston College. I know NU is on the upswing under head coach Pat Fitzgerald and Spaz mailed it in, but getting beat this bad by a peer-ish program is just embarrassing and flat out unacceptable.
Penn State: 7 commits (Zayd Issah, Brandon Bell, DaeSean Hamilton, Richy Anderson, Garrett Sickels, Adam Breneman, Brendan Mahon)
Boston College: 0 commits
Penn freaking State. 7-0! A touchdown and the extra point kick in the nuts. I'm surprised Penn State had seven scholarships to give? Embarrassing and lazy.
Georgia Tech: 6 commits
Boston College: 0 commits
BC gets beat 6-0 by fellow conference member Georgia Tech, even losing out on 3* kicker Harrison Butker. The Eagles couldn't even land 6-foot-2, 285 pound defensive tackle Darius Commissiong, cousin of now former Boston College defensive line coach Jeff Commissiong. BC got beat by the Jackets in Maryland (x2), Georgia (x2), Ohio and New Jersey.
Virginia: 7 commits
Boston College: 2 commits (Montgomery and Willis)
Another peer program in the conference wiping the floor with BC. Not like BC could have went out and hired Cavaliers coach Mike London once upon a time.
Solid Losses
Rutgers: 6 commits
Boston College: 2 commits (Callinan and Montgomery)
Addazio has got to focus on winning back New Jersey if he hopes to have any sort of success on the Heights. Two problems: Rutgers is moving to the Big Ten in 2014 and, more importantly, the Big Ten is going to be moving into New Jersey. That is most unwelcome news for a program that just lost the head-to-head recruiting with the Big Ten (plus Rutgers and Maryland) 59 to 3.
Vanderbilt: 5 commits
Boston College: 1 commit (Montgomery)
Another solid beating by an up-and-coming peer school.
Duke: 4 commits
Boston College: 1 commit (Johnson)
Yup. Also lost to Duke. Duke, schmuke.
Rest of Conference Fail
Maryland: 7 commits
Clemson: 3 commits
Miami (Florida): 3 commits
North Carolina: 2 commits
N.C. State: 2 commits
Virginia Tech: 2 commits
Florida State: 2 commits
Louisville: 1 commit
Syracuse: 1 commit
Wake Forest: 1 commit
Boston College: 3 commits (Montgomery - Maryland, Montgomery and Willis - Virginia, Willis - Florida State). Four if you count Louie Addazio, I guess. On aggregate: 24-3. Spaz seemed to have forgotten that these are our peer schools; not the MAC.
Conclusion
At some point, say around the end of July, Spaz and staff seemed to just mailed it in. This is what happens when you almost exclusively recruit guys that are going to say yes to the program over the summer -- you lose head-to-head recruiting battles with FBS schools 36-183 on aggregate.
The good news is it can only get better from here.
Hat tip: Sippin' On Purple