Boston College Football Recruiting: WR Gabe McClary Commits To Boston College

As the Eagles coaching staff really started to hit its stride on the recruiting trail, many wondered when Boston College would start to dip into the Sunshine State given Addazio's ties to the state. After receiving commitments from 17 players spread across Massachusetts, the Northeast and Midwest, BC finally got on the board in Florida with a pair of verbal commitments on the same day.

Minutes after receiving word that linebacker Ty Schwab had committed to the Eagles, Winter Park (Florida) WR Gabriel McClary followed suit. According to the Orlando Sentinel's Chris Hayes, McClary was so enamored with the program that it didn't take long for the receiver to make a decision following a visit to the Heights.

"That's what my dad said, that I had the biggest grin on my face and that I haven't stopped smiling since Friday morning," said the young McClary on Sunday night. He said he could hardly contain his B.C. enthusiasm even though he was still visiting Harvard, Yale and Columbia during the northeast swing. "My dad said I haven't stopped smiling since Friday morning."

[snip]

"It was like Christmas for him," said his father, Thomas McClary. "It's just so nice to see that he's so comfortable with it and there is a two-way love affair. I'm glad he found something that felt really good to him and now he can enjoy his senior year."

McClary actually verbally committed to BC on Friday, but kept the news secret until he could tell his teammates. The 6-foot-3, 180 pound wide receiver verbally commits to the Eagles over claimed offers from 9 other programs, including Arizona, Cincinnati, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina and South Florida. The Winter Park wide receiver is a three-star recruit per both Rivals and 247Sports.

Last season, McClary caught 23 passes for 480 yards and two touchdowns as a junior. Over his sophomore and junior campaigns, he has 53 catches for 844 yards and five TDs for Winter Park.

Strong academics was a main factor in McClary's commitment. In addition to BC, McClary had swung by Harvard, Yale and Columbia on his Northeast visit. And possibly the greatest factoid for a Boston College football recruiting ever: Gabe's father, Thomas, is the lead guitarist and co-founder of the band The Commodores.

Forget building a fence around Mass. Addazio and crew are building a Brick House.

McClary is the third wide receiver commit in the 2014 class, joining Natick's Troy Flutie and Springfield, PA's Thaddius Smith. The month of June isn't even out yet and the program's 19 verbal commitments is tied with Texas, Baylor and N.C. State for the largest class in the nation.

Welcome to the Heights, Gabe!