Eric Hoffses' Football Notebook: Coaching Changes To Come? And Thoughts On Marcus Outlow's Transfer

Staying or Going?

There has been a lot of speculation about possible coaching changes on the offensive side of the ball for BC - and why wouldn't there be? The Eagles averaged a point less per game and 25 yards less per game than the lowest point of the Gary Tranquill era which was seemingly the lowest point for the BC offense in recent history. Surprisingly there has been little talk about BC's ability to retain defensive coordinator Don Brown.

Unlike head coaches, assistant coaches and coordinators are typically not signed to multi-year contracts like head coaches except at the big-time programs. That means Brown technically is a free agent and will certainly receive plenty of interest from other schools after navigating the BC defense to the #1 spot in least yards allowed per game. I've heard from multiple sources though that Brown's preference would be to stay at BC so that he doesn't have to move away from his family who are all in Massachusetts. That means Brown isn't expected to leave even if another school gives him a moderate raise. However, if someone comes in and offers to double Brown's salary I'm told that would have to be something he'd consider.

Now let's get back to the offense. At a minimum some coaches on the offensive side of the ball will change roles and there could even be a major move to bring in a new coach. Make no mistake about it though; the staff will not remain unchanged going into next season though.

Transfers

It was a crazy Monday for BC fans as Marcus Outlow, Sherman Alston and Jordan Gowins all received permission to transfer. Alston and Gowins weren't totally surprising as both players had shaky seasons turning the ball over which led to time on the bench. Nowadays in college sports players tend to look for a change of scenery after that string of events so it's pretty tough to kill the staff for those two situations.

The transfer of Outlow was strange on a few levels. Immediately after the transfer was announced rumors begin to come out that Outlow wasn't one of the players "buying in" to what Addazio was doing and was the type of player that Addazio mentioned in the Syracuse postgame that they had to "weed out". When you look at the situation more closely though it doesn't make a ton of sense. Since committing to BC, Outlow has been actively recruiting other players to join him as recently as in the middle of this season. It's not like he has been someone with a chip on his shoulder that hasn't fit in since he came to BC.

Perhaps it was Outlow's playing time or lack thereof that caused him to get frustrated and transfer? Let's look at the facts. After playing in only one of the first three games in 2014 Outlow appeared in all ten of the remaining games and caught a pass in each of those games except one. This year Outlow caught only 4 passes the entire year and was barely targeted more than that. What's even more head scratching is Outlow had 6 less carries this year compared to last even with all of BC's injury issues this year. Outlow only received 10 or more carries in two games this year despite being BC's running back with the best juking ability and ability to make a defender miss.

It will remain a mystery how BC failed to get Outlow involved in the passing game and failed to get him the ball in open space where he could make defenders miss. Back in summer camp Outlow was the star of the first scrimmage when he ripped off a 54-yard run and had 2 receptions for 30 yards. How did that not translate into playing time once the season started? If you were Outlow you couldn't help but think that if you weren't a featured back this year then you probably never will be at BC.

By the way, these won't be the last of the transfers. I fully expect a wide receiver to be leaving the program soon; it's just a matter of when the announcement is made.