Boston College is halfway through camp for the 2026 season, and the picture is getting clearer by the day. Bill O’Brien still has pieces of the install to clean up - the mistakes, parts of the passing game and a few other details are still a work in progress - but the team is starting to mesh. The puzzle is coming together.
The biggest storyline, as always, is quarterback. Mason McKenzie arrived at camp with 15-20 pounds of added muscle, and it shows.
That extra size matters for him if he’s going to handle the ACC grind and avoid the quarterback carousel that has followed BC for much of the past decade. On the field, he has looked solid.
His arm has been impressive enough, his decisions have been mostly clean, and he hasn’t been giving away many bad throws. He still needs to know when a play is dead so he doesn’t put himself in harm’s way trying to extend it, but the overall feel has been encouraging.
He’s not about to start tossing 400 yards a game, but he is getting the ball to his receivers and showing a decent command of the offense. He has more aura than the previous quarterbacks, and there’s room for a lot more.
The ground game has been a clear bright spot. Liberty transfer Evan Dickens, who was recently named to the Doak Walker Award list, looks ready to be exactly the back O’Brien wanted.
Nolan Ray has stacked together several good practices, giving BC a strong one-two punch. Bo MacCormack looks transformed, built more for the demands of college football, and Mekhi Dodd has flashed with a few solid runs too.
The offensive line has done its job as well, opening lanes and helping the run game stay steady.
At receiver, the group looks versatile and deep. Jaedn Skeete and Javarius Green have been the most dependable early on.
Skeete has delivered the highlight-reel grabs, while Green has shown electric speed after the catch. O’Brien has said he has six or seven receivers he can trust in games, and that kind of depth can create matchup problems while also helping cover for questions at tight end.
Dawson Pough and Reed Swanson are two names worth watching as camp continues.
That tight end room, though, still feels like the area that needs the most convincing. O’Brien sounds upbeat about it, but the loss of Kaelan Chudzinski was a major hit.
Bryce Lewis has been getting a heavy workload as he adjusts to the position again with his rebuilt college physique, but there hasn’t been a ton there yet. Zeke Moore and Brady Clough have been the steadiest options, though both are on the smaller side.
Cameron Kossman hasn’t shown much so far, while DJ Johnson turned in a good scrimmage last weekend. It’s still a group that leaves some questions hanging.
Defensively, the mood is much better. The EDGE rushers, in particular, look like they could be the most improved position on the roster.
That’s saying something, because a lot of the defense struggled last year, but Kris Jones and Onye Nwosisi have carried over their spring momentum and look poised to be a dangerous tandem. The vibes, as they say, are immaculate.
Inside, Micah Amedee, Chris Marable and KJ Sampson have been the main names working up the middle, with Christian Hudson expected to factor in as well. There’s talent and some playmaking there, even if it’s still fair to wonder how explosive that unit can be.
The secondary appears to be in much better shape too. That was supposed to be the case last year as well, but injuries wrecked the plan when the two starting corners went down, the third-string corner broke his arm and KP Price wound up at linebacker at times.
This camp has been more settled. Syair Torrence, Marcus Upton and Price have all stood out, and Ashton Cunningham and Tucker have also looked solid.
The consistency there matters.
Special teams has been one of the more striking developments. Just two years ago, BC fans wanted Matt Thurin gone, and now the whole unit has been turned around. Andy Quinn and Bryce LaFollette are locked in a real battle in camp, Luca Lombardo looks ready to build on last season, and TJ Green is a name to remember because of the burst he has shown on returns.
Access has been more limited this year, but there has still been enough to get a real sense of where things stand. The overall read is pretty clear: Boston College looks like it’s moving in the right direction.
The staff has also planned with injuries in mind after what happened before last season, and the smaller number of missing players in practice backs that up. How far this team can go remains to be seen, but midway through camp, O’Brien has the Eagles trending the right way.
In Other News...
Boston College Freshmen Are Making Fall Camp Hard To Ignore
Fall camp is often where college teams find out which newcomers can handle the speed, contact and repetition that come with real practice, and Boston College has several freshmen and underclassmen making that evaluation a lot more interesting. Quarterback Babalola has been part of that conversation, while wide receiver Biggins, linebacker Klein, defensive lineman Fitzgerald and defensive back Rodriguez have all drawn attention for the way theyve handled the early work and the physical tools that stand out at their positions.
What makes the group worth watching is not just that they have shown up on the practice field, but that they are already pushing toward bigger roles before the season has even settled in. Coaches have liked the progress enough to keep them in the mix, and the next stretch of camp will help determine whether those early impressions translate into real movement on the depth chart, or simply serve as a promising start to their careers in Chestnut Hill. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Tight Ends Suddenly Face A Problem Bill OBrien Must Solve
Boston Colleges tight end room took a hit this offseason when Kaelan Chudzinski, one of the more promising returning pieces at the position, went down with an Achilles injury. Bill OBrien confirmed the setback and the Eagles now have to navigate a thinner depth chart after also losing Jeremiah Franklin to graduation, leaving a noticeable gap in returning production at a spot that had been shaping up as a useful part of the offense.
OBrien has already started looking for answers, and one of them involves reshuffling the roster to help cover the loss. The challenge now is less about replacing one player than reworking the position group well enough to keep the offense balanced heading into 2026, with Boston College suddenly needing more help at tight end than it expected just a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]