Boston College’s offensive line is still a work in progress, and Bill O’Brien isn’t pretending otherwise.
After the 17th practice of the Eagles’ 2026 fall camp in Chestnut Hill, O’Brien said the unit remains in a real battle for jobs, especially on the outside. The one thing that has stood out most is the amount of competition across the line, and that has been especially true at tackle.
“Yeah, I think there’s a lot of competition there,” said O’Brien. “I think there’s competition at the tackle spot.”
That kind of open fight in the trenches is not something Boston College has had to deal with all that often in recent years. The Eagles have usually leaned on continuity up front, with the offensive line settling in rather than shuffling around.
This time, though, the picture is different. The only clear returning starter coming into the season is center Michael Crounse, so the staff has had to sort through returners and transfers to figure out who belongs where.
Inside, things appear a little more settled. O’Brien was straightforward about Crounse’s role, and he also pointed to Judah Pruitt and Rob Smith IV as players who have made a strong impression.
“Michael Crounse is a center, that’s what he plays,” O’Brien said. “But you look at Judah Pruitt and Rob Smith [IV], [we] feel pretty good about the inside guys. Those guys have played really well.”
Neither Pruitt nor Smith comes with a long starting résumé, but both have been part of the mix. Smith played in eight games and made five starts at both left and right guard last season, while Pruitt’s work had largely come on field-goal and PAT protection teams.
The most unsettled spot is at tackle, where Boston College is sorting through several options to replace Jude Bowry, a Buffalo Bills’ third-round pick, and Logan Taylor, a Los Angeles Chargers’ sixth-rounder.
“The tackle spot, we feel really good about it, but it’s a competition, right?” O’Brien said.
“You’ve got Trevon [Humphrey], you’ve got Pape [Abdoulaye Sy], you’ve got [Veguer Jean-Jumeau], you’ve got Kristian [Phillips], and that’s a good problem to have. So we feel good about where we’re at.”
Phillips, who transferred in from Michigan State, stands out as the most flexible piece in that group because he can line up at either tackle or guard.
Even with different combinations showing up from practice to practice, O’Brien said the staff has tried to keep each day’s group intact for the full period. The idea is to let the same five linemen work together long enough to build communication and timing without turning every rep into a new experiment.
“We try to play the same five by day,” O’Brien said. “So today we’re [played] this five together.
Tomorrow we’ll play this five together. So they’ve all played together and they understand each other’s communication and all the different things that go into playing next to each other.
But I think that they’ve really gotten better.”
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Boston College Camp Is Starting To Reveal One Big Cincinnati Concern
Boston Colleges seventeenth camp session gave Bill OBrien another look at how far the Eagles have come before the opener against Cincinnati, and there was plenty to sort through on both sides of the ball. Practice featured defensive interceptions and offensive touchdowns, while OBrien, Brady Clough and Ashton Cunningham all spent time talking through the teams progress as camp keeps tightening the focus toward game week.
Special teams work was part of the days agenda as the Eagles continued building toward their first real test. OBrien said all three quarterbacks have improved, but he also made clear there is still a lot of work left before Cincinnati, which is the kind of reminder that usually hangs over a camp this deep in August. [Read more 🡒]