Boston College will have to move forward without one of its most promising young targets. Sophomore tight end Kaelan Chudzinski is expected to miss the entire 2026 season after injuring his Achilles in spring practice, head coach Bill O’Brien said Thursday during a Zoom session at 2026 ACC Kickoff.
O’Brien didn’t completely close the door on Chudzinski’s own optimism, but he made clear the outlook is bleak. “Yeah, tough deal,” O’Brien said.
“He hurt his Achilles in spring practices, and he’s doing really well. He’s doing well with his rehab.
If you asked him, he’d tell you he’s coming back this season. But chances are that probably isn’t the case.
He’ll be back with us in January, but he’s around the team. [Chudzinski’s] a great guy and an excellent player, and yeah, no, it’s somebody that, it’s hard to replace that production, right?”
Chudzinski’s absence is a major blow because he was set for a bigger role in Boston College’s offense this year, especially with O’Brien handling the play-calling. The sophomore had earned plenty of recognition after last season, when he was named to the 2025 All-Freshman Team by On3, PFF and The Athletic, and also earned Freshman All-American honors.
Last season, the St. Sebastian’s School product from Needham, Mass., appeared in all 12 games and made two starts at tight end.
He finished with 24 catches for 313 yards and four touchdowns. He is also the son of senior offensive analyst Rob Chudzinski, a former NFL head coach.
With Chudzinski sidelined, Boston College has already started reshuffling the depth chart. O’Brien said redshirt freshman Bryce Lewis has been moved from the defensive line to tight end.
“We moved Bryce Lewis over to tight end, and he’s had a really good offseason,” O’Brien said. “[We’re] pretty excited about having Bryce there, along with Zeke Moore, Brady Clough, and Danny Edgehille. Bryce is a 6-foot-7 athletic guy that can run, got good hands, played tight end in high school, so we moved him over and he’s had a good summer.”
Among the players O’Brien mentioned as options to help cover for Chudzinski, only Moore and Clough recorded catches last season, and they combined for just three receptions and 12 yards.
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