Boston College’s tight end room took a major hit before camp even got rolling, and that changes the entire conversation for 2026.
The biggest blow is Kaelan Chudzinski, who was supposed to be one of the Eagles’ top young playmakers for quarterback Mason McKenzie. Instead, the true freshman breakout is expected to miss the whole season after suffering an Achilles injury.
He led all freshman tight ends in the country last year with 24 catches for 313 yards and four touchdowns, earned spots on the 2025 All-Freshman Team by On3, PFF, and The Athletic, and arrived as a centerpiece of the passing game. Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien said after the first fall camp practice that Chudzinski is hoping to return by the end of the season, but that remains highly unlikely.
Even with Chudzinski out, the Eagles also have to replace Jeremiah Franklin, whose departure leaves a huge chunk of last year’s production gone. Franklin, a transfer who spent two years at FAU before coming to BC, finished 2025 with 49 receptions for 506 yards and two touchdowns, good for second on the team in catches. He also started three games - Clemson, Georgia Tech and Syracuse - and played on special teams in all 12 games.
That means Boston College is staring at a room with almost no proven returning production. Zeke Moore and Brady Clough are the only healthy holdovers who caught passes last season, and they combined for just three receptions and 12 yards.
Moore has value as a blocker and can line up as a fullback in some packages, while Clough is the more natural receiving option and looks like the best bet to inherit part of Franklin’s old role. Still, he has work to do before anyone can label him a reliable pass-catching threat.
The Eagles have been forced to get creative, and one of the more notable moves this summer was shifting Bryce Lewis from defense to offense. Lewis spent last year at defensive end after appearing in only three games as a freshman, but he comes with a tight end background and some real production from high school, where he posted at least 17 catches and 220 yards in each of his last two seasons at Blessed Trinity Catholic in Roswell, Ga. O’Brien said Lewis has adjusted well.
“We moved Bryce [Lewis] over there. Bryce has done a really good job of picking up the system, knowing how to run routes, understanding the run game and the protections. Very smart guy.”
Another name to watch is Danny Edgehille, a redshirt sophomore who did not play last season but should get a bigger opportunity now. Redshirt freshman DJ Johnson is also in the mix. He came to BC as a top-40 recruit in Louisiana and a top-30 tight end nationally, per ESPN, and has the kind of pedigree that makes him hard to ignore.
There’s also Cameron Kossmann, a Florida transfer who played in one game for the Gators in 2025 without recording a catch. He has not yet been seen during training camp, so his exact role is still unclear. Kossmann spent one game on the field last season and kept his redshirt intact.
O’Brien sounded optimistic about the group overall, even with the obvious setback at the top of the depth chart.
“I know losing [Kaelan Chudzinski] was tough,” O’Brien said. “Chud was a productive player and a very good player as a young player.
But he’ll be back. We moved Bryce [Lewis] over there.
Bryce has done a really good job of picking up the system, knowing how to run routes, understanding the run game and the protections. Very smart guy.”
“We have Zeke Moore, who’s a versatile tight end/fullback-type guy who can do a lot of different things. Brady Clough and Danny Edgehille have done a really good job.
They’ve really improved. We feel good about the position.”
The rest of the depth chart is still taking shape, but the names are there. Lewis, Moore, Clough, Edgehille, Johnson and Kossmann give BC bodies to work with, even if the room no longer has the star power it expected a few weeks ago. For a position group that was supposed to be a strength, 2026 now begins with a reshuffle.
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