Boston College’s wide receiver room is heading into 2026 with plenty of questions, but Reed Swanson has already made a strong case that he can be part of the answer.
The Colgate transfer lands at No. 19 in Boston College Eagles On SI’s top 20 player rankings, and he arrives with the kind of profile that turns heads fast: a 6-foot-6 receiver with enough length, athleticism, and raw talent to make life miserable for defensive backs. For BC fans, the name alone may ring a bell. Another Reed, another massive target, another player who can change the shape of a passing game.
Swanson, a redshirt junior, chose to move up to a higher level after a breakout season with the Raiders. He caught 57 passes for 939 yards and eight touchdowns last year, averaging 16.5 yards per catch and earning All-Patriot League Second-Team honors. Over three seasons and 23 games at Colgate, he totaled 78 receptions for 1,171 yards and 12 touchdowns, but it was that most recent stretch that really put him on the map.
The jump from the Patriot League to the ACC is no small thing, of course. Still, Swanson’s spring work against Boston College’s defensive backs offered an encouraging preview.
He wasn’t just surviving out there. He was winning.
In the deep game and in the red zone, especially against man coverage, he showed an ability to go get contested balls and make himself a problem on 50-50 throws.
That matters for a BC offense that has real production to replace. The Eagles are looking to rebuild a receiver group that lost Lewis Bond, who was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, Harris, who transferred to Arizona State and was considered a consensus top-10 player in the portal, and tight end Jeremiah Franklin. Together, that trio accounted for 176 catches, 2,172 yards, and eight touchdowns.
Swanson isn’t being asked to carry all of that load by himself, but he does look like someone who can help right away. The tools are there, and the fit seems obvious: get him involved downfield, use his size in the red zone, and let him become part of the deep passing plan.
Bill O’Brien’s spring usage suggests that’s already in motion. What Swanson’s role looks like once fall camp opens will tell the rest of the story, but the early signs are hard to miss.
Swanson was born in New York City and attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn before moving on to Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Penn., and then Colgate. Now he’s one of the more intriguing newcomers in Boston College’s third year under O’Brien, and a player who could matter quickly if the spring was any indication.