After Career Year, RB Travis Levy Returning for 2021 Season
With an established role in Frank Cignetti Jr.’s offense and 10 offensive starters set to return, Boston College running back Travis Levy is staying aboard for the second year of the Jeff Hafley era.
The senior announced his return on Twitter Friday afternoon, thanking the program and Hafley for a fifth year in Chestnut Hill. Because of the NCAA’s COVID-19 blanket waiver, no player used a year of eligibility in 2020. Levy would have had another season of eligibility left regardless of waiver, though.
He’s coming off the best year of his career. Although he didn’t find the end zone, he carried the ball more than he did in his first three seasons at BC combined. His 99 rushing attempts were the 23rd most in the ACC.
The 5-foot-11 back was also a valuable weapon in the passing game. In 10 contests—he missed the Pittsburgh matchup after suffering a shoulder injury against North Carolina—Levy piled up 35 receptions, the third most on the team, for 285 yards. To put that in perspective, during his previous three years on the Heights, he had accumulated a total of 36 catches for 325 yards and a score.
Levy reeled in 17 passes for 178 yards in the last four games of the season, notably turning a screen pass into a 46-yard gain against Louisville and catching seven balls for 70 yards at Virginia.
While Levy experienced an uptick in mileage on the ground and posted the highest Pro Football Focus rushing grade (68.8) of his career, the Olney, Maryland, native wasn’t very efficient. His 3.2 yards per carry ranked 40th among qualifying ACC rushers. But that can’t be all pinned on him.
The rearrangement of the Eagles’ offensive line, the transition to a zone run scheme, and the absence of a complete spring ball and normal training camp are all factors to consider. Still, Levy’s elusive rating—a PFF metric that calculates the impact of a ball carrier independent of the blocking up front—was a mere 41.5 (46th among ACC running backs), and he had only one 20-plus run all year.
That said, Levy turned in his best PFF rushing performances against No. 1 Clemson (74.9) and No. 2 Notre Dame (70.5). And, at times, he alternated carries or drives with David Bailey, demonstrating that he can bruise through the tackles, too, effectively proving that he’s more than just a scatback or return man. That’s practically what he was reduced to in 2019.
He carried the ball 28 times that season and caught a career-low two passes. He did score on a 37-yard run against Louisville, however, most of his junior season yardage came on kickoffs and punts. Levy averaged 22.5 yards per kickoff return and 7.5 yards per punt return.
The previous year, Levy showed promise on the ground. He carried the ball 49 times for 215 yards, averaging 4.4 yards per tote. Additionally, he caught 19 passes for 160 yards. He turned heads at Virginia Tech. After AJ Dillon left with his nagging ankle injury, Levy had his way with the Hokies’ defense. Then a sophomore, he finished with 75 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries as well as three receptions for 28 yards. Those two scores helped BC pull away from Virginia Tech, climb to No. 17 in the AP Poll, and lock up College GameDay for the following week’s matchup against Clemson.
As a freshman, Levy was mostly used as a third-down back. He logged 15 receptions for 153 yards and a score. On the ground, he notched 21 carries yet averaged just 2.6 yards per rush.
He enrolled in January of that year and participated in spring practice ahead of the 2017 season.
Levy was named one of five team captains for the 2020 campaign. Fellow captains Zion Johnson and Ben Petrula already announced their plans to return. Marcus Valdez is expected back as well. Add Levy, and that’s four returning captains for an Eagles team that’s clearly bought into what Hafley’s building.