DePalma Excited For One Last Ride
The 2023 season will be the 125th for Boston College football and Vinny DePalma has been a part of all of them.
Ok, so maybe not THAT many, but the elder statesmen of the team is back for his sixth and final season (for real this time). Following one of the first training camp sessions earlier in the week, DePalma talked about why he decided to come back instead of heading out into the business world.
"Last year wasn't ideal for anyone," he said. "I felt...I still had a year of eligibility left because of Covid and I lost a year when I got hurt. BC has been so special to me, to my family, my teammates...I didn't want to leave time on the table. I just felt like I was healthy, I still love the game. I'm still passionate about playing, passionate about being in the locker room. To me, that was...you take a week, you take two weeks to kind of settle down after a tough season, but then you're like, I wasn't ready to give it up. I've talked to coaches I've had in the past, guys that have been mentors to me and they're like 'play as long as you can,' because there's nothing like it."
While DePalma serves as another coach on the field, having a. veteran like Paul Rhoads come in to help out has already been huge for that group and DePalma just in terms of added leadership. It'll also help take some of that "coaching" burden off of him when it comes to helping out the younger guys too.
"He's been awesome," said DaPalma. "He brings a ton of experience. He has a great demeanor. He's a great leader. He brings a ton of energy to the room. We've had a lot of the same staff here, but even just one new guy who's had so much experience as a head coach and a D-coordinator, just little coaching points and little details in meetings can kind of freshen things up a little bit. He's been tremendous."
On the flip side, all of the attention (rightfully so) early in the year will be on the offensive line. DePalma talked about what he's seen from that group already while going against them and why things should be different.
"Speaking to the leadership in that room, the new additions, tremendous leadership from Christian Mahogany. Kyle Hergel new addition, he's been awesome. Logan coming from Virginia has been awesome. I think, those guys (the line) coming in with a chip on their shoulder, they had tremendous motivation this offseason. You can see it. They came in to work every day. They're pushing each other. They're pushing the team and even in spring ball, you could see those guys coming together. The camaraderie. How they are in the locker room and meetings. I think a lot of it is a confidence thing and they're ready to go."
DePalma believes that despite all the questions surrounding this team following last year's debacle, the 2023 season could be a special one. So, what exactly would make Vinny's final season a success in his eyes?
"Win a lot of games. We want to contend for an ACC title," he added. "That's always been the goal here since I've been here and I think this is our best shot to do it. Anything that looks like that would certainly mean we were successful."