End-of-Season Awards for the 2020 Eagles

A lot happened in the first year of the Jeff Hafley era.

After one of its worst seasons in program history, the Eagles’ defense took a significant step in the right direction, rising from 125th to 70th in total defense (416.8 yards per game allowed) and 101st to 60th in scoring defense (28.4 points per game allowed). BC’s special teams skyrocketed from 114th to 21st in SP+. And, most noticeably, the Eagles overhauled their offensive scheme, thanks to new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr.

Gone are the days of predictable, 12-personnel-based smash mouth football. Eagles fans welcomed a dynamic aerial attack that saw five different BC players catch 28-plus passes (Kobay White led the team in 2019 with 29 grabs).

While exciting on the field and inspiring off it, the new-look Eagles were far from perfect. BC still struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks. The Eagles weren’t nearly as effective on the ground. And even though they proved much more competitive against ranked opponents, they couldn’t close the deal on potential program-defining upsets.

Still, calling Hafley’s first season at the helm a success would be an understatement, especially considering it all took place during a pandemic, equipped with a 10-game conference schedule. Of course, Hafley couldn’t have done it without BC’s playmakers.

With the regular season now in the past, it’s time to recognize some of them.

Rookie of the Year: LG Christian Mahogany

The 2020 Eagles didn’t have a breakout true freshman on offense, like a Zay Flowers or an AJ Dillon. That said, BC did find itself a left guard for the future in redshirt freshman Christian Mahogany. In training camp, the 6-foot-3, 316-pounder beat out Nate Emer to fill the lone hole in the Eagles’ vaunted offensive line, and he proceeded to start all 11 games. Left guard used to be the home of Zion Johnson, who was one of three All-ACC O-Linemen to move positions up front this summer. The shakeup in the trenches took a while to sort out amid BC’s offensive scheme change. Eventually, though, the Eagles’ O-Line restored its chemistry—BC allowed zero sacks and rushed for 180-plus yards in three of its final six games. And Mahogany frequently made the top-10 of the Eagles’ Pro Football Focus weekly grade sheet.

Most Improved Player of the Year: WR CJ Lewis

CJ Lewis, a former dual-threat quarterback at Cheshire Academy, had a case of the drops during his first few years on the Heights. Not this season. The redshirt junior wideout caught practically everything thrown his way. Lewis’ juggling grab in the back corner of the end zone against then-No. 1 Clemson—which gave BC an 18-point first-half lead—and his one-handed snag against Louisville in the Eagles’ home finale were two of the most memorable moments of the team’s 2020 campaign. The big-bodied wide receiver finished with the third-most receiving yards (460) and receiving touchdowns (five) of any Eagle this season.

Most Underrated Player: Grad Transfer D-Linemen

Okay, I cheated here. But without the addition of grad transfers Max Roberts (Maine), Luc Bequette (California), and Chibueze Onwuka (Buffalo), this Eagles defense wouldn’t have made the same jump that it did in 2020. What’s remarkable is that Bequette—looking to finish his college career elsewhere after the Pac-12 initially canceled fall sports on Aug. 11—was officially brought on a couple weeks before the Eagles’ season opener, and Roberts’ roster announcement came about an hour prior to BC’s Sept. 26 game against Texas State.

The three D-Linemen combined for 59 total tackles, 11.5 TFLs, and seven sacks. Although Roberts was the only non-starter of the trio, he wreaked the most havoc in the backfield. In fact, the 6-foot-1 Delaware, Ohio, native led the team with 4.5 sacks and was third with six TFLs. Bequette and Onwuka were a big reason why the Eagles ranked eighth in the ACC (and 73rd nationally) against the run—a significant improvement from BC’s 2019 rush defense, which clocked out 100th among all FBS teams. Both also forced a pair of fumbles this season.

Comeback Player of the Year: LB Isaiah McDuffie

Offseason knee surgery cost Isaiah McDuffie all but four games of the 2019 season. It was a disappointing turn of events for a linebacker who had finished the previous year with the second-most total tackles on the team (85). He shattered that mark this fall, despite playing one fewer game. McDuffie, nicknamed the “bloodhound,” racked up a team-high 107 total tackles—the third most in the country—including 53 solos and three sacks. He tallied 10-plus tackles in seven games, at one point stringing together four consecutive outings where he reached double-digits. McDuffie also set a career high with 16 against then-No. 2 Notre Dame.

Offensive Player of the Year: WR Zay Flowers

Flowers was underutilized as a true freshman, particularly in the back half of the 2019 season. Cignetti made it a priority to get the sophomore wideout touches, and it paid dividends. Flowers put up numbers that BC fans haven’t seen since Alex Amidon stitched together back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2012 and 2013. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native reeled in 56 passes for 892 yards and nine scores, the second-most receiving touchdowns in single-season BC history. He also became the first Eagle to ever win ACC Wide Receiver of the Week twice in one year. Flowers was balletic in space and often blew the top off defenses. He has the fourth-most 40-plus yard receptions (seven) of any FBS player this season and two more than anyone else in the ACC. Hunter Long made a run at this award, but Flowers got the nod because of his consistent production down the stretch.

Defensive Player of the Year: LB Max Richardson

Similar to McDuffie, Max Richardson was a tackle machine this year. Richardson registered 95 or more tackles for the second straight season. As was the case with the rest of the Eagles’ linebacking corps in 2020, the fifth-year captain had his fair share of lapses in coverage and struggled to wrap up quarterbacks in space. Still, he had the ability to take over games. His performance at Syracuse, where he had nine solo tackles and two sacks, comes to mind. Above all else, though, Richardson was the heart and soul of not only the Eagles’ defense but the entire team. He was at the center of program-wide discussions about social justice issues, and he was hand-picked to deliver the news to his teammates about BC opting out of bowl season.

Specialist of the Year: K Aaron Boumerhi

In Aaron Boumerhi’s first game back from the second right hip surgery of his career, he drilled a 36-yard game-winner against Texas State. It was a sign of good things to come for the former Temple walk-on, who converted 16-of-20 field goal attempts this season. Boumerhi was just one of two ACC kickers this year with at least 14 makes and a field goal percentage at or above 80%. He’s also the first BC kicker to convert more than 12 field goals in a season since Nate Freese went 20-of-20 in 2013. Place kicker is a position that’s haunted the Eagles in recent years. Not in 2020. Boumerhi was near automatic inside 50.

MVP: QB Phil Jurkovec

This is a no-brainer. After sitting behind Ian Book in South Bend for two years, Phil Jurkovec transferred from Notre Dame and seized the starting job at BC. He made the most of the opportunity, accounting for 72.6% of the Eagles’ offense in his 10 starts. Jurkovec operated Cignetti’s motion-based, pro-style offense week in and week out, often extending plays with his legs and delivering downfield throws on the money. The 6-foot-5 gunslinger became the first BC starting quarterback to complete at least 60% of his passes in a season since 2013. And before the Eagles achieved more balance, he carried the offense, turning in four 300-yard games in his first five starts. To put that in perspective, only one Eagles QB had thrown for 300-plus yards in a game—Anthony Brown against Wake Forest in 2018—the previous seven years. As it stands now, Jurkovec has the fourth-most passing yards (2,558) in the ACC this season.