Hafley Says He’s ‘Not Leaving’ BC

Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley reaffirmed his confidence in the program Sunday when he was asked about his name being floated in coaching searches.

“I didn’t come here to just be here for a short period of time and leave,” the second-year Eagles head coach said. “I believe in Boston College, and I believe if we build it the right way, in time, I think we can win here consistently.”

He continued: “I knew it would be hard when I got here. And there’s certain things, obviously, I need to do better. But I do not plan on leaving. I plan on being here for a long time. I plan on building it the right way with great people. I plan on developing players. And I plan on winning here.”

Hafley was part of the end-of-season rumor mill. Most notably, he was reportedly a top candidate for the Washington head coaching job.

The former Ohio State co-defensive coordinator and seven-year NFL assistant is 12-11 in two years with BC. He led the Eagles to a 6-5 record in 2020 while helping set the standard for COVID-19 prevention in college football. This year, however, BC finished below .500 in ACC play for the first time since 2016 and failed to snap its now-23-game losing streak to opponents ranked in the AP Top 25.

The Eagles were ravaged by injuries this season, something Hafley admitted Sunday he wasn’t mentally prepared before. Most recently, they’ve been dealing with a flu outbreak that affected 32 players, including starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec, who missed six games this year with a season-threatening fracture to his throwing hand.

BC awaits its bowl destination as Hafley and his staff turn their attention to recruiting in the interim.

And they’ll do so with Hafley’s pledge to the program.