Hafley Talks Jurkovec Waiver, COVID-19 Protocol After First Day of Camp

When Jeff Hafley heard that the NCAA had granted transfer quarterback Phil Jurkovec his immediate-eligibility waiver on Tuesday, the first-year Boston College head coach knew exactly what he wanted to do. Hafley reached for his phone and gave Jurkovec a call.

Hafley described it as one of those moments that every coach looks forward to—a moment when you can deliver a message that can change the course of a player’s life.

“It’s pretty emotional I think for both of us,” Hafley told reporters on Thursday, per BC Athletics. “There were times where I’m sure he was frustrated, and we were anxiously waiting to see what was going to happen. But it was one of those fun moments, [one of] those fun phone calls.

“He was very, very excited. You can kind of see he’s got a little bit of extra pep in his step. It’s fun to see him this happy and getting ready.”

The seven-month wait is over for Jurkovec, who transferred to BC and enrolled as a full-time student in January. As is the five-month pause from live practice. The Eagles kicked off training camp on Thursday morning, running “real football drills” for the first time since spring ball.

“Today was a great first day for us,” tight end Hunter Long said. “It’s probably the cleanest first day we’ve had since I’ve been here.”

Minutes later, running back David Bailey backed Long’s assessment.

“I can vouch for that,” Bailey said, ever so briefly letting a smile shine through the Zoom call.

Bailey emphasized how Frank Cignetti Jr.’s offense feels fresh, mentioning that other teams don’t have film on this version of the Eagles. Back in February, Cignetti hinted that BC’s offense would incorporate schematic components from all three levels: high school, college, and pro. With Jurkovec eligible, the Eagles have a dual-threat gunslinger in the fold. And, according to BCEagles.com’s practice report, the 6-foot-5 redshirt sophomore made a few plays with his legs during the first day of camp, in addition to connecting with wideout Ethon Williams on a deep out route.

When asked about Jurkovec, Long noted that it’s great to have the Notre Dame transfer in the mix. But the tight end—who led BC with 509 receiving yards last year—didn’t proclaim Jurkovec the starter. Instead, he acknowledged the ongoing quarterback battle.

“Spots are open,” Hafley said. “The guys who go out in camp and perform the best and are the most consistent and do everything that we ask of them—those are guys who are going to win the job. ... So that QB1 [competition] will definitely unfold as we get into camp and we have scrimmages and we play ball.”

Redshirt junior quarterback Dennis Grosel, who replaced an injured Anthony Brown last season and rounded out the year with seven starts under his belt, hit Zay Flowers downfield for a big gainer during Thursday’s practice. Redshirt freshman Daelen Menard showed strides as well, dialing up a sideline pass for Williams.

As far as the other significant BCEagles.com practice notes go, cornerbacks Tate Haynes, Denzel Blackwell, and Bryce Sebastian—who converted from wide receiver in the offseason—recorded pass breakups. Perhaps most notably, however, the starting right guard competition is shaping up to be a contest between redshirt junior Nate Emer and redshirt sophomore Finn Dirstine. Emer appeared in four games in 2018 after redshirting the previous season, and Dirstine is a former four-star recruit from Lawrence Academy who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 312 pounds (17 more than Emer).

Right guard is the only position in question on the Eagles’ offensive line. BC returns its other four starters up front, all of whom received All-ACC honors last season.

All in all, the Eagles are bringing back 14 starters: five on offense and nine on the defensive side of the ball. Albeit more experienced than last year, BC didn’t have the luxury of a full spring, or a normal offseason for that matter. Hafley said that since players returned to campus in late June, he and his staff have been working to get them back into game shape.

At first, it was a lot of strength and conditioning. Slowly but surely, the staff was allowed more and more time with the players, and the team began walkthroughs and extended meetings. Hafley was well aware that players were rusty in the weight room and out of peak running shape because of the pandemic. The last thing he wanted to do was rush them back into football.

“We gradually built this where we want to make sure that it’s not just the health of [the players] fighting the virus,” Hafley said. “We want to make sure our players are physically healthy.”

The same applies for training camp. Hafley pointed out that, over the course of the next few weeks, BC will adopt more of an NFL OTA-like approach to these summer practices. Rather than going hard every day, Hafley plans on alternating intense and slow practices before evaluating his team’s status on its off day.

That's only part of the equation, though. Around the clock, the staff and players have to be thinking about the COVID-19 protocol. Hafley made it clear that every time he enters the building, he has to consider what rooms they can use for team and position group meetings, not to mention the simple things like who’s able to be in the locker room at the same time, all while appropriately social distancing. He maintained that everything has to be incredibly organized.

The hard work has paid off so far. Last week, the program tested 154 players and staff for COVID-19, and every single one of them came back negative. At the beginning of July, only one player produced a positive result, of the 93 tested.

Linebacker Max Richardson—who decided to come back to the Heights for one final season rather than declare for the 2020 NFL Draft—discussed how the adjustment to on-campus workouts was difficult, largely because everyone had varying levels of access to equipment and training during quarantine. Yet, as chaotic as the past six weeks have been, Richardson and the rest of the team have taken pride in their efforts to steer clear of the coronavirus.

“I think it goes to show how good of teammates we have, how good of coaches we have, Richardson said. “We’re just happy that everybody was able to stay strong and remain in the “BC bubble”—[that’s] what we’re calling it.”

Richardson, a Duluth, Ga. native, knows quite a few players on Georgia Tech and Duke’s football teams, so when he saw the ACC’s revised schedule, he was pretty excited. Hafley said it was good for the whole program to see a date in writing for the COVID-19 adjusted schedule.

In a way, it’s a bit of a validation for what the players and coaches have been working through.

“This team right now, I’m so appreciative and so thankful for what they’ve done and what they’ve sacrificed,” Hafley said. “It says so much about them. And without the support from the doctors and the great protocol that we have, we wouldn’t be in this position right now. I know it could change, I get it, but ... I’m grateful for the buy in, it’s been awesome.”