Midseason Awards for the 2020 Eagles
ESPN college football writer Andrea Adelson revealed Monday morning on ACC Network’s “Packer and Durham” that her pick for midseason ACC Coach of the Year is Jeff Hafley.
“I did not have Boston College 4-2 at this point of the season,” Adelson admitted.
Even BC fans probably didn’t see it coming. The Eagles have exceeded expectations through their first six games under Hafley, jumping 84 spots in total defense from last season and transitioning from a run-first offense to averaging the third-most passing yards in the ACC.
Somehow we’re already at the midpoint of an ACC season that almost never happened. Now’s a good time to look at how the Eagles got here—and, more specifically, which players have led the way.
Without further ado, here are Eagle Action’s midseason awards for the 2020 Eagles.
Rookie of the Year: LG Christian Mahogany
Unlike 2019, when Zay Flowers racked up 395 yards from scrimmage in his first six career games, there isn’t an obvious winner for this award—at least at this point of the year. But Christian Mahogany has played the biggest role of BC’s freshmen. After redshirting last season, the 6-foot-3, New Jersey native earned a starting spot on the Eagles’ vaunted O-Line. He was the only newcomer up front and was moved to left guard amid the group’s rearrangement. Mahogany, and the entire O-Line, hasn’t always been in sync this year, but he’s graded out as one of the Eagles’ top-two O-Linemen in half of BC’s games, according to Pro Football Focus.
Most Improved Player of the Year: CB Josh DeBerry
It’s only fitting that the most improved player comes from the team’s most improved position group. Josh DeBerry is part of an Eagles secondary that ranks 36th in the country in pass defense, one year removed from giving up the ninth-most yards through the air in the FBS. DeBerry, who started two games at corner last year as a true freshman, shot out of the gates this fall, recording an average PFF grade of 82.3 through two games, at which point he ranked third nationally among all FBS cornerbacks in single coverage, per PFF. So far this season, he’s created two takeaways inside opponents’ 20-yard line, tallied the fifth-most solo tackles on the team, and deflected three passes, including one that set up a 71-yard Mike Palmer interception return against Texas State.
Comeback Player of the Year: LB Isaiah McDuffie
Isaiah McDuffie missed all but four games of last season while recovering from offseason knee surgery. His brief return was a tease for Eagles fans. The redshirt junior, nicknamed “bloodhound,” has come back full force in 2020. The hard-hitting linebacker has registered 59 total tackles this fall. To put that in perspective, only one other player in the nation has more (Louisiana Tech’s Tyler Grubbs), and, if BC was playing a normal 12-game season, McDuffie would be on track to log the most total tackles by an Eagle since Nick Clancy in 2012. He has teamed up with Max Richardson to form one of the more menacing linebacker tandems in the country, and he’s got plenty to show for it, including three sacks, 5.5 TFLs, and even a pick.
Offensive Player of the Year: TE Hunter Long
Flowers definitely has a case here, and he could leapfrog Hunter Long for this spot by the season’s end. Right now, however, this award goes to Long, who leads all tight ends nationally with 38 receptions and 455 receiving yards. Before this year, he had never had more than four catches in a game. Long opened the 2020 campaign with six or more receptions in four consecutive outings, including back-to-back games with nine catches. The redshirt junior is Phil Jurkovec’s security blanket. Long can line up outside, spot up in the middle of the field, and do the dirty work in the trenches—put simply, he’s an NFL tight end.
Defensive Player of the Year: DE Marcus Valdez
Just like OPOY, this award could go to a couple of players. Richardson, who ranks third nationally in total tackles and is the heart and soul of BC’s defense, immediately comes to mind. Brandon Sebastian, tied third among all FBS players in pass break-ups, is up there, too. It’s close, but this honor goes to Marcus Valdez. The redshirt junior defensive end has been the spark plug of a resurgent Eagles’ D-Line, a unit that logged the second-fewest sacks of any ACC team in 2019. Valdez cut seven pounds this offseason and increased his speed off the line. It’s been evident since the opener at Duke. Valdez has notched two sacks, 4.5 TFLs, 26 total tackles—11 more than any other BC defensive lineman—and recovered two fumbles.
MVP: QB Phil Jurkovec
There’s no arguing this one. Jurkovec is on pace to throw for 3,064 yards and 22 touchdowns—the fifth-most in single-season program history—in an 11-game regular season. Last week, he also showed off what he can do with his legs, rushing for 94 yards, the ninth-most by a BC quarterback in the ACC era. He hadn’t started a game in his college career before this season. Now, through six weeks, he’s already got four 300-yard games under his belt, in addition to a pair of game-winning drives. And he’s well on his way to becoming the first BC gunslinger since 2013 to finish a season with a completion percentage above 60%. Although still inexperienced, the Notre Dame transfer has proven the ability to extend plays, make every kind of throw, and thrive under pressure.