Happy spring ball eve, Eagles fans.
BC will take the field for its first spring practice at 9:20 on Friday morning. With spring break coming, it’ll be the only time the Eagles practice “officially” until March 14, but after a roller coaster ride of an offseason, the attention can finally turn to the game on the field.
Head coach Jeff Hafley and a few players will be speaking post practice tomorrow, so we’ll get a feel of where Hafley’s mind is at when it comes to the decisions with the coaching staff. It’ll also be interesting to hear what players think of the moves and the early doom-and-gloom prognostications from both fans and media alike.
While we won’t get much on Friday (or any practice really, media has just the first 20 minutes to watch or film and that’s it throughout the season), but there’s a few things to follow between now and April 15:
1. Can Emmett Morehead lead a program?
He’s certainly going to have every opportunity to be the man. Perhaps the biggest benefactor to the rough season in 2022 was the fact that Morehead saw a ton of action and was still able to be productive despite the patchwork offensive line. Morehead finished with 1,254 yards in 10 games last year with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. Morehead also completed 60% of his passes, but the most intriguing thing about him being the QB of the future was his demeanor and tone off the field. Particularly after the NC State upset on the road, Morehead was extremely thoughtful and honest with his answers, something he did whenever he spoke to the media. That’s not to say Phil Jurkovec wasn’t thoughtful or open, but the way Morehead carries himself just screams “leader” and I think the staff sees it too. Of course, none of that matters unless you produce on the field, but it’s not like the Eagles are starting from scratch at the most important position on the field. You could do a lot worse than Morehead for a starting QB when heading into March, it’s just a matter of if he can continue to grow and evolve in the high profile role.
2. Offensive continuity should be there early.
Look, love or hate the offensive staff moves, you can’t deny that at the very least, Morehead should have a good start to spring ball simply because he won’t be dealing with other outside voices. Fans wanted bigger names in a world where movement in the coaching ranks is as frequent as it is for players in the portal. But, we’ve talked about this to death, the ability for Steve Shimko, Rob Chudzinski and even Matt Applebaum - despite leaving for a year - to speak the same language with this young roster right off the bat is going to be crucial for the success of the offense.
3. This team will go as the offense line goes, particularly in the run game.
Maybe the most obvious statement in the history of hot sports takes. O-Line U went through a rough patch last year, but with Mahogany back up front and another year of experience under everyone’s belt, this team has a chance to score points often if things get back on track. Establishing a run game is going to be imperative, but you can’t do that unless everyone is gelling early and that’s going to be huge these next few weeks. If the Eagles can establish an on-field chemistry up front early and roll into August with it, momentum could snowball with the early part of the schedule.
If guys struggle to get on the same page and it looks like it did a year ago and Morehead is running a pass-only offense, well then you can all say “I told you so” about the moves. Until then, give it a shot.
In general, this spring is a fascinating time for BC football that truly feels like a crossroads. Do we finally get the Eagles team we all thought we’d get under Hafley when he took over in December of 2019? Or, is his tenure here simply destined for more injury plagued seasons and lackluster offense? Time will tell, but the foundation begins being laid Friday morning.
