Vol. 1: 2022 Fall Camp Notebook

It's Year Three for Boston College head football coach Jeff Hafley, but, in some ways, it feels like Year One, he told reporters Friday. After all, it's the first year that he's had a normal offseason—complete with in-person recruiting and in-person visits—a normal spring and, now, a normal fall camp.

In most ways, though, Hafley feels settled in. At ACC Kickoff and after the first preseason practice, the 43-year-old player's coach spoke of lessons that he's learned in his first two seasons as a head coach.

He's got a passionate edge to him in 2022, although he insists the urgency to win is the same as it was in 2020 when BC finished sixth in the conference after being picked 13th.

Whether Hafley will admit it or not, there's pressure for the Eagles to perform this season. But there's also an aura of confidence that comes with a host of veterans.

The "first day of school" energy was palpable at Fish Field House Friday.

Starting last year, players have been able to wear only helmets and spider pads for the first two days of fall camp activity, as far as protective equipment is concerned. The subsequent three days allow for shoulder pads. Then the sixth day of activity marks the first in which student-athletes can go full pads. Hafley discussed Friday how the lack of pads makes it difficult to practice running the football. But the limited equipment benefited the Eagles on a sweltering hot day in Chestnut Hill. The temperatures were hitting the mid-to-high 80s during practice, part of which took place outside.

Hafley arrived at BC in December 2019 having just revamped Ohio State's defense, en route to being named a finalist for the Broyles Award (given annually to the nation's top assistant coach). Before Columbus, he was a defensive assistant in the NFL for seven years, where earned a reputation as a guru in the secondary. He's a defensive-minded coach, no doubt about it. Hafley recognized, however, that he needs to achieve a greater balance between that side of the ball and the one that does most of the scoring. Particularly after last season when the Eagles ranked second-to-last in the league in points per game (16.4) versus ACC foes.

Hafley said that he's made a point of giving more input offensively, especially when it comes to personnel. He noted that he spent time with program special assistant—and former NFL head coach/OC—Rob Chudzinski, forming a vision for offensive coordinator John McNulty's scheme.

Hafley, not one to shy away from self-criticism, said he was probably on the defensive side of the field too much Friday.

"When the bullets start flying, I just find myself back there still," he admitted.

Regardless, he cited that phenomenon as a habit that he's actively trying to shake.

"I just I need to have a better balance when we go upstairs and when we watch film and just stay, day-to-day, updated on what we're doing, why we're doing it."

The four-star Springfield Central (Mass.) product adds a dimension to BC's dynamic wide receiver corps: size. With the transfer of CJ Lewis, the Eagles were lacking a true X wideout. While junior Taji Johnson could fill that role, given his strong spring game performances the last few years, it's possible Griffin seizes the opportunity. Griffin stands 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds. Not only that, but he's fast, too.

In fact, he's faster than redshirt senior wide receiver Jaelen Gill expected.

Griffin has caught Zay Flowers' eye as well.

"Joe Griffin? Athletic. Kind of a freak," Flowers said. "Crazy different contested catches. He can do all of it."

Gill added: "I think he'll be a great player. Really athletic, real bouncy, attacks the ball really well."

BC's other Class of 2022 four-star signee is on the defensive side of the ball: Sione "Riz" Hala. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound defensive back was making plays Friday. Hala has the mold of a safety-linebacker hybrid, distinctly similar to veteran strong safety Jaiden Woodbey, who played 272 snaps in the box last season, per Pro Football Focus, while posting the highest PFF tackling grade (89.1) on the team. What's more, Hala and Woodbey both went to St. John Bosco in Bellflower, California.

"I expect him to make plays," Woodbey said Friday. "We breed competition [at Bosco], and we breed great players. I expect nothing else from him. And I expect him to play this year, too."

Woodbey continued: "I see a lot of myself in him in the sense of him being big—he was a safety in high school, just like me. He'll probably be able to play a lot of positions, too. So I just think that one thing that could benefit both of us is just knowing that we're big guys, but we can move like little people."

Flowers said that this was his hardest summer yet, in terms of offseason training. He emphasized how rigorous strength and conditioning coach Phil Matusz's regiment was the last few months. Flowers pointed out, however, that Matusz makes a game out of the conditioning process, even using a points system to reward players.

"Just you versus another guy," Flowers said, when explaining how the offseason competitions manifested. "So it's usually like me versus a DB, like Elijah Jones. We'll run hills. We'll do fast footwork or pull ropes.

"Everything was competition that we did."

Then there's the off-the-field strife that comes from heated games of Connect 4 between Woodbey and fellow defensive back Jason Maitre.

Maitre said he wins most of the games. Woodbey disputed.

Then the former Florida State transfer conceded.

"He had me at first," Woodbey said.

It's clear both Flowers and Gill have adopted more of a leadership role this offseason. New wide receivers coach Darrell Wyatt influenced that development. Wyatt, who has been coaching wideouts for more than three decades, replaced Joe Dailey as the Eagles' wide receivers coach this spring after Dailey took a job of the same title with the Carolina Panthers. Wyatt was with UCF from 2018-21 and, notably, was the only coach Gus Malzahn kept on staff when Malzahn took the reins in 2021.

Gill said Wyatt is the type of guy who isn't going to "sugarcoat" anything. At the same time, Gill said Wyatt is a "real funny dude" who knows when to lighten the mood.

"He just brings energy to the room," Flowers said. "He tells you what you doing wrong, and he helps you fix it the next day. He's one of the best coaches I've had at receiver. Just in details, watching film. ... He's really something that we needed in our room."

Last year, BC rotated defensive linemen like a hockey team making line shifts. The Eagles were thin on the defensive front. Defensive tackle Chibueze Onwuka tore his Achilles in preseason. Defensive end Marcus Valdez was out the beginning of the year with a hand injury. Plus, BC lost veteran defensive tackle Luc Bequette to the transfer portal and 2020 team sack leader Max Roberts to graduation.

This time around, though, the Eagles—who have stockpiled D-Linemen since Hafley and defensive line coach Vince Oghobaase joined forces in 2020—have significantly more flexibility.

"We have more depth on the D-Line than we've ever had," Hafley said. "And I think that helps. Today, when we were doing ones and twos, we were able to send out a third group outside to get those younger guys some reps, which we have not been able to do."

Still, Hafley made it clear that "you can't beat your head against the wall every single day," when it comes to working the trenches in the preseason. Remaining healthy yet pushing hard requires the kind of balance tightrope walkers strive for. But it's always the goal for offensive and defensive line coaches in fall camp.

The first 30 minutes of practice are open to the media. In that span, redshirt freshman Otto Hess was taking snaps with the first-team offense, lining up at right guard, where Christian Mahogany was an All-ACC second teamer in 2021. Mahogany, originally Mel Kiper's No. 2 offensive guard in the 2023 NFL Draft class, tore his ACL this spring and is out for the year.

This is what the first-team offensive line looked like:

LT - Jack Conley

LG - Finn Dirstine

C - Drew Kendall

RG - Otto Hess

RT - Ozzy Trapilo

And, from the limited reps I saw, this is what the second-team offensive line looked like:

LT - Kevin Cline

LG - Blerim Rustemi

C - Jackson Ness

RG - Jude Bowry

RT - Ilija Krajnovic