Football’s Pandemic Success Speaks to Coaching, Culture in a New Era at Boston College

Football’s Pandemic Success Speaks to Coaching, Culture in a New Era at Boston College

October 10, 2020 · by · in Football

By JD Biagioni

Life as a first-time head coach is never easy. Having to navigate that in the middle of a global pandemic is an even more unenviable task. Yet Jeff Hafley has handled his first season at Boston College with class and authenticity, qualities which are quickly starting to earn him the reputation as the best interview in Boston.

Hafley has led the upstart Eagles to a 2-1 record, and optimism abounds for a team pegged by many to finish at the bottom of the ACC.

Through three weeks, Hafley has BC ranked 25th nationally in total defense, up from 125th last season.

In his debut, prized transfer Phil Jurkovec threw for over 300 yards, a mark that only two BC QBs reached in the 2010s. The following week, he led BC’s first double-digit comeback since Matt Ryan silenced Lane Stadium in 2007.

Phil Jurkovec during BC vs UNC at Alumni Stadium. (Photo Courtesy of BCEagles.com)

Former Boston College Athletic Director Martin Jarmond knew BC be getting a defensive tactician and a lights-out recruiter when he hired Hafley last December.

Those are excellent qualities to look for in a coach, but Hafley’s success in handling the Covid-19 pandemic tells a lot more about the coach BC hired.

Boston College have continued to set the benchmark for pandemic response in college athletics. Since the team returned to campus in June, over 4000 tests have been administered, returning just one positive, which came when the players first arrived.

The team’s commitment in staying healthy is a testament to the coach’s message and a special group of players who’ve bought in.

Hafley joined WEEI’s Ordway, Merloni and Fauria Thursday to discuss the team’s remarkable testing success to start the season.

“If everybody’s going to stick together, and we all want to do this, then we’re going to have to make sacrifices,” he said.

Hafley hasn’t forced the players to do anything. His simple message is to be smart. He’s reminding them of the risk they are imposing on others, especially the seniors who’ve worked so hard to get to this point in their careers.

The message has clearly worked, but it is one that could’ve just as easily fallen on deaf ears with a different group.

“It comes down to these kids, and they have to get a lot of credit,” Hafley told WEEI.

This collection of young adults has sacrificed hanging out with friends and spending weekend nights in Boston, among other typical college activities, for a common mission.

Most of these players Hafley inherited from Steve Addazio. Would BC be fairing as well under the old regime? Probably not, considering the rocky start to Addazio’s tenure at Colorado State. Still, Hafley’s predecessor deserves credit for bringing in tough, high-character players.

Addazio’s message was growing stale with the team, however, so Hafley was brought in to offer some new energy. From the moment he arrived on the Heights, Hafley has been real with the fanbase. Quick to take blame and deflect praise, he has preached togetherness and has got his players to buy in.

Speaking with the Pittsburgh Post Gazette ahead of the season, Jurkovec alluded to this budding culture when touching on his transfer decision.

“The second time around, I didn’t go for the brand,” Jurkovec said. “I went for nothing other than the people. I found really good people in Hafley and [Frank] Cignetti and I made this decision for a chance to play for them.”

This culture has manifest itself on the field as well. Hafley’s first two games offered plenty of reason for optimism, but, even in a loss against North Carolina, his third showed that it could be something truly special.

Boston College has been a scrappy team that won’t let more talented teams off the hook easily. But this one felt different. They weren’t there because of one or two lucky plays. On national television, in front of an audience of over 2 million, Hafley’s Eagles showed the nation their mettle.

“I’m proud of the way the guys played, trust me,” Halfey said. “Our kids fought hard. They didn’t give up. We were down and we battled.”

Broadcasting my final football game for WZBC, I was fortunate enough to be in the stadium. In such a unique season, with cardboard cutouts as the only other eyes in a silent stadium, the little moments spoke volumes about the work Halfey has done with the team.

When Brandon Sebastian’s momentum-shifting interception set the Eagles up at the UNC five-yard line, the sideline congregation shifted downfield to follow the action. Right in front of the broadcast booth, Kobay White had been sitting in the bleachers, crutches laying at his feet. As the team migrated, he hobbled across the section to be with them.

While UNC players held up four fingers at the conclusion of the third quarter, Travis Levy, who started the game at running back but now had his shoulder pads replaced by a sling, huddled the team around him to fire them up for the final 15.

Finally, there’s this moment that found its way onto social media. As Hafley and Jurkovec tended to an injured Hunter Long, BC’s coach took exception to UNC’s bench continuing to celebrate the big third down hit while Long was shaken up.

Seeing Hafley do this first-hand, I got chills. He’s a leader who will fight fearlessly for his team.

“I promised our team I’d have their back, and I did have their back,” Hafley said. “Maybe I was too loud. Maybe people didn’t like what I had to say. But I don’t care.”

Boston College could be 0-3 right now and it wouldn’t matter. Four thousand tests and one positive does. BC picked the right guy with the right energy and the right message. They’re going to hit bumps in the road, every new coach does. But Hafley’s pandemic response should be enough to convince Eagles fans he’s building a special team, one which plays for each other and is willing to put in the work and make sacrifices. That alone should excite fans for the future of this program.