Next In Line? Jude Bowry Looks to Be Next BC OL in the Pros
By Giovanni Culotta
It’s a cloudless, sunny November morning in Chestnut Hill, brisk enough to force Boston College Football to complete its Wednesday practice indoors. In the far corner of Fish Field House’s south end zone, Jude Bowry leans into a huddle of his fellow offensive linemen to review practice progress. A collage of posterboard cutouts painted with legendary last names on the back of NFL uniforms overlooks the unit as the meeting concludes.
As he removes his gold helmet and shuffles to the sideline, Bowry glances at the display of first round draft choices from BC: a list of names he longs to join.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to be a first rounder [in the NFL draft]. Every day, I’m working towards that,” said Bowry, 22, of Germantown, Maryland.
If this dream comes true, the 6-foot-5, brown-eyed Bowry would bolster BC football’s strong history of producing professional offensive linemen. Since 1967, 52 Eagle offensive linemen have become NFL draft choices, 10 of whom are featured on the wall in Fish as first-round selections.
Bowry’s desire to join the fraternity of NFL linemen from BC dates all the way back to his official visit to BC in 2022.
“When I came to my official visit, we walked by that first round wall,” said Bowry, pointing to the collection of jerseys. “And I have a picture of me pointing at one of the empty ones. It’s always been a dream of mine to be a first-rounder. I’m working towards that.”
Now a two-year starter at left tackle and team captain for the Eagles, Bowry says the success of those before him fuels his pursuit of adding a jersey with his name on it to that empty space on the wall.
“It’s inspirational. I always want to be appreciative and take advantage of my opportunities each and every day because I was put in this position for a reason.” said Bowry. “So it would just be selfish of me not to go as hard as I can and not to work my butt off each and every day like those guys did.”
In the eyes of Bowry’s offensive line coach, 41-year-old Matt Applebaum of Yardley, Pennsylvania, the pro-style offense that BC runs is the reason Bowry will catch the eye of those at the next level.
“It’s a passing league. So there’s a premium that’s put on offensive tackles in that league in terms of the ability to pass protect,” said Applebaum, an offensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins for one season. “When people really get their eyes on Jude and see what he’s capable of in an NFL-style offense, we’ve got a lot of drop-back passes that translate to playing pro football.”
Last year’s BC offense proved to be an ample pro precursor for three linemen who are now on NFL rosters: Ozzy Trapilo (now of the Chicago Bears), Drew Kendall (Philadelphia Eagles) and Jack Conley (Detroit Lions). As the starting left tackle on that line, Bowry dazzled in pass protection, surrendering just two sacks on 321 dropback snaps.
Conley, who played alongside Bowry in that offense for three seasons, knows that Bowry’s physical gifts and play style will help him shine down the road.
“He is extremely strong and athletic and has a high football IQ,” said Conley, 24, of New Canaan, Connecticut. “I think his game will translate well to the pros.”
Before Bowy was anointed as the heir apparent to this BC offensive line legacy, Applebaum said “he wasn’t as big and strong as he needed to be to play at this level or play at the next level.” In fact, it wasn’t until his junior year at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore that Bowry switched to offensive line from defensive tackle. Bowry came to BC as the top offensive line recruit in the state of Maryland in the 2022 class.
Applebaum said Bowry’s most significant jump is in mastering the core skills of one of the most difficult positions on a football field.
“[Bowry] was not a super experienced football player coming out of high school. So I think he’s made a lot of improvements in terms of techniques and fundamentals overall,” said Applebaum. “It’s not a natural position for anybody. I’ve seen massive improvements over the course of his career.”
Bowry’s inexperience kept him on the bench during his freshman year in 2022, as he redshirted his first season at BC. In September 2023, Bowry started on the sidelines once more in the Eagles’ battle with No. 3 Florida State in the annual Red Bandana game.
In the first half, the game was no longer a high-octane matchup Bowry would watch from the sideline – an opening in the starting lineup made it an answered prayer.
“I’m a big man of faith, and I had prayed. I was like, God, please let that be the game I show up and let everybody see who I am,” said Bowry. “It was unfortunate with [starting tackle] Logan [Taylor] going down [with an injury]. But I just felt like it was a blessing for me to go out there and showcase what I could do.”
While the Florida State game was his first, it was far from Bowry’s best. The Eagles committed a program-record 18 penalties in the two-point loss to the Seminoles, with Bowry alone responsible for two of the 12 offensive flags. FSU defensive end Jared Verse, now a starter for the Los Angeles Rams, registered two tackles for losses against Bowry. Despite the challenge of limiting a future first-round pick, Bowry said facing Verse “transcended [my] game to the next level.”
Taylor returned to the starting lineup the following week and Bowry was forced to wait for a chance to build on his first opportunity. But Bowry’s first taste of being a starter offered an unforgettable lesson in preparation.
“I was prepared for that game regardless, you know, because you just got to prepare like a starter even when you know you might not play but there’s always a chance,” said Bowry. “I have that mindset every single day, whether I’m starting or not.”
Jude Bowry (71) celebrates a touchdown in BC’s 34-23 win over Pittsburgh on November 30, 2024/BC Athletics
This mentality was rewarded with actual play time for Bowry during his breakout season in 2024. As a redshirt sophomore, Bowry started all 13 games at left tackle as the youngest member of what Applebaum called a “stacked” offensive line, featuring Trapilo, Kendall, Conley and Taylor.
Bowry’s takeaway from playing with three future pros reinforced the lesson from his first game the year prior.
“They taught me so much about preparation. Especially a young guy, your first year starting and you have a lot to prove. Big shoes to fill,” said Bowry, stretching his arms to show the size of the proverbial shoes to fill. “So just preparation and mindset, just the mindset of being a pro and just treating this like it’s your job.”
Bowry said he keeps in touch with Trapilo, Kendall and Conley “all the time.” Bowry and Kendall, who was in town during his bye week with the Eagles, went for lunch ahead the November 1 game vs. Notre Dame, which Bowry took as a chance to “be a sponge and learn as much as possible.”
Applebaum says this kind of camaraderie between former teammates is indicative of a program-wide expectation at BC.
“I think there’s been a standard of operation around here. Football, non-football, all together life,” said Applebaum. “The older guys take great pride and do a really good job of making sure that it’s upheld. Those guys come back and they’re the same kind of person.”
For as much as Bowry has improved as a player, Applebaum thinks that his star’s pièce de resistance is his “happy-go-lucky” personality, a “unique” trait that embodies the BC offensive line standard of “being the same guy every day.”
Bowry says his fun-loving attitude allows him to play at his fullest every day.
“It helps me play free. It just gives me a clear mind,” said Bowry. “You’re taking a thousand reps of doing this, so why not have fun with it? Why are you going to try and be stiff and be perfect? It’s all about just being free and having fun all day.”
Even though he’s changed teams in his young pro career, Conley can attest that a likeable personality goes a long way on an NFL roster.
“Jude is very charismatic and very genuine, as well as being very smart both on and off the field,” said Conley. “All of those traits both on and off the field translate very well to the NFL, because it’s a long season.”
In terms of wins and losses, 2025 has been anything but fun for BC football. The Eagles have lost 10 straight games, and one more would mark the program’s first 11-loss campaign since 1978. Bowry was a freshman when the Eagles were 3-9 in 2022. Though losing has been all too familiar this season, Bowry says his time at BC must serve a larger purpose than his team’s record.
“You can’t let the record dictate how you’re going to play. You have to have a bigger why than just winning,” said Bowry. “Your film is your resume, so you just got to have the mindset of why am I doing this? We want to win every game, but you got to play for yourself too.”
Given the rich tradition of offensive linemen, Bowry’s situation is nothing new at BC. Trapilo, Conley and Kendall all endured the scourges of consistent losing along with Bowry in 2022 and managed to compile a strong-enough resume to play at the next level.
When asked about striking this balance between professional aspirations and winning games in college, Applebaum used a single word to describe a foundational ability of NFL players.
“Consistency,” said Applebaum. “Win or lose, who could be the same guy every day? Who could be a pro about how they do things? That’s what we’re striving for. And that way when our guys go off to an NFL organization, that organization knows they’re getting a good one.”
With the Eagles preparing for their final game of 2025 at Syracuse, Bowry wants to be a good one for any of the 32 NFL teams, which he says requires “finishing strong no matter what.” Bowry knows he must couple his ambition of making the NFL with gearing up for what could be his final game in maroon and gold.
“You struggle with that at times because you know what’s there for you, but you just got to do your best job to stay in the moment, like Coach O’Brien tells us,” said Bowry. “I can say now I want to be a first-round pick, but I can’t control what GMs are thinking and tell them to draft me today. All I can do is put my best foot forward each and every day and just try to work towards my goal.”