BC Defensive Back Preview

Last season the Boston College secondary received most of the blame for the drop-off in defensive production from 2015 to 2016.   BC gave up a ton of big plays through the air, especially against the better opponents they faced.  However, the Eagles still had plenty of talent in the secondary and shut down the lesser opponents.  If the secondary can limit the big plays they surrendered, the defense should be in great shape. 

Will Harris 
2016 Stats: 47 Tackles, 34 Solo, 1 TFL, 2 INT, 4 Pass Breakups 

2017 Preview: Harris was the starter at strong safety for the Eagles last season, and should be again this season.  Harris does a great job of attacking the box against the run, and led the Eagles secondary in tackles.  He also has great skills when the ball is in the air, and good hands to come down with picks.  He needs to work on staying in front of receivers and not getting beat deep, although that may be due more to scheme than his actions. 

Kam Moore 
2016 Stats: 43 Tackles, 33 Solo, 1.5 TFL, 2 INT, 5 Pass Breakups 

2017 Preview: Moore has been a starter a the CB position for the Eagles the past 2 seasons.  Moore has excelled in the run game, and does not let sweeps and outside runs turn into big plays.  He needs to become more aggressive when the ball is in the air, and attack the ball, creating more interceptions. 

Isaac Yiadom 
2016 Stats: 26 Tackles, 17 Solo, 2 TFL, 10 Pass Breakups, 

2017 Preview: Yiadom started alongside Moore for most of last season.  While he isn’t the run stopper and sure tackler that Moore is, Yiadom has better ball skills in the air.  He led the team in breakups, and his interception numbers should improve this season. 

Gabe McClary 
2016 Stats: 21 Tackles, 16 Solo, 1 TFL 

2017 Preview: McClary has done a solid job filling in as a nickel back the past 2 seasons after switching over from wide receiver. He will need to step into a bigger role this season, as one of the previous starting corners will rotate to safety.  With this in mind, McClary needs to rise to the occasion of being on an island on the outide. 

Others to Watch: Lukas Dennis, Taj-Amir Torres, Atem Ntantang, 

Overall: Even with the loss of John Johnson to the NFL, there is still plenty of talent in the secondary for the Eagles.  BC returns four players who started at least 4 games last season, and are all upperclassman.  BC will need someone to step up and fill the empty safety hole left by Johnson, but they have the depth to put out 5 good DBs whenever they want to go nickel.  A key is for Jim Reid to match the scheme with the talent to ensure the Eagles don’t give up as many big plays.