Boston College Eagles: 3 proven defensive players ready to soar
Boston College Eagles: Linebackers
Not only was Kam Arnold making a position switch from safety to linebacker in 2021, he was helping to replace two standouts in the group.
Isaiah McDuffie and Max Richardson combined for 206 tackles in 2020, so replacing them was never going to be an easy task.
Arnold did not come close to duplicating either McDuffie’s (107) or Richardson’s (99) tackle totals. That wasn’t necessarily expected of him and Arnold put together a fine season in which he did lead the team in tackles with 61.
It took some time for Arnold to find his footing at linebacker but he continually got better as the season went on. Arnold collected 23 tackles in his last three games.
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Building off that momentum, with another offseason of learning the position under his belt, should serve Arnold well. He had a fine player to learn from last season in Isaiah Graham-Mobley and should take that learning curve to a new level in 2022.
Arnold will have some help, as Vinny DePalma (54 tackles) also returns. DePalma had a nice two-game stretch against Syracuse and Virginia Tech, collecting 20 tackles and 3 tackles-for-loss. More of that is hoped for in 2022.
Keep an eye on: Jaylen Blackwell
Next. Boston College Eagles: 3 standouts in 2021 regular season. dark
The Boston College defense is something to definitely keep an eye on, especially if the unit stays healthy and gets key contributions from younger players on the squad. This veteran group will do all they can but the more they can find moments of rest throughout the season, without a drop-off from their replacements, the further the Eagles will fly.