The 2022 season for the Boston College Eagles is one likely to be pushed from the minds in the future.
Injuries played a major part in Boston College’s struggles. Depth was tested, exposing a young team that led to an inefficient offense and a defense that too often wore down.
And there was the continued discussion about where head coach Jeff Hafley should return or not. While I am in the camp of keeping him in charge, with a potential for a rebound season in 2023, changes could be had depending on how things shake out.
A 3-9 record in 2022 aside, the season did have its bright spots. Here are three players who delivered in 2022.
An all-everything receiver for Boston College Eagles
One player who was in peak form throughout most of 2022 was senior receiver Zay Flowers.
Flowers was one of the best in the nation at his position, despite being the primary focus of opposing defenses. He had his final — and finest — season at Boston College rewarded with a first team all-ACC selection and as expected, announced he’d be entering the 2023 NFL draft.
The final line nearly explains itself for Flowers. Averaging 13.8 yards per catch, Flowers had 78 receptions, 1077 yards, and 13 touchdowns. All were single season career-highs for Flowers and he tied Alex Amidon for the season reception record, set back in 2012.
Flowers accounting for 36.3 percent of his team’s receiving yards. He had five 100-yard games and eight games with five or more receptions. Twice Flowers had 10 receptions in a game in ’22, each in losses to Rutgers and Wake Forest.
His finest performance was in a victory over Louisville, where Flowers had five receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite these numbers, Flowers was not named a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s best receiver.
Four seasons of consistent production as a member of the Boston College Eagles led to Flowers finding himself atop the career receiving categories. His 200 receptions, 3056 yards, and 29 touchdowns are all now tops in the program.
Flowers was the best thing about a Boston College offense that averaged only 17.8 points per game. Freshman running back Alex Broome (225 rushing yards, 26 receptions) and freshman receiver Joe Griffin Jr. (5 touchdowns) are among those to keep an eye on in the future.
Another player, on the defensive side, is also building towards an outstanding future and had a standout 2022 to build from.
Boston College Eagles: A rising star
Defense was a mixed bag this season for Boston College, looking all-world at times, but often allowing teams to get out front early. One who stood out, even in games where individual stats were low, was Donovan Ezeiruaku.
The sophomore defensive end finished fourth on the team in tackles, with 61. Ezeiruaku began the season with a bang, collecting nine tackles and forcing two fumbles in a season-opening loss to Rutgers.
His presence had to be accounted for each week as Ezeiruaku impacted the game. He led the Eagles in tackles-for-loss (14.5) and sacks (8.5). At one point, he had a sack in four straight games and closed the season with a monster game of 2.5 sacks and nine tackles against Syracuse.
Ezeiruaku has room for growth, in both game situations and making impacts across the board. Another solid pass rusher would help immensely and there is already plenty to look forward to as he progresses. If the talent and work is tapped, Ezeiruaku could very well be at a Harold Landry type level come the end of his college career.
Ezeiruaku led the charge on defense in 2022 but he had a lot of help around him, including a standout on the line.
Boston College Eagles: A 5-year anchor
A number of players had solid seasons on defense. Vinny DePalma and Kam Arnold were stalwarts at linebacker, combining for 132 tackles. DePalma was one of five on the defensive side named to the all-ACC honorable mention team.
Chibueze Onwuka was one of those, collecting 41 tackles on the season. His play helped solidify the defensive line.
But it was a fellow lineman who deserves recognition here in wrapping up a solid career.
Marcus Valdez did not receive an all-conference nod this season but he very well could have. Over five seasons with Boston College, Valdez played in 57 games. He finished with 133 tackles and 13.5 sacks, leading the team with five in 2021.
Valdez made 30 tackles in 2022, up from a season ago (in which he missed three games). He had 8.5 tackles for loss and 4 sacks, going on a nice four-game run to close the season. During this span, Valdez had 11 tackles (five for loss) and three sacks.
It was also when Valdez had one of the finer games of his career in an upset victory over N.C. State.
Valdez went all out in the game, collecting six tackles and two sacks. He also forced a fumble and made a recovery as the Eagles played one their best games of the season.
The graduate contributed nicely during his time with Boston College. He and Flowers are two players who will be missed in 2023. The defense was a veteran unit and will have some work to do in replacing players who started for multiple years. A plus in this struggling season is that a lot of underclassmen saw playing time and, with any luck, the foundation for a brighter future has been laid.