Still regarded by some as “O-Line U,” Boston College enters the 2025 season with many questions on the offensive line. Offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo will almost certainly be a top-100 pick, perhaps even a top-75 or -64 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. Three-year starting center Drew Kendall should hear his name called on Day 3 of the draft, while versatile journeyman Jack Conley will also look to hear his name called after a long career at BC.
In addition to replacing three starters, the Eagles need their returning starters to improve in 2025. Jude Bowry performed pretty well in his first year as a starter but dealt with multiple injuries over the course of the season. Logan Taylor got off to a slow start due to an offseason injury and then continued to struggle in his first year starting at left guard. Finally, Dwayne Allick Jr. wasn’t technically a starter, but he rotated plenty with Conley and will be expected to take on a larger role in 2025.
Luckily, Boston College has a ton of players who can compete for these open starting positions. Most of them haven’t gotten much playing time, thanks to the durability of players like Trapilo and Kendall. Therefore, these competitions could continue through the end of spring practice well into fall camp, featuring multiple players competing at multiple positions and possibly even forcing some players to switch positions in order to get the best five blockers on the field at the same time.
Left Tackle
Considering Jude Bowry was good enough to force Logan Taylor inside to guard and keep Ozzy Trapilo on the right side, he should be considered a lock to remain in the starting lineup. Bowry put together a solid first year as a starting left tackle. He still missed time in several games due to injury, which remains concerning for his future, especially as the possible lynchpin of this offensive line that is breaking in three new starters. Bill O’Brien would love to have some continuity at the most important position from a pass protection perspective.
Hopefully, Bowry spent the offseason building his body and adding muscle, as he still struggled with the strength/power aspects of the position. In theory, he should face an easier slate of pass rushers in 2025, with Patrick Payton, Johnny Walker Jr., Khris Bogle, Kam Butler, Antwaun Powell-Ryland, Ashton Gillotte, Fadil Diggs, Jahfari Harvey, and Kaimon Rucker off to the NFL/the transfer portal or out of eligibility. Clemson and Notre Dame will naturally provide tough matchups, but the ACC experienced a major exodus of pass rush talent this offseason.
In the (likely) event Bowry misses time due to injury, BC has several options to back him up, although none inspire much confidence. Kevin Cline will likely kick inside to guard this year but could bump back outside to tackle, as he got better late in 2024. Ryan Mickow is a similar player to Bowry in that his movement skills and relative lack of play strength make him a better candidate for tackle, but he could be replacing Trapilo at right tackle. Veteran backup Jack Funke could be next on the depth chart, or Merrimack transfer Amir Johnson, who likely needs more time for development but could be a future starter for this team.
Status: Entrenched Starter
Left Guard
With veterans like Ozzy Trapilo, Drew Kendall, and Jack Conley moving on, Logan Taylor needs to step up and take on a leadership role for this group. Part of that involved bouncing back after a rough 2024 season. I’m willing to give Taylor some slack, as he was coming back from injury and moving to his third position in as many years. Ideally, an offseason without health issues, staying in the same position, and keeping the same offensive coaching staff in place should help him play better, even with a new center next to him.
The questions begin to arise about whether BC wants to move Taylor back to tackle, which would likely end up being on the right side. The coaching staff seems to view him as a guard at the next level, so they want to develop him more there. I still think Taylor can be a fine tackle, but it does create more questions along the rest of the line. Who replaces Taylor at left guard? If it’s Dwayne Allick, who will replace him at center? If Allick stays at center and Kevin Cline kicks over to left, who becomes the right guard? Keeping Taylor at left guard maximizes continuity for this whole group and likely helps them get their best five on the field.
Lower on the depth chart, the Eagles have plenty of options. Otto Hess, Eryx Daugherty, Jack Funke, and Michael Crounse all played multiple positions on the interior last year. Princeton transfer Tommy Matheson started most of his career at left guard. Even redshirt freshmen Judah Pruitt and Jadon Lafontant could press for playing time. Again, however, these players have all remained backups for a reason, so it’s best not to put too much faith in them to supplant Taylor, barring position changes.
Status: Entrenched Starter
Center
Drew Kendall somewhat surprisingly declared a year early for the NFL Draft. His absence was keenly felt after he suffered an injury early on in the bowl game. After he took over in the middle, Dwayne Allick Jr. struggled just getting the ball to Grayson James. Some of this can be blamed on having to switch positions early on in the game, along with the poor field/weather conditions. But Allick would need to improve his blocking, along with completely eliminating the snapping issues, to feel established at the starter.
The problem is that Allick still has the most FBS snaps at the position of anyone on the roster. Otto Hess has a few, while Princeton transfer Tommy Matheson has a year of starting experience, but two years ago and at the FCS level. Jack Funke, Michael Crounse, and Eryx Daugherty have some experience at other positions on the interior, while redshirt freshman Jadon Lafontant has been getting snaps there this spring as well. At this point, I would say Allick is closest to being the incumbent, but none of the other names mentioned should be completely counted out.
Status: Wide Open
Right Guard
Right guard is another similarly structured position battle. Jack Conley is off to the NFL, while his rotation-mate Dwayne Allick is back but more likely to start at center. There is always the possibility that someone else wins the center job, meaning Allick could stay at left guard. He and Conley put forth relatively equal performances last year, but neither were particularly inspiring. Furthermore, if Allick does remain at right guard, he will no longer be flanked by Drew Kendall and Ozzy Trapilo, both of whom should be on NFL rosters in the fall.
If Allick wins the center job, there are plenty of names that could replace him at right guard. Eryx Daugherty started the bowl game there, which is surprising given his youth, especially relative to the other players at the position. Otto Hess, Jack Funke, and Michael Crounse have both taken snaps there in mop-up duty. Tommy Matheson mostly played left guard at Princeton. A dark horse could be redshirt freshman Judah Pruitt, as he seems like a natural fit for the position.
The other remaining option, and my personal favorite, would be moving Kevin Cline inside to guard. Cline is a massive human being with great length and strength; what he doesn’t have is much athletic ability or speed, which are much more important at tackle. He played a little bit there in 2023 when he was returning from missing most of the 2022 season due to injury. Cline’s experience and ability should allow him to physically overwhelm smaller and younger defensive linemen. Moving him to guard might also allow BC to put their best five blockers on the line.
Status: Wide Open
Right Tackle
Regardless of who ends up winning the job, they will be a downgrade from Ozzy Trapilo. Replacing a top-100 NFL draft pick is not an easy task for almost every team, even more so when he is the best player on the offensive line. Trapilo did not miss much time during his career, and the backups who did replace him are no longer on the team or already playing different positions. That said, the Eagles have a few decent options.
Firstly, the aforementioned Kevin Cline started the bowl game at right tackle and was supposed to be BC’s starting right tackle in 2022, but suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2. While Cline struggled at times at both tackle spots, his tape generally improved over the course of last season. If he can cut some more weight to add some quickness and fluidity, perhaps he could continue to develop into a solid starter.
The other option is redshirt sophomore Ryan Mickow, who took snaps at both tackle spots in 2024. He is somewhat similar to Jude Bowry in that he is better off at tackle due to lacking some play strength and the ability to harness it in the run game. But with another offseason of development, he could very well figure into the battle to start at right tackle. I think Mickow has a very bright future, so getting him on the field early might represent getting the five best players on the field, even if it means some aren’t necessarily at their best position.
Status: Wide Open
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