SB Nation Boston - Boston College Football Offseason 2012: Montel Harris Released After Violations

Boston College Football 2012 Offseason: BC Projected To Make Military Bowl

2012-07-07T00:22:53Z

The Boston College Eagles football team is projected to play in the 2012 Military Bowl, according to Phil Steele's latest bowl projections. The commentator has them ranked No. 8 and facing off against Army.

That would be great news for Eagles fans, given the team's recent history. They finished a disappointing 4-8 in the 2011 season, with a 3-5 ACC record. There have been big changes in the 2012 offseason, including a new offensive coordinator and five other new coaches. In less constructive news, the team saw the school's leading all-time rusher, Montel Harris, dismissed from the team for repeated rule violations. Steele's football previews are widely read and respected, so his bowl game projection for the Eagles just may give their fans something to look forward to in the 2012 season.

Stick with this StoryStream for all of your Boston College football offseason news, updates and more. For all things BC Eagles, BC Interruption has you covered.

Boston College Football Recruiting 2013: Eagles Receive Commitment From Three-Star LB Cory Jasudowich

2012-06-19T20:45:02Z

The Boston College Eagles reportedly got a three-star linebacker commitment for the 2013 class from Cory Jasudowich (Cheshire Academy, Cheshire, Conn.). (via Justin Rowland's Twitter)

Jasudowich (6-2, 235) is the fourth ranked recruit in the state of Connecticut by Rivals. He also had offers from Connecticut, Maryland, UMass and Temple.

On Monday, an article was published on Rivals with comments from Jasudowich about how he felt about the Eagles.

"BC is definitely standing out to me. I'm going to see what happens with Penn State, Maryland, Temple and everybody and keep those options open and I'll decide from there."

"BC is definitely on the top of my list right now. The moment I got to that campus I fell in love with it and the coaches are unbelievable and I can picture myself at that school. I'm still going to wait it out a few more days and then decide." (via Rivals)

The article also expected a decision within weeks from Jasudowich but he has apparently decided not to wait that long.

For more Boston College Football coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.

Montel Harris Reportedly Looking At Temple Owls As Transfer Option

2012-05-01T18:54:14Z

The leading rusher in Boston College football history could finish his career at Temple.

Montel Harris, dismissed from the Boston College Eagles on Tuesday due to a repeated violation of team rules, could transfer to the Temple Owls to finish his remaining year of eligibility, according to a report from Bruce Feldman of CBS Sports.

Harris rushed for 3,735 yards and 27 touchdowns with Boston College before being thrown off the team. He was named the ACC's 2011 Preseason Player of the Year, but underwent arthroscopic knee surgery early in the season and only played two games. He returned from the injury to practice once during spring sessions, but complained of soreness and shut it down for the remainder of the spring.

Harris has played four years of college football, but received a medical hardship waiver for a fifth year of eligibility.

For more Boston College Football coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.

Montel Harris Dismissed: Frank Spaziani 'Grateful' For Running Back

2012-05-01T18:46:52Z

Montel Harris has been dismissed from the Boston College Eagles football team after repeated violation of team rules, a press release from the school confirmed. Despite his release, Frank Spaziani, the Eagles' head coach, said that he is grateful for Harris.

"Montel Harris has been permanently dismissed from our football team due to a repeated violation of team rules," Spaziani said. "We are grateful for his contributions the past four seasons and will support him in completing his degree requirements and in his future pursuits."

Harris is the school's all-time leading rusher, having racked up 3,735 rushing yards and 27 career touchdowns on 787 carries. Last season, Harris only played in two games, as he never fully recovered from a knee injury that required surgery in the offseason. Harris was 867 rushing yards away from the ACC's all-time leading rusher Ted Brown (4,602 yards).

For more BC Football coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.

Montel Harris Dismissed From Boston College Football Team

2012-05-01T17:06:27Z

Boston College Eagles running back Montel Harris, who became the school's all-time leading rusher last season before losing most of his year to a knee injury, has been tossed off the team due to a repeated violation of team rules.

Harris rushed for 3,735 yards over four seasons with the Eagles. His senior year was cut short because of the knee injury, but he was granted a medical hardship waiver and a fifth year of eligibility.

Coach Frank Spaziani said Tuesday that Harris won't return to the team.

"Montel Harris has been permanently dismissed from our football team due to a repeated violation of team rules," Spaziani said in a statement released by the school. "We are grateful for his contributions the past four seasons and will support him in completing his degree requirements and in his future pursuits."

For more Boston College Football coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.

No Contest: Chase Rettig Is Future Of Boston College Football

2012-04-01T13:00:50Z

Frank Spaziani's mind wasn't going to be changed by a poor performance in a meaningless spring game. He already knew who was going to be taking the snaps under center come next September, and he certainly wasn't about to create a quarterback controversy.

That's why he reaffirmed that Chase Rettig, and not Josh Bordner, is his starting quarterback.

"Chase is our number one quarterback right now," Spaziani said. "As I've said before, over and over again, the jersey isn't tattooed on anybody, and you know Chase was obviously productive and finished last year. But he's got to keep making progress. We don't want our starting quarterback to look over his shoulder, but we still want him to get better. There's competition there, and coach [Doug] Martin will figure it out. Chase is our starting quarterback, and that's the way we are right now. But nothing's tattooed on anybody."

Rettig now has two seasons under his belt at Boston College, but the numbers aren't particularly impressive. Rettig has a career quarterback rating of 109.8 and had a 112.4 rating last season, ranking him 103rd out of 115 eligible Division I quarterbacks. He has 3,198 career passing yards and a career 52.7 completion percentage. Not to mention, 18 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

His performance in Saturday's annual Jay McGillis Memorial Spring Football Game didn't help his case, either. Rettig threw an interception on his second drive of the game and finished with 120 passing yards on 13-of-23 passing, one touchdown and two picks. Rettig's lone score was a 31-yard strike to Alex Amidon up the middle in the first half.

BC's quarterbacks went 29-for-54 and had 386 passing yards, four touchdowns and five picks.

"We turned the ball over too much, everyone," said Rettig. "We've got some guys banged up. The spring has been really progressing nicely, so I think guys are looking forward to getting healthy and getting back here in the summer and keep progressing until we play Miami on September 1."

Rettig insists that, despite his individual struggles, he has not been discouraged by his play.

"No, not at all," he said. "Just keep playing plays, and only the guys on the field know what went wrong, whatever. I don't think anyone should be discouraged. [If] anything, just learn from it. You just keep playing, keep going to the next play. That's a big thing we have this year is just keep playing. Run as many plays as you can, who cares what happens on one play, just go to the next one. Keep disrupting the defense."

Of course, Rettig's performance would not be an issue if he was the only quarterback on the roster. But he isn't. Boston College has five quarterbacks on the depth chart, including Bordner, Mike Marscovetra, Dave Shinskie and Christian Suntrup, all of whom played on Saturday.

"I thought we had a couple throws that we probably shouldn't have made," Spaziani said about the quarterbacks. "We had some receiver issues, you know, guys not running the right route a couple of times. I think the quarterbacks in general have had a good spring and did a good job today."

Bordner was by far the most impressive quarterback Saturday, going 8-for-18 for 159 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Bordner, who is known more for his rushing ability than his arm, even put his improved passing skills on display, finding freshman receiver Karim Zoungrana wide open down the left sideline for a 66-yard touchdown pass.

"As a whole, we did well," Bordner said after the game. "We turned it over way too many times. I would say for my performance, I could definitely do a lot better. I made a few mental mistakes, some bad passes. Overall, I think we had a good spring. The offense really came together as a whole, so we're looking forward to next season."

Even though Spaziani publicly backed Rettig, the quarterbacks said they don't know who will start. Rettig, though, said that he feels like he should be the starter heading into the new season.

"I can't really answer that question," said Rettig. "[Spaziani] doesn't clarify, there's no list. Obviously I feel that way. Other quarterbacks are playing well, and that's always good for competition."

Bordner, on the other hand, said that he doesn't believe Spaziani has made his decision yet.

"He hasn't designated it yet," Bordner said. "We'll definitely see in the summer. But we all have to improve, and we'll see in camp who comes out with it. It's always good to compete, it's much needed for all the quarterbacks. We're looking forward to camp and the summer."

Bordner, who had 37 passing yards and one pick last year, was tossed into the mix late last season to be used for some running plays and admits that, at times, he had deer in the headlights syndrome. But looking back, it was valuable experience.

"It's definitely like really good experience getting in the games, competing and just feeling what it's like out there," he said. "Right when I got out there, I probably looked like a deer in the headlights. But it was a lot of fun, I enjoyed it. It doesn't get much better than playing college football, so I really enjoyed it."

Spaziani has different plans, saying that he isn't expecting to work Bordner in again with Rettig.

"I don't think we [would]," said Spaziani. "Last year we did that a little bit because of our running back situation, we didn't have a running back. We're in a little bit different mode right now. I don't think that will be the case."

Rettig's career at BC hasn't yielded much success so far, but Spaziani clearly isn't thinking about making a change right now. There's still a lot of time before opening kickoff in the fall, but right now, Rettig is the future of Boston College football, and everyone will need to get used to it.

For more Boston College Football coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.

Boston College Football Spring Game Takes Place On Saturday

2012-03-31T11:00:27Z

Boston College football holds its annual Jay McGillis Memorial Spring Football Game at 1 p.m. EDT on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, MA. Admission to the game is free and an autograph session with players will follow.

The Eagles have been practicing under the bubble over the past few weeks, and spring practice will conclude with Saturday's game. The game will feature the Eagles' offensive players squaring off against the defensive players with a specialized scoring system.

Boston College is coming off of a disappointing 4-8 season in which it missed the cut for bowl eligibility for the first time in 12 seasons. Despite the team's struggles, head coach Frank Spaziani will return for his fourth season at the helm. The lone bright spot of the year was junior linebacker Luke Kuechly, who was widely regarded as the best linebacker in college football. Kuechly will not return next season, though, forgoing his senior year to enter the 2012 NFL Draft.

Chase Rettig, the Eagles' starting quarterback last season, is heading into his junior year and is expected to get the starting job once more despite an up-and-down year. Montel Harris, a fifth-year senior who received an additional year of eligibility via medical hardship waiver from the NCAA, has been held out of spring practice due to a lingering knee injury but should by the season's start.

For more Boston College Football coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.

Boston College Football Pro Day: Luke Kuechly, Eagles Prepare For 2012 NFL Draft

2012-03-21T13:03:07Z

Boston College Eagles football will hold its annual Pro Day on Wednesday morning through the afternoon, located inside the bubble at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, MA. The event will give a handful of former Eagles the chance to put their skill set on display for scouts and media.

Luke Kuechly is the main attraction, naturally. Kuechly is widely regarded as the best collegiate linebacker in the country, and he has the hardware to prove it. After a third straight stellar season this past year, in which he led the nation in tackles (both total, 191, and solo, 102), Kuechly won the Lombardi Award, the Lott IMPACT Trophy and the Bronko Nagurski Award, as well as being named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and an All-America First Team selection.

Joining Kuechly at BC's Pro Day are teammates, including wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah, tight end Lars Anderson, center/offensive lineman Mark Spinney, fullback/linebacker Dan Williams, defensive end Max Holloway, defensive back Donnie Fletcher and punter Ryan Quigley. Athletes from UMass, Harvard, Holy Cross and other local schools will also work out in front of scouts and media on Wednesday at Alumni Stadium.

In addition to former Boston College players, including TE Lars Anderson, DB Donnie Fletcher, DE Max Holloway, LB Luke Kuechly, WR Ifeanyi Momah, P Ryan Quigley, C/OL Mark Spinney and FB/LB Dan Williams, the list of participants includes visiting athletes from UMass, Harvard and Holy Cross among many others.

For more Boston College Football coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.