Well, triumphant might be overstating things, considering the Eagles ended the season on a three-game slide. This, along with a flood of players hitting the transfer portal to take part in college free agency, leaves somewhat of a sour taste on the regular season.
Many of those leaving were either backups or injured over the closing weeks. Names like Patrick Garwo III, Emmett Morehead, Shitta Sillah, and Jaden Williams among no less than ten Eagles choosing to look at their options for extending their college careers.
A five-game winning streak after a 1-3 start had Boston College in the hunt for playing in the ACC title game. The Eagles were finding ways to win close games, giving up that this was the season Boston College finally got back to the eight-win mark.
Blowouts and touch losses followed, sending the team in a loose spiral as the regular season ended. Injuries played their part, as did tough opponents. Untimely turnovers on offense contributed to the skid, mixed in with a defense that gave up rushing yards by the spoonful.
A preview of the Wasabi Fenway Bowl (12/28) vs 24th-ranked SMU will come later. For now, a look at three Boston College standouts from the 2023 regular season.
Thomas Castellanos
Quarterback Thomas Castellanos entered the season as the backup, with promises to see some action early as head coach Jeff Hafley wanted to see what he had.
Castellanos dazzled in that first game, earned the starting position, and never really looked back.
There were bumps along the way, and work does need to happen in the passing game. But Castellanos is a dual threat quarterback who can keep things rolling with the Boston College offense.
In the ground game, Castellanos finished the regular season as the top rusher for the Eagles. He finished with 957 yards and 11 touchdowns. Castellanos topped 100 yards on three occasions, with a high mark of 142 against Army and settling up with 130 in the season-ending loss to Miami.
Passing game is where Boston College hopes Castellanos takes the next step in 2024. Completion percentage (57.1) and interceptions (13) are areas of concern but ones that will improve with more reps.
Castellanos threw for 2146 yards and 15 touchdowns. His best game in the air was the tough loss to Florida State, where he was 20-33 for 305 yards and a touchdown (plus one interception).
The expanded ACC in '24 will make things even tougher for Castellanos and the Boston College Eagles. But, knowing he will be the starter going forward in spring and fall camps will be only a plus for Castellanos. It will be a chance for more first-team reps, in turn giving Castellanos a better connection and rhythm with the receivers around him.
Kye Robichaux
A transfer out of Western Kentucky, running back Kye Robichaux was deep down on the depth chart when the season began. And by game 12, Robichaux was the top Boston College runner in 2023.
Given a chance due to early injuries to Garwo and others, Robichaux shined, starting with his first heavy workload game against Holy Cross. Robichaux provided a 19-carry, 94-yard effort that day and, despite getting dinged up and missing some time, had a productive season.
Robichaux, appearing in 10 games, finished with 691 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. The junior had three 100-yard games, with his best against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Robichaux had 21 carries for 165 yards and two touchdowns.
Robichaux also added 13 receptions for 90 yards.
Capping off his debut season with Boston College with a strong bowl game. Then, with a full offseason and fall camp under his belt, Robichaux will hopefully be headed for a bright 2024.
Elijah Jones
An anchor in the Eagle secondary Elijah Jones was the most experienced player returning for the unit in 2023.
Jones was nothing short of a stalwart, and the defense did suffer when he missed the final three games with an injury. Leadership on the field was a definite plus but Jones displayed the same talents and skills that made him mainstay for three seasons in the secondary.
In nine games, Jones had five interceptions and eight pass breakups. In games against Georgia Tech and Syracuse, Jones had two interceptions each and seemed to be building to a spectacular grand finale of season before being sidelined.
Jones added 25 tackles and was an all-ACC first team selection. Jones will be missed going forward, having recently declared for the 2024 NFL draft.
Honorable mentions
A handful of players took the spotlight throughout the season, with some delivering season-long efforts worth mention. The top of the list is an offensive line that helped pave the way for the Eagles to average 194.3 yards per game on the ground this season.
At the receiver position, Lewis Bond put together a fine season. He leads the team with 48 receptions, 611 yards, and seven touchdowns, a number that accounted for nearly half of the team's touchdowns receptions in the regular season.
On defense, Vinny DePalma and John Pupel both left their mark in multiple games. DePalma leads the team in tackles with 87. Pupel contributed 77, with 6.5 tackles for loss.
At 6-6, the regular season did come to a disappointing end. And, despite the players on their way out or already gone, most of these standouts will have one final chance in '23 to put their stamp on the season.
photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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