CHESTNUT HILL – Boston College cannot put last season in the past fast enough.
The Eagles struggled in Bill O’Brien’s second season at the helm, going 2-10 and raising questions about the future. The football staff worked quickly to turn the page to 2026 as the Eagles will feature 27 transfers and fresh play-callers.
The team took the practice field behind Fish Field House for the opening day of training camp Wednesday morning. The Eagles featured early looks at new faces who could be immediate impact additions.
QB1 in action
Mason McKenzie holds plenty of weight on his shoulders as the centerpiece of the new-look Eagles’ offense. Most fans have likely never heard of his previous team at Saginaw Valley State, a Division II school in Michigan.
There is a recent pedigree of success through this route of recruiting, though it’s a lofty expectation for BC to reach. Ole Miss struck gold last season with the addition of quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who excelled in the SEC and led the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Chambliss won Player of the Year honors previously at Ferris State in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2024. McKenzie won the award in 2025 when he tossed 18 touchdowns with 10 more on the ground with 942 rushing yards.
For now what matters is McKenzie’s ability to grow in O’Brien’s system. Early returns from the first day of camp are solid. McKenzie showed control of the offense, poise as a passer and the ability to make real throws on the run. The 6-foot-1 QB had an efficient attack in 11-on-11 work (8-for-11 passing in the opening team period) with quality throws from multiple arm slots.
“Mason’s gotten a lot better just in his knowledge of our system obviously, but also kind of some of the things that we ask him to do that maybe was different than what he was asked before,” O’Brien said.
As O’Brien returns to play-calling for the first time since 2023 with the New England Patriots, McKenzie headlines a group that gives the veteran coach plenty to work with in offensive flavor.
“It’s a lot of fun to coach all these guys because they do have different skill sets,” O’Brien said. “They’re all very athletic, they’re very smart. That’s what I love the most. They can be in the meeting room and they can pick things up. Even if they make a mistake, they’re not gonna make that mistake twice. They learn from it, they’re very studious in their preparation and learning the playbook. There’s different things you can do. They’re versatile in different ways, right? They can all throw it, but they can all run. And so we have to do a good job of making sure we’re not trying to do everything, but there are some really cool things that you can do with these guys.”
Player to watch
Running back Evan Dickens, a Liberty transfer, has the chance to be BC’s most productive addition from the portal. Dickens excelled last season with 1,339 rushing yards and 17 total touchdowns. He worked with the starting offense Wednesday and showed the ability to line up all over the field.
While the offensive line showed some concern on Day 1, the Eagles have to start their resurgence with an improved ground attack. The redshirt-junior from Marietta, Ga., showed confidence in his ability to translate his game to the ACC while growing his impact in the passing game as well.
“I wasn’t able to catch the ball as well last year, but I think in Coach O’Brien’s offense, I’ll be able to,” Dickens said. “Also along the note of pass catching, I also want to get better as pass protection. I think that’s also a big aspect of the game. You gotta protect the biggest asset on the football team: the quarterback.”
Secondary strength
The defensive backs clearly make up BC’s strongest position group at the start of camp. Veterans KP Price, Max Tucker and Carter Davis have all contributed impact plays and experienced growing pains against real ACC talent. Their ability to take the ball away (10 combined career interceptions) and get off the field will decide how much the Eagles can improve from a frustrating showing a year ago (128th out of 136 FBS teams in total defense – 424.4 yards per game).
Above expectations
BC slotted in at No. 16 in the ACC preseason poll, only ahead of Stanford. Those expectations are understandable following the disastrous 2025 campaign.
“When you come here, not to bring up last season, but we were 2-10, so you already know how that is,” Davis said. “They know that as soon as you step foot at Boston College, everybody’s gonna look down on us because of what we put on tape last year. And even though we were 2-10, we were in a lot of games. But they come in here, the past is the past. Everything I like about these new guys that we got here, they come here ready to work.”
The Eagles have plenty of work to get the most out of a reshuffled roster. O’Brien believes the foundation of that necessary chemistry is already there with a month before the first game of the season at Cincinnati.
“I think this team’s come together,” O’Brien said. “I think there’s good chemistry on this team. I feel good about that. I think they know each other better. We’ve done some things team-building wise in the offseason to help that. I think there’s good leadership on this team.”
