Boston College searching for dual-threat QB to replace Tyler Murphy

By Danny Jaillet | Mar 23, 2015

Boston College is looking to fill the void left by Tyler Murphy at quarterback and Steve Addazio knows just what he is looking for.

Entering his third campaign as the head coach at Boston College, Steve Addazio has certainly left his stamp on the program. Following his hire on December 4, 2012, many fans were interested to see exactly what changes he would bring to the program, and how he would implement his coaching style to create a winning product on the field.

The graduation of senior quarterback Chase Rettig after the 2013 campaign gave Addazio a chance to recruit a quarterback that would fit his offensive style best and in turn, effectively signify a new era of Boston College football.

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Tyler Murphy, the former Florida Gator graduated from Florida in December of 2013, but still had one last season of eligibility. On January 14, 2014 he announced he would be transferring to Boston College to reunite with Addazio, who was Murphy’s offensive coordinator at Florida serving under then-head coach Urban Meyer.

With Murphy coming into the program, it brought a different dimension to the Boston College offense that had not been present in some time: a running quarterback. Furthermore, Murphy was not only a running quarterback, but he could throw the ball as well, and the combination of the two were certainly unlike anything Boston College had experienced in earlier years.

Rettig took over the starting job for the Eagles in the second half of the 2010 season and remained the starter for all four years at the Heights. He put up respectable passing numbers, throwing for 8,263 yards, 52 touchdowns, and 39 interceptions during his career.

His best season came in the 2013 campaign when he threw for 1,995 yards, 17 touchdowns, and eight interceptions, while maintaining a completion percentage of 61.6 %, his best during his time under center for the program.

One of Rettig’s biggest weaknesses however was that he was not a mobile quarterback. He ran for -225 yards in those four years and his highest rushing total came in his senior campaign when he scampered for 71.

He was your stereotypical pocket-passing quarterback, often using the run as a last resort and not using it to move the pocket and keeping plays alive. This may have hurt his game in some aspects, particularly when he would force throws in hopes of making something out of nothing.

His predecessor also struggled to run the rock.

David Shinske started under center for the Eagles in the 2009 season while starting for part of the 2010 season as well before Rettig took over, A fourth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2003, Shinske gave up his baseball career in 2009 and decided football was his calling.

There was no doubt that he had a cannon for an arm and it was on display as the 25 year-old freshman threw for 2,049 yards and 15 touchdowns. His 7.1 yards per passing attempt in the 2009 campaign showed just how much strength he had in that arm.

Running for Shinske however, was a different story. In his two years as starter, Shinskie ran for -99 yards in total (-74 yards in 2009 and -25 yards in 2010) and averaged -4.6 yards per carry. He, like Rettig also tended to stay in the pocket and would let his arm make plays and not his feet. This also may have hurt his game as his lack of mobility made it difficult for him to move the pocket.

To put it simply, he was no Tyler Murphy.

The Wethersfield, Conn. native made his presence on the ground felt immediately. He had a tremendous season running the ball running for 1,184 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was different from Rettig and Shinske in the fact that he was able to add a dynamic presence to the offense.

While Murphy certainly did have his faults, his style was certainly a change-up from seasons past. His ability to scramble out of the pocket and confuse defenses made things difficult for Boston College opponents.

It looks like Addazio wants to continue the trend of mobile quarterbacks. On March 18, the Eagles offered three-star dual threat quarterback Joshua Jackson a scholarship. He is getting noticed as West Virginia, Buffalo, and Air Force among others have all offered him a scholarship.

Regardless of the uncertainty surrounding Jackson’s decision, one thing is certain: Steve Addazio has a plan. It’s different, it’s dynamic and it just may help the Eagles soar to new heights.

Next: Top 10 ACC Running Backs Entering 2015

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