Boston College football coach Bill O’Brien is working to develop a new defensive scheme following the departure of standout edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku. The team held an intense practice on Tuesday to prepare for its season opener against Fordham.
Ezeiruaku, who won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and received the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end, was recently selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Last season, he recorded 16.5 sacks, tying him with Harold Landry for second most in a single season at Boston College.
“You are never going to replace Donovan,” O’Brien said. “He’s one of the greatest to ever play here. I thought he should have been a first-round pick, and he’s having a great camp for the Cowboys. (…) I think the way you replace him is different, it’s going to be different, and it’s going to look different. There are hopefully one or two guys that get some sacks. It is also the scheme and how we approach things.”
Boston College’s upcoming opponent, Fordham, has not yet named its starting quarterback for Saturday’s game. Senior Jack Capaldi appears likely to start after throwing for 1,573 yards and eight touchdowns last year but is being challenged by sophomore Tripp Holley and transfer Gunnar Smith.
On his approach to defense this season, O’Brien noted: “We are very multiple on defense, so there will be different ways to try and get guys loose. One of the things I always stress, and I did it this morning, is that it’s really not about sacks. It’s about pressure and rush lane integrity and not letting these guys scramble out. (…) The Fordham quarterbacks, whichever one it’s going to be, are really good athletes that can run. We have to do a good job of rush lane integrity when these guys drop back. The pressure is what is most effective, and that’s what leads to interceptions. It’s not always about the sacks.”
Quintayvious Hutchins will step into a more prominent role as right defensive end this season after serving as Ezeiruaku’s backup last year. Hutchins has been named one of Boston College’s defensive captains along with Owen McGowan and Daveon Crouch.
“He (Hutchins) has had a good camp,” O’Brien said. “His last five or six practices have been really good, and you can feel him out there in the scrimmages out there. (…) You can feel the pressure he puts on the quarterback, and you can feel him chasing plays down in the running game and setting the edge in the running game. He’s come a long way since we’ve been here. He’s a great story and just a real good example of what Boston College can do for a guy. I am looking forward to him having a good season.”
Hutchins reflected on learning from Ezeiruaku while playing alongside him: “I saw his play style, the way he got off the ball, and reacting to the pass and reacting to the run and execution to get to the ball (…) There were several things from him that I learned and that he taught me just by playing beside him. There was getting to the ball, the hand placements, and stuff like that.”
Hutchins appeared in thirteen games with seven starts last year, compiling thirty-one tackles including 6.5 for loss.
Looking ahead at his expanded role this season: “That experience prepared me for a lot of things like Fordham and stuff like that,” Hutchins said. “I feel like having those game starts changed my perspective in terms of game flow and the tackles that I am going against.(…) It changed a lot and gave me a different mindset going into the game. I try to be more of a vocal guy because I have a loud voice.I can speak at moments,but I would say I express my leadership more on the field than off the field.”
