“We’ve got Christian back!”
That’s been more of a rallying cry than a statement of fact for the beleaguered Boston College offensive line as they got ready for the 2023 season that kicked off against Northern Illinois on Sept. 2 at Alumni Stadium.
Eagles’ guard Christan Mahogany was the only returning starter from the 2021 offensive line that featured consensus first team All-American and first-round draft pick Zion Johnson and All-ACC performers Alec Lindstrom, Ben Petrula and Tyler Vrabel.
Mahogany was named a 2022 preseason All-American before things went sideways. Mahogany suffered a torn right ACL while doing an off-campus workout a month after spring ball and missed the 2022 season. Despite not playing a down last year, the AP named Mahogany a second-team preseason All-American.
The Eagles began the doomed campaign fielding a young untested offensive line with its anchor on the sidelines. Adding to this promising misadventure was the loss of offensive line coach Matt Applebaum, who departed the Heights for a job with the Miami Dolphins.
“It is awesome to have Christian back, it’s a blessing to have him back and he’s really matured just by the way he presents himself,” said BC head coach Jeff Hafley. “He brings toughness and a nastiness and a very large human being back to our offensive line.
“I think that he kind of sets the tone when he’s in that huddle. If you are playing alongside him you better be ready to go because if you aren’t he is going to let you know.”
Watching the Eagles’ patchwork offensive line struggle through a 3-9 season was difficult for Mahogany. Injuries decimated the ranks and Hafley had to use guys that weren’t ready for the ACC and often played them out of position.
The numbers best explain the revolving door that was the BC offensive front last season. With Mahogany removed from the equation, there were two players, tackles Ozzy Trapilo and Jack Conley, who combined for four starts in 2021.
By the end of the 2022 season, BC started nine different offensive linemen for a combined 124 starts. The O-Line as a unit missed 33 games to injuries which added up to 55% of potential starts according to BC statistics.
“The O-Line is the only position where five is one,” said Mahogany. “You have to move together as one so when one guy gets hurt or whatever, you have to be ready to step in and it has to be a seamless transition.
“It was tough but we are going to try and limit injuries as best we can. When you get thrown in the fire, you have to be ready for anything and everything. Those guys got a lot of reps under their belts so they are not rookies. I see them in practice and you can tell that hard experience has helped them.”
Following the 2022 season opener, a heartbreaking last-second loss to Rutgers at home, there were just two games where BC started the same five guys along the front. The offensive line consumed the largest slice of the blame pie for what went wrong in 2022.
“It was hard to watch football when I’m not out there,” said Mahogany. “I hate missing football games but we are back now and we have a new energy and a new aura around new guys competing every day.
“It is fun now. I just like to hold everyone accountable, especially myself and the biggest form of compassion is accountability. That is the motto I go by. I love those guys to death and to make sure they are doing the right things. That one is on me.”
Rebuilding the structure and morale of the offensive line was Hafley’s No. 1 priority in the aftermath of 2022, the only losing season on his watch.
Hafley’s first order of business was to get “O-Line U.” back on the rails starting from the top down. He removed offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo and was able to bring back Applebaum, who recruited most of the guys on the current roster.
“Coach Applebaum was the coach I played under, I’ve seen him the most and he’s my guy,” said Mahogany. “It was tough when I heard he was leaving but it has been a seamless transition for me because I never played under someone else.
“It was really easy to get back into his stuff. He is a great coach and a great guy. He has a lot of knowledge of the game in general and he is easy to talk to.”
There is a large nucleus of returning offensive linemen that battled through training camp with a renewed vigor and a nasty disposition. The group that survived the ordeal of 2022 includes Trapilo, Conley, center Drew Kendall, Kevin Cline, Otto Hess, Jackson Ness, and Jude Bowry.
The front added a dynamic new piece when BC landed 6-7, 305-pound, Logan Taylor from the transfer portal. Taylor played two seasons at Virginia and started 12 games at tackle for the Cavaliers in 2022.
“We are going to be physical and nasty and give it everything we’ve got,” said Kendall. “We are going to play through the whistle and let things fall together and see how it goes.
“Last year we struggled a little bit and you have to keep going. You can’t get down too much, just push through it and keep fighting.”