ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL KICKOFF

July 27, 2023

Jeff Hafley

Donovan Ezeiruaku

Christian Mahogany

Emmett Morehead

Boston College Eagles

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome back to the second floor fo Westin in Uptown Charlotte. We welcome Boston College and the Eagles to the room. Coach Jeff Hafley and then we'll have five minutes each with his student-athletes.

Questions for Coach.

Q. They always say games are won and lost in the trenches. Last year obviously you guys had some struggles up front, brought in only four starts to the season. This year you bring in 137 starts as a unit. You also bring back all-conference Christian Mahogany there. How do you feel that kind of is really going to -- you got experience for a lot of the young guys last year. How do you feel that's going to pay dividends going forward as a lot of people have said Boston College should have the most improved offensive line in college football?

JEFF HAFLEY: First of all, I love your question. I love your numbers. I agree with your statement.

That guy brings a big smile to my face right now, and he should bring a big smile to our entire team.

Last year in May we found out he got injured, and I still felt pretty good about the line. We only had four, like you said. We had four starts on the whole offensive line, and my biggest concern was, was anybody going to get hurt? Well, then week one or week two we lose our starting right tackle to a torn ACL. Our center tears his meniscus and breaks his left hand, and our left guard tears his labrum.

Now we're taking guys on defense, and we're moving them to offense. I have a ton of respect for these guys. We had guys step up. It was hard. Jackson Ness played guard and played center. He hadn't played center in high school, and he started against Wake Forest at center. Dwayne Allick was a defensive lineman and started every game at guard. Jack Conley, Ozzy Trapilo those guys battled all year, and now a year later we have 137 starts versus four.

At BC you have to run the ball, and we're going to run the ball. The key to our team, the strength of our team needs to be the O-line, and it will be the O-line. It's led by that guy right there. He brings a nastiness and a toughness.

Then you have guys like Drew Kendall, who was a Freshman All-American as a center, who was tough enough to play with a torn meniscus, and he is back.

Ozzy Trapilo at tackle, and Jack Conley, who I already mentioned.

We brought in two transfers, Logan Taylor, who started at Virginia at left tackle, and Kyle Hergel, who is one of the strongest offensive linemen and one of the tougher kids that I have seen. Now there's competition.

Now all those guys who got experience last year and went through it hard, they're competing for jobs. A lot of the guys who were in the two-deep were our starters last year.

That's how it has to be here, and that's what excites me the most about this team is the offensive line. Now, we have to go prove it, and we have to go line up in training camp, and now we're going to be able to practice and be physical, which we weren't able to do.

So as hard as it was last year, I'm really excited and optimistic about the return of Christian along with the rest of our offensive line.

Q. You talked about the return of the offensive linemen and the return of Christian and a lot of that. However, for the players who could tally statistics your returning 80% of that production as well. I know that last year was a very down year where you saw a ton of injuries and whatnot, but is a silver lining and a reason for optimism in Boston College fans not how much you're bringing back from that team, even though they did struggle mightily?

JEFF HAFLEY: Yeah, look at the production. We returned more production I think than most teams in the ACC and maybe in the country.

At the end of the year 37 out of the 44 in our two-deep were first and second year players. Were some ready to play? Maybe not. Some were thrown into fire as true freshmen, and they got a little taste of it.

They went through some really hard times. Then all of a sudden you get a team that's 28-point underdogs that goes into Raleigh as 28-point underdogs. No one thinks we can win the game. We go down I think 14 within the first three minutes. Emmett rallies us back and throws a touchdown to another freshman in Joe Griffin, and we win the game that no one thought we could win.

So you can ask these guys. There's excitement, and there's energy, and our guys are getting older. That's how we have to win at BC. Most of our guys are still underclassmen. We got a lot of juniors and seniors and we brought in some transfers. The attitude, the effort, I think it's contagious.

We're not going to sit up here and talk about how good we are going to be. We have to go play and go to training camp next week, and it's probably as excited as I have been since I have been a head coach to get into a training camp, but we have to go prove it, and we have to get better.

I really like this team. I like the players, and I think they're just as excited as I am.

Q. Some people focus on the problems. Some focus on the solution. Like you said, you're not going to say how good you're going to be because you have to play those games, but when we see you during the season, we're seeing a piece of that iceberg. We're not seeing the majority of all the work that goes in, so culture-wise and building-wise, what do you get excited about at Boston College about what you are doing so that tip of the iceberg is going to look like something positive at the end of the year?

JEFF HAFLEY: I think last year we sat up here and talked about Zay Flowers and Zay could have left. Then you talk about Zay Flowers, who was the 22nd pick in the draft, at the end of the season when we're a three-win team, that guy is playing harder for his teammates than a lot of people.

There's a lot of guys that would have opted out and not played in that game. I mean, there's more examples.

Look at Donovan. Donovan a true sophomore led the ACC in sacks. What do you think happened this offseason? He got called. He got called by schools. He got messaged by schools, and he got offered a lot of money.

We won three games, but we didn't lose our good young players. Same thing with Christian. Christian could have went to the NFL. I'm sure Christian could have went to any team in the country, but he already said it; he wasn't leaving.

Our guys believe in what we're doing. More importantly, our guys believe in each other, and they believe in the coaching staff.

This thing I knew would take some time to build, and I think you're going to see some of those pieces like you talked about as we get going. That's why I'm really excited because I love these guys on this team. I love the players on the team. It makes it a lot of fun to coach them.

Q. You start off with three straight home games to start and then four out of the first five. How important is it to get across to your team about starting strong with having that many home games to start the season?

JEFF HAFLEY: Yeah, you've got to take advantage of that. You have to start fast. You have to use home field advantage. The beauty of it, too, the first three are at noon, so there's consistency. There's time to recover. There's time for these guys after the game to go be with their families, but you're home. You're not traveling.

To have that opportunity to start at home the first three and have as many home games as we do, we need to take advantage of it. We have an unbelievable student section, and we've had an unbelievable fan base this last couple of years, and I'm excited that we get to start fast in front of them.

THE MODERATOR: From the podium, speaking of transition, you've got some coaching changes. You've elevated Coach Shimco to offensive coordinator, Coach Chudzinski is rejoining the team, and then you also have co-defensive coordinators in Coach Abdul-Rahim and Coach Duggan. What is it about what you are trying to put into place plays through those coaches, and what's your strategy in all these coaching additions and changes?

JEFF HAFLEY: I wanted to make sure we got the staff right. I'm really excited about Coach Chud. Coach Chud has an incredible reputation in the National Football League as a play-caller, offensive coordinator, head coach. He has been a big part of just a game management and helping me set some things up and being a big mentor to me.

The fact to kind of bring him on full-team and the development of the scheme and the players is probably as excited as I've been. If you ask these guys, especially Emmett and Christian, I think they'll reiterate that.

I think the combination of him and Steve Shimko, who has worked with our quarterbacks and who I have been around now for three years, very smart. Processes at a high level. I think they really compliment each other well and work together very well. They've had a prior relationship.

So I'm really excited about that. Defensively obviously that's my background, so our defensive scheme is not going to change very much. Sean Duggan was with me at Ohio State. Another really sharp, up-and-coming young coach.

Coach Aazaar, incredible relationship with our players. Him in front of the room is really impressive. Very knowledgeable.

Then I got a chance to bring in Paul Rhoads. Paul was one of my biggest mentors. He helped me get started in football. He was a defensive coordinator at Pitt when I was hired to be -- he hired me to be his GA. Young guy, 25 years old. Then I was hired full-time to be the secondary coach. Kept in touch with him. Probably the guy I've looked up to most as a defensive back coach, young defensive back coach and defensive coach in general. So to have the opportunity to bring him on, it was huge for me. Not only as a great defensive coach, but an ex-head coach, being the ex-head coach at Iowa State. So now I have two ex-head coaches on the staff, which I think is huge.

More importantly, I they these guys see it, and they're excited to play for them, which is huge.

Q. I'm just wondering how has -- you touched on it a little bit -- how has Logan Taylor fit in since joining you guys? How has the transition been?

JEFF HAFLEY: Love him. He has really changed and developed his body. Obviously he has gotten a little older where, he has three years left. Tough, tenacious, practices really hard, knowledgeable.

He is going to have a chance to be a really, really good football player. I think Emmett is probably pretty excited to have him protecting him.

I know they have a prior relationship playing in, I believe, a year together, but really happy that he is here to come in and compete and help us win games. So I appreciate the question.

Q. Obviously you have some big shoes to fill with Zay Flowers, but can you talk about bring in UCF transfer Ryan O'Keefe, someone who has 2,000 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns throughout his career. He has experience. What does he bring to the pass game having to replace Zay Flowers? And if I may follow up, you said you want to get back to running, which is the identity of Boston College football. How important is it to bring back a running back like Pat Garwo, who has been 1,000-yard rusher in the past?

JEFF HAFLEY: Having Pat Garwo back, it's big-time. Pat and I had a lot of conversations in the offseason. There were some people calling him, and there might have been thoughts with him, I just went through a really tough year after just rushing for 1,000 yards, and then last year, I mean -- last year was last year, and it wasn't. It was hard for him. I think it would have been hard for everybody; right?

But he came back in the spring, and I think he liked what he saw up front. He came to me and said he was going to stay, but that's a guy that I don't think he is talked about enough in the ACC, to be honest with you.

He is just as deserving in my opinion to be sitting up here today. The guy had 1,000 yards two years ago. In all due respect, I think he has a chance to do it again.

I'm really grateful you asked the question and brought him up because he should probably be up here with us as well.

Ryan O'Keefe, one, I think Coach Wyatt, who is our wide receiver coach and pass game coordinator, does as good of a job as any wide receiver Coach I've been around.

What he did with Zay this last year was incredible. Really and I mean that, and I think our wide receivers would tell you the same thing.

I don't want to compare anyone to Zay. Zay was special, and until someone proves it, I'm not going to make those comparisons.

Ryan can fly. Ryan is the fastest punter on our team. He might be one of the fastest players in the ACC. He has had back-to-back thousand -yard seasons, like you said. I love the way he practices. Love the way he fits in with these guys.

Gives us a guy back in the kick returning game that can take one to the house, which we really haven't had in a long time. Can catch a screen and take it the distance like we've all seen if we watched him on the tape. He can make those contested catches down the field.

I think what he will get with Coach Wyatt is I think he will be able to develop like Zay into a complete wideout, so I'm really glad he is here with us.

THE MODERATOR: If you want to hand the microphone off to Donovan, Coach. We have five minutes with our student-athletes.

Questions for Donovan.

Q. Coach talked about you leading the ACC in sacks and Coach Duggan said the ability to get to the quarterback is everything. Outside of yourself, however, nobody on this team returning has more than two sacks. So how do you lead? How do you kind of help out with your teammates in pass rushing besides just getting home yourself in order to increase BC's pass rush and take it to the next level as a unit?

DONOVAN EZEIRUAKU: Yeah, so last season what I was able to do, that potentially frees up a lot of guys this year. That's how I feel like they'll be able to eat.

Guys like Shitta Sillah, coming back from injury. Guys stepping up: Neto Okpala, Edwin Kolenge, Cam Horsley. All these guys coming back that have experience playing the games, if I'm double-teamed, they get one-on-ones, and so we all eat.

We send pressure, hopefully those double-teams come off me, and then I can eat myself. At the end of the day I feel like we all have the opportunity to be successful. Especially if I am getting those double-teams because I feel like eyes will be on me.

Q. When you look at this defense and everything that kind of went through the adversity of last season, what do you take from that 3-9 record and what you all went through that's going to pay off dividends now? What are some of those maybe learning lessons that really sit with you that you're going to take into this first game?

DONOVAN EZEIRUAKU: So you definitely cannot forget the past. We know what happened last year. We went through a lot of adversity, a lot of trials and tribulations. At the same time those are lessons.

We learned when times are tough and we need a big play, we can't argue on the sideline or do some of those things that we have to come together. I feel like this offseason we've gotten a lot closer as a defensive unit. Guys are having barbecues together. We're getting tighter where. I feel like that will pay dividends for us in the season. I'll trust the men next to me, and he will trust me to do my job, and I'll trust him to do his job.

I think that's a big part of that. Just getting closer as a defensive unit and definitely just learning from the past and just knowing when times get tough, we got to stick together.

Q. We've talked a lot about the team and about the unit, but you in particular, you look physically more filled out and stronger than you were last year. Can you talk a little bit about how you changed your body this offseason and what in particular you have worked on to improve your game in particular?

DONOVAN EZEIRUAKU: Yes, so I appoint that was made after my exit meeting and after evaluating the season was I got to get stronger. I have to be stronger in my lower half and upper half. So what I did this offseason, I put on some weight. I put on about 10 to 12 pounds. I'm about 250, 252. I feel like that will help me in that aspect, in that area of my game.

I have speed off the edge. I can bend. I'm instinctual, but it's that last piece that strength and that power. So I think that putting on those 10 to 12 pounds will definitely help my game and enhance my game to the next level.

THE MODERATOR: From the podium, a bit of a follow-up. A Twitter post that I saw of you exclaimed that you said that you were just built differently. What does it mean that you are just built differently?

DONOVAN EZEIRUAKU: I would say my leadership. I've always been the type of person to be a leader of my peers. I think that's a big part of being a motivator for the guys around me as well as my God-given ability.

I was blessed to have attributes like long arms, speed off the edge, you know, just the will power, I guess. I'm very motivated, very determined. That's why I said I was built differently.

THE MODERATOR: You are getting some head nods from behind you, so obviously that's the right answer. Donovan, you can trade places with Christian if you like. Christian, who brought the shoe game with him today.

Questions for Christian.

Q. Like we talk about with Coach, BC's offensive line is really like the identity of the team. A really big, nasty, physical offensive line. As the leader of the group and All-ACC player returning, how do you as the mentor to the group get that narrative back for this season to being that dominant offensive line that Boston College typically has?

CHRISTIAN MAHOGANY: You know, the way we play. The way we suit up. First play of the game, September 2nd. It's going to be nasty. It's going to be physical. Everything that we didn't have last year, we're going to have this year. I promise. From me personally, you can quote it, whatever you want to do. It's going to be nasty football.

People aren't going to like it, but I will, no doubt.

Q. As you look back on last season, what did you learn over the course of your recovery about yourself and the game, and secondly, as you look back at your time in Chestnut Hill, what legacy do you want to leave at Boston College with this senior class and yourself?

CHRISTIAN MAHOGANY: Physically, mentally, emotionally it's a draining process. I'm around month 15, 16 since I tore my ACL since the surgery date. It's not fun, man. There's dark days. I've called Hafley. I've called my teammates. There's light days. There's better days than others.

You know, it's something that I had to learn myself who I am as a person, as a student of the game, as a man. Am I going to be better from this, or am I just going to be the same? Am I just going to get worse? I decided that day that I was going to be better.

Reflecting on my time at Chestnut Hill, it's been great. I want to be remembered not just as a jersey in Fish Field House next to the other first round picks. I want to be remembered for a big win season; eight, nine, ten, 11 winning season at Boston College because that says more than just a first round pick in my opinion. Thanks, Billy.

Q. You said that you had some of those dark days going through the injury and had to call different people, including Coach. Leaning on your faith, leaning on your team just going into that and how you got out of that with mental health being such an important part of what we're focusing on today?

CHRISTIAN MAHOGANY: Me personally I've never been hurt. I've never missed a football game for anything that I can control. I hate it. I won't miss for a broken finger, broken toe, whatever. Whatever I can do, I'm going to be on the field.

Mentally it was draining. I can't lie to you. I wanted to be out there. I wanted to do everything I can. So in that process mental health is a serious thing. I didn't know until you know, so if you have to, you have to talk to people. You have to be able to take that step and get over it eventually, but there's outlets. We have a great support staff at Boston College. Coach Hafley, I can call him whenever I want.

I know I can call Donovan. I know I can call Emmett. I know I can call Coach Tusz, Coach Applebaum, any of our coaches, and they will answer any questions I have.

If you are dealing with mental health, it is a serious topic, and you should talk to people.

Q. You talked about the nastiness, and we've talked about the tradition of Boston College offensive linemen. Has there been any former Boston College offensive linemen that have reached back and have kind of guided you through the process of recovery, guided you through the process of expectations and what not because, I mean, obviously you wouldn't be the first offensive lineman going in the first round from BC. Have any of those guys reached back and kind of gave you words of encouragement, tips to be the best you you can be?

CHRISTIAN MAHOGANY: Guys like Zion Johnson who has been up here. First-round draft pick. Alec Lindstrom. The guys who I have played with Ben Petrula, Tyler Vrabel. We're a tight-knit group. We played together two years ago, and we're still tight. They gave me words of encouragement to be who I am and always remember who you are as a person and you will overcome things like this.

That's all I wanted to do, and they helped me a lot.

THE MODERATOR: From the podium, I'm curious from the back field, you ran for a touchdown in your '22 spring game. Is there a wannabe running back inside of you?

CHRISTIAN MAHOGANY: Yeah, no doubt. I mean, I would love to be a skill player. I thought my celebration was better than the actual touchdown. I hope you guys -- if you guys saw it, I hope you guys enjoyed that.

Maybe you'll see it this year. I don't know. I got to talk to the OC about that one, though.

THE MODERATOR: Christian, thank you. You can switch places with your quarterback. We've got five minutes with Emmett.

Questions.

Q. Emmett, in those last few games, you know, ignoring the first game of starting against UConn and what not, in those last few games you really seemed to turn it on a bit with the exception of the Notre Dame game averaging 304 yards per game, nine touchdowns against two interceptions, 65% completion percentage. How do you carry that momentum over into this year that, you know, some people look at it and say, well, you still lost, but objectively speaking, you played better and better as the season went on. How do you carry that momentum into the spring, into camp, and into this upcoming season?

EMMETT MOREHEAD: What I'll say is hopefully last year is as hard as it's going to get for me and this team. I think last year pushed a lot of people to really look in and see how hard we're working together as a group.

There's a lot of things out of our control, like the injuries I've never seen before. This year we have depth that I haven't seen at BC before either. Our offensive line has competition at every position, except for a few.

I'm really excited about that because when we have a good run game, that opens up the playaction game. We're efficient on first and second down. Our third down conversions are going to be much higher because we have much better position. I think we probably played in third and long more than any team in the country last year. That's a problem.

As Coach Haf knows it's so easy to defend a team on third and eight, third and ten, third and 12. Staying ahead of the sticks, that's been a priority. That's finding completions in zones, check the ball down, keeping it moving.

Like I said, it's only up from here. Last year was as hard as hopefully I can go through in my career honestly. I think our offense is going to be even more efficient. We had negative rushing yards, and we won a really, really big game. So hopefully this year we can get some rushing yards, and we'll air it out for sure.

Q. As a new full-time starter, obviously you got a lot of good experience last year, what does it do for your confidence knowing you have a veteran leader like Christian up front, you have a veteran running back behind you that you can hand the ball off to, and what does that do for your confidence as a young player, who is still -- you obviously have the experience of finding your way in the offense as well?

EMMETT MOREHEAD: It's our third offense in three years. For me I've been learning a lot of different ways to do similar things, and I feel like this year we have such a great pro style scheme that I think it's going to really help everybody from Christian to Pat to me to our receivers.

I think football can get really complex, especially at my position. It can get very complicated in certain schemes, and we're in the process of trying to eliminate things and make things simpler for everybody because for efficiency reasons, like, we don't want to be thinking too much, and I think that was a problem in the past at times.

I'm really excited to see what Christian and the O-line can do because it's not just him. Drew Kendall is going to be an amazing center. One of the best in the country.

Ozzy on the right side as well, he is an unbelievable athlete. He is 6'8", 315 pounds. Extremely athletic.

We have guys across the board that I'm really excited about, and we've had -- this is the best offseason I've seen as a team. So all these guys have improved so much. They're healthy. They're fresh. There's a different energy. We got a lot more positivity. We got a lot more focus as well. I mean, we're trying to flip our record from last year.

Q. Emmett, Boston College has had a rich tradition with some good quarterbacks in years past. Hasselbeck, Flutie and Matt Ryan. Are there any of those quarterbacks that you model your game after or taken some things from from watching tape or film in the past?

EMMETT MOREHEAD: I've watched Matt Ryan my whole life, which is a blessing because I think he does a lot of things the right way. His fundamentals are very, very obtainable. I think that's something I focused on this offseason is just making sure that I'm as consistent as I can be with my footwork and setting up the throw to be in balance. That's something Matt Ryan has made a career out of. He is consistently very, very careful with the ball. He has had his touchdown to turnover ratio be really good year after year.

As long as we can keep the ball moving forward and I think that's something that Matt Ryan has done even to the later part of his career now, that's something as a quarterback you'll play for a long, long time. Just being careful with it and scoring touchdowns. I think we can score a lot this year.

THE MODERATOR: Your last question from the podium. You play guitar. Are you any good?

EMMETT MOREHEAD: I'm all right. I'm all right.

THE MODERATOR: What's your favorite style?

EMMETT MOREHEAD: I play guitar to relax, so I'm not playing, like, a ton of led Zeppelin and stuff. Maybe more like John Mayer.

THE MODERATOR: I was going to ask if you model yourself after anyone like you do at quarterback?

EMMETT MOREHEAD: No, I just play for fun.

THE MODERATOR: Good luck this year, Boston College. Thanks for the time.