BC Spring Football Blog #5: Final practice prior to Easter on Wednesday

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CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The BC football team practiced for the final time before Easter break Wednesday inside Fish Field House.

Offensive line coach Matt Applebaum met the media following the full-padded practice. The second-year offensive line coach was asked about the transition of mid-year freshman Drew Kendall to the squad.

“I don’t want to give too much to a freshman, but he plays with a lot of tenacity,” said Applebaum. “He’s very conscientious, in terms of improving his fundamentals and techniques, in terms of the scheme, and in a classroom setting. He’s able to answer and articulate questions really well. He’s able to make a correction and implement it quickly. To me, those are two really good strengths of his that are great starting points for any freshman. He’s certainly gotten better over the course of spring, and I think his eyes have been opened with what he needs to get better at. He’s done a great job for us.”

Kendall was the top recruit in the 2021 recruiting class for Boston College and the second ESPN 300 recruit for the Eagles in the class. He was the top-ranked recruit in Massachusetts and a Top-100 recruit nationally.

Graduate wide receiver Kobay White spoke to reporters following Wednesday’s practice for the first time since injuring his knee in preseason camp last season. The Harrisburg, Pa., native led BC in receiving in 2018 and 2019 and was expected to be a major contributor in BC’s new offense before missing last season with the knee injury.

“It was tough, but I had great support,” White said. “My teammates, the coaches, my family, they really rallied behind me and made sure I have always had a positive mindset and positive vibes all around. Each day is getting easier, especially as I start to do more and start to feel like a football player.”

White is excited about the BC receiving corps heading into 2021 as the Eagles return their top five wide receivers from a year ago along with starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec.

“I think we’re really going to be able to shock the country this year,” said White.

All-ACC wideout Zay Flowers leads the group along with Jaelen Gill and CJ Lewis. White spoke about how excited he was to watch the breakout season Lewis enjoyed in 2020.

“Seeing CJ have this year was probably one of the best feelings,” said White. “I knew how much it meant to him after getting hurt the season before when he was supposed to have his breakout year. Seeing all that work finally pay off, it’s a real good feeling.”

Wednesday’s practice notes: Sophomore linebacker Kam Arnold continues to look comfortable in his move to linebacker from safety in the offseason. The West Bloomfield, Mich., native is squarely in the mix for one of the starting spots at linebacker … Phil Jurkovec had another good practice, zipping the ball all over the field on Wednesday. He hit Taji Johnson on a deep pass of 30 yards and connected with Spencer Witter and Jaelen Gill for first down receptions … true freshman running back Xavier Coleman continued his solid spring with an 80-yard touchdown run. The New Jersey native used his quickness to break through the line of scrimmage and put on the jets to go the distance for the score … redshirt freshman Tommy Birmingham had a couple first down receptions from his tight end position during teamwork Wednesday … freshman CJ Burton had an excellent pass breakup downfield, staying stride for stride with Zay Flowers … redshirt freshman Denzel Blackwell also contributed a key pass breakup during third-down situational drills.

-BC-