Boston College Football: 3-star S Desman Stephens commits to the Eagles

Over a dozen schools offered Desman Stephens, but it came down to Boston College, Duke, Louisville and Purdue for the 6-foot-2, 180-pound safety out of Clarkston (Mich.).

Boston College offered Stephens in February. Communication picked up right away, relationships were established and over the weekend during his official visit, the decision was made.

“I started to like them a lot when I visited the first time with my mom, but after visiting on the official visit with my whole family, that put the cherry on top,” Stephens told On3.

Multiple things put the Eagles on top for Stephens.

“The first that made Boston College stand out compared to the other schools was the relationships I have with most of the coaches. Then I believe they can develop me. The staff has so many minds that know defensive backs to critique my game I feel I will develop great there. Coach Jeff Hafley was a defensive backs coach in the NFL too, and we have a great relationship.

“Secondly, being around all the players for most of my official visit helped a lot. I was asking them different questions to see if it was real what was going on at Boston College and hanging with them really showed me I would like to be teammates with these guys. They told me the coaches aren’t putting on a show.

“Lastly, the school aspect of things stands out. Having a degree from one of the best business schools and overall universities in the country will help me in the long run. There are also many different business opportunities in Boston as a city, so the education was big for me.”

Stephens is excited about the environment he will be a part of

Stephens has visited twice. He has a good feel for what it is like for a student-athlete at Boston College and he is excited to be a part of that.

“It is really family-like at Boston College,” Stephens said. “There are a lot of smiles and hugs all the time. The people care about you. The players are the same way. They have a great vibe too. The overall atmosphere of the university is love. And it goes around the city as well. The players are getting love from multiple fans.”

Feeling that love over the weekend lead to Stephens’ decision. He had that feeling during his visit, but he came home for a few days to make sure it didn’t go away. Stephens feels the same way now as he did in coach Hafley’s office on Sunday.

“Earlier in the day I felt like committing, but I gave my time more time to think about it, so while having a conversation with him in his office later, I broke the news to him. I really had no idea of when I exactly wanted to commit going into the visit, but I did know it was going to be sometime in June. It was really going to be when I felt sure about my decision and I had that feeling at Boston College.”

Stephens gave Hafley the news, and that relationship is strong, but he is closest to safeties coach Matt Thurin.

“Me and coach Thurin talk daily. He’s not only a good coach, but a good person to talk to about anything. He is genuine, and not just for me, but the players at Boston College feel that from him too.”