Former Notre Dame quarterback Phil Jurkovec discusses John McNulty’s new offense at Boston College
The outlook for the 2022 Boston College football program should be of interest for Notre Dame fans because they face off in South Bend on Nov. 19. Of course, they are also bitter rivals. But the 2022 matchup is particularly interesting for the Irish faithful because two familiar faces will make their return to Notre Dame Stadium when the Eagles come.
Not only will Boston College be led by former Notre Dame quarterback Phil Jurkovec, the signal-caller will be coached by former Irish tight ends coach John McNulty.
Following the Eagles second day of spring practice on Tuesday, Jurkovec spoke with the media about the new offense McNulty is installing in Chestnut Hill.
“It’s been good,” Jurkovec said, per Boston College reporter Andy Backstrom. “It’s a new offense. We have some changes, but so far it’s good. The guys are excited. It’s a little different style. So far there’s been nothing wrong. It’s been all good.”
Details about the new scheme are being kept under wraps for obvious reasons, but early indications are that it is less of a pro-style offense than McNulty ran at Rutgers where he was previously the offensive coordinator. McNulty plans to mix up the personnel packages a lot more, including incorporating running backs into the passing game and multiple tight end sets.
Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley, who is entering his third year at the helm for the Eagles, offered a comment on the progress early in spring practice as well.
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“Coach McNulty has got a great history with quarterbacks,” Hafley said. “I sit in that room pretty often and it seems things are going pretty well. Phil is competitive and coach McNulty is competitive and I think it is going to be a process. It’s the second day of a new system and a new scheme and I think you are going to see more growth as we go deeper into spring ball.”
The stint in Chestnut Hill is technically McNulty’s third as an offensive coordinator, although the first two both came at Rutgers from 2006-08 and 2018-19. As Hafley alluded to, he has a wealth of experience with quarterbacks as well. He has coached the position for the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans.
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Jurkovec is back for a fifth year to improve his NFL Draft chances
The Pennsylvania native and former four-star recruit out of the class of 2018 was eligible to enter the NFL Draft this year, but he elected to return to Boston College for another season to improve his draft stock. The choice came after Jurkovec missed a chunk of the 2021 season with a significant hand injury.
“Last year was a lost season and even when I came back for the last four games, I really wasn’t 100 percent,” Jurkovec said, per The Boston Herald. “I’m just looking forward to this year and getting back and finding success again.
“It was hard coming back because I lost weight from my injury, and I wasn’t able to work out doing any upper body stuff. When I came back I kind of took some hits in the last two games so my body was recuperating for a while. But now I’m starting to get back.”
Jurkovec has already faced Notre Dame once in a 2020 contest in Chestnut Hill. Notre Dame left with a 45-31 victory, and the former Irish quarterback completed 18 of 40 throws for 272 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
In two years at Notre Dame, Jurkovec backed up former Irish quarterbacks Brandon Wimbush and Ian Book. He left South Bend with with two career touchdown passes.
