It is no secret that Boston College will have an open quarterback competition come spring. But in a surprising development, coach Steve Addazio said this week that backup Josh Bordner would not be a part of that race.
Addazio said Bordner would be trying out a move to receiver, while Florida transfer Tyler Murphy, freshman early enrollee Darius Wade and redshirt freshman James Walsh get the bulk of the reps at quarterback when spring practice begins next month. Bordner served as the backup quarterback to Chase Rettig the past two seasons. The move means that the Eagles will now have a new starting quarterback and a new backup quarterback in 2014.
"He's really tough, really smart, he's got unbelievable ball skills and hands, he can fill that hybrid receiver role a little bit," Addazio said. "He belongs on the football field. It's our job to find that right spot for him."
Bordner, at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, could present some matchup problems in his new role. Addazio said Bordner was completely on board with the move. In fact, Addazio said he thought about having Bordner play special teams last year, but he was too worried about potentially getting his backup quarterback hurt. In retrospect, Addazio believes it was a mistake to keep Bordner off the field because "he could have helped us."
"He doesn't want to carry a clipboard and stand on the sidelines," Addazio said. "He was like, 'Coach, I want to get on the field, and I want to play ball.'"
Wade and Murphy appear to be the top two contenders to win the starting job. Both are dual-threat quarterbacks who will give the Eagles the ability to run more spread option sets. Addazio said of them, "They’re both really athletic guys. Both run the ball well and throw the ball well and both have great arms. Tyler is an older guy, a fifth-year player, and Darius is a mid-semester senior. Both those guys are really super guys who have leadership qualities and are dynamic athletes."
