Boston College Eagles: Five to Watch in 2026 Season
By Peter Mann
Despite entering a third season as Head Coach of the Boston College Eagles, Bill O’Brien and the Massachusetts college football program have ‘high’ hopes.
With over three decades’ worth of coaching experience, including spells in the NFL with the Houston Texans and New England Patriots, O’Brien’s record with the Eagles is, at present, a losing one, posting 9-16 over the past two campaigns.
However, on the field he’ll be looking to increase the height advantage that a good chunk of his roster has, and to which his offensive line certainly puts forth in abundance; why, they’re all 6ft 5ins and above.
Perhaps best placed on a basketball court, the Boston Eagles have three towering athletes in their locker room: Marc Antunes Jnr (6’ 8”), and the pairing of Veguer Jean-Jumea and Souleye Diawara (6’ 9”).
Offensive Lineman Marc Antunes Jnr comes in at 6ft 8ins, 300lbs, is a four-star prospect from Catholic Memorial, ranking in the top-five in Massachusetts, and top 75 nationally for his position.
During his three-year tenure with Catholic Memorial, Antunes was a three-time state champion and, in his senior year, allowed zero sacks, going on to earn a number of state honours – which means that once he pulls on the Eagles jersey, expectations could well be high.
Offensive Lineman Veguer Jean-Jumeau, 6ft 9ins, 305lbs, joined Boston from Tennessee State, where he started all twelve games last season, allowing just two sacks during an impressive campaign.
Jean-Jumeau could well be an OL player that Coach O’Brien turns to during 2026, having received honourable mentions and all-star selections both in high school at Hillsboro, Nashville, and again whilst at Tennessee State.
Offensive Lineman Dutchman Souleye Diawara, 6ft 9ins, and tips the scales at some 340lbs; originating from The Hague, in his native Netherlands, Diawara is certainly a travelled individual, taking in both North Carolina and Maryland during his High School years, before landing in Boston for his college tenure.
Having redshirted his 2024 season, Diawara played ten games last time around, being used primarily as protection on FG and PAT attempts – the height advantage is certainly coming in handy there, and 2026 could well be more of the same for Diawara and his teammates.
Other Notable Names
In addition to that trio there’s also Pape Abdoulaye Sy (6’ 7”), and the pairing of Trevon Humphrey and Reggie Jackson (6’ 5”); how about a pair of 6ft 5ins wide receivers in your arsenal, or even a similar height tight end, the Eagles have those also, in the shape of Duke Brennan and Reed Swanson, as well as Danny Edgehille.
The Eagles have height across the board, with only a handful of athletes on the roster coming in under six feet; an additional two of their five-to-watch in the coming season are tight end Danny Edgehille and wide receiver Reed Swanson.
Tight End Danny Edgehille, 6ft 5ins, 255lbs, is someone who will be looking to gain much more game time than he’s had over the past two seasons.
Edgehille saw only two games in ’23, and none last time around, having also excelled in baseball, particularly basketball, whilst in High School; 2026 could well be a breakout year for the Franklin native.
Wide Receiver Reed Swanson, 6ft 6ins, 210lbs; Swanson is perhaps one of the lightest on the Boston Eagles roster, having landed there in mid-season 2025.
A New Jersey native, Swanson impressed during three years at Colgate, where he posted 1,171yds, 12TDs, eight of which came last year as he made his way onto the All-Patriot League Second Team honour roll; those eight TD scores were the second-best registered in the conference.
Should Coach O’Brien opt to start Swanson during the 2026 campaign, expectations will be increasing as game-time wears on.
What lies ahead...
O’Brien will look to lead his Eagles into a winning start to the 2026 season, taking on a trip to the Cincinnati Bearcats on 5 September, followed by home games against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Maine Black Bears, and Virginia Tech Hokies at their Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill.
The season concludes for the Eagles at Hard Rock Stadium and the Miami Hurricanes in late November, as they look to add a fourth Atlantic Coast Conference divisional championship (last in 2008), and what would only be a second Big East title, to their trophy cabinet.
Dreams are there for a reason, and Boston Eagles have ‘high’ dreams in mind, that’s for sure….
Peter Mann
COLLEGE FOOTBALL ANALYST
PETER IS A LIFELONG SPORTS FAN, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR BASED IN COUNTY DURHAM. HE HAS FOLLOWED THE NFL AND THE RAIDERS SINCE THE 1980s, AND LOVES BOTH SPORTS AND FAMILY HISTORY. PETER HAS A DEGREE IN SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY, AND CAN BE FOUND ON TWITTER @petermannwriter.