Connect with us

Boston, MA

Another crop of Boston College NFL hopefuls get a chance to shine at Eagles’ annual Pro Day

Published

on

Another crop of Boston College NFL hopefuls get a chance to shine at Eagles’ annual Pro Day


College Sports

Boston College defensive lineman Quintayvious Hutchins took part in both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine prior to the Eagles’ Pro Day on Monday. Eric Gay/AP Photo

With Boston College nearby, and Bill O’Brien as a close friend, Mike Vrabel and the Patriots have plenty of intel when it comes to monitoring local players potentially worth drafting.

Even so, it never hurts to compile additional data, and Monday’s Pro Day gave the Patriots — along with 29 other teams — another opportunity to see what the Eagles have to offer. Vrabel and O’Brien watched intently, side by side, as players completed drills and more in front of a packed crowd inside the Fish Field House.

Advertisement

“Mike’s done an unbelievable job at the Patriots in a very short time, turning that around,” O’Brien said. “We try to recruit guys that are tough, that are smart, that are dependable, and I think those are the type of guys that he’s looking for on his team. So yeah, you’re hoping there’s a little bit of a pipeline.”

Twelve players participated in the event, including 11 former Eagles: offensive linemen Jude Bowry, Kevin Cline, Delby Lemieux (Duxbury/Dartmouth), and Logan Taylor; running backs Jordan McDonald and Andre Hines Jr. (BC/Wagner); wide receiver Lewis Bond; tight end Jeremiah Franklin; defensive linemen Quintayvious Hutchins and Sed McConnell; linebacker Vaughn Pemberton; and long snapper Ben Mann.

Some had the chance to interact with Vrabel, who stayed for the duration of the event alongside Patriots offensive line coach Doug Marrone and vice president of personnel Ryan Cowden.

Hutchins (6 feet 3 inches, 240 pounds) said Vrabel gave him feedback, including hand placement and how to leverage his body weight. While there was certainly some added pressure given the circumstances, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It was genuine,” Hutchins said. “He took the time out to see something in me, to stop his day to say something to me. It was a moment of shock of him coming to me face to face, but it was really cool.”

Advertisement

Vrabel also had an extended conversation midway through the event with Taylor (6-7, 312), a capable tackle and guard.

Bond (5-11, 190), who caught passes from current Boston College quarterbacks Mason McKenzie and Grayson Wilson, said having Vrabel nearby shows the type of connections present at BC.

“Great guy,” Bond said of Vrabel. “He kind of reminded me of Coach O’Brien a little bit. All about football. Smart, knows football. He’s very disciplined and going to lead that way.”

For Bond, BC’s all-time leader in receptions, Pro Day was another opportunity to prove himself after he didn’t receive an invite to the NFL Combine. He displayed his usual precise route-running abilities and reliable hands and made a splash throughout the day.

Bond remembers watching his teammates compete at Pro Day his freshman year. He has remained in contact with former BC star Zay Flowers, who has shown him that putting in extra work yields fruitful results.

Advertisement

O’Brien said he believes Bond has a “really good shot” to be drafted and highlighted his versatility and dependability as defining attributes.

“Lewis Bond is one of the best players to ever play here,” O’Brien said.

Lewis Bond’s 88 catches last season for the Eagles were a program record, and allowed him to break the career mark with 213. – Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

He also praised Bowry and Taylor for their intelligence and character, along with their talent, and expressed confidence in their ability to blend into their surroundings at the next level.

O’Brien said that when former Eagle Zach Allen spoke to the team last week, he noted that Boston College is held in high regard in NFL locker rooms. His goal is to keep that tradition going after Donovan Ezeiruaku, Ozzy Trapilo, and Drew Kendall impressed in their rookie seasons last year.

“The NFL locker room is a sacred place to be, and I think guys like BC guys fit right in there because of the type of guys they are,” O’Brien said.

Bowry (6-5, 311), who has worked with O’Brien, Marrone, Vrabel, and Dante Scarnecchia at various points, is optimistic Monday was another step in the right direction.

Advertisement

“There’s always something I can improve, but I think I showed what I needed to show,” Bowry said.

For Lemieux (6-4, 295), a first-team All-American who participated in the Senior Bowl, Pro Day also felt like a full-circle moment after coming to the Boston College campus as a kid.

He grew up watching Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and the rest of the Patriots win Super Bowls, and it’s still difficult for him to fathom that he has a shot to play in the NFL himself. With that said, he proved Monday that he belongs and fulfilled his mission of leaving with no regrets.

“A big part of this process for me hasn’t been about trying to prove people wrong, but about trying to prove the people right that believed in me and have supported me through all of this,” Lemieux said.

Get the latest Boston sports news

Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.

Advertisement





Source link

Boston, MA

Portion of Storrow Drive, Soldiers Field Road will close nightly through August – The Boston Globe

Published

on

Portion of Storrow Drive, Soldiers Field Road will close nightly through August – The Boston Globe


An inbound stretch of Storrow Drive and Soldiers Field Road will be closed each night through August for tunnel repairs, officials announced.

Starting Monday, the closures will begin at 8 p.m. and last until 5 a.m., state officials said.

Road closures begin at North Harvard Street in Allston and stretch along the Charles River Esplanade to Mugar Way in Boston, near the Hatch Memorial Shell, officials said.

Traffic will be detoured into Cambridge over the Anderson Bridge, along Memorial Drive, and then be routed into Boston over the Longfellow Bridge.

Advertisement

The closures will allow ongoing repairs to the Storrow Drive Tunnel in the Back Bay. The work is the first phase of a two-stage project to extend the lifespan of the tunnel, which carries roughly 50,000 drivers to and from downtown Boston daily.

The outbound portion of the tunnel and accompanying roadways will not be affected.

State transportation officials said changes to the work schedule will be made when necessary to minimize impacts during major local events at TD Garden, Fenway Park, or during the FIFA World Cup and 250th anniversary celebrations scheduled for this summer.

Additional changes may be made without notice due to weather.

Transportation officials have not specified when the closures will end.

Advertisement

Bryan Hecht can be reached at bryan.hecht@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @bhechtjournalism.





Source link

Continue Reading

Boston, MA

Ole Miss softball to play Boston in NCAA tournament Lubbock Regional

Published

on

Ole Miss softball to play Boston in NCAA tournament Lubbock Regional


This story has been updated with new information

OXFORD — Ole Miss softball is back in the NCAA Tournament after making the Women’s College World Series a season ago.

The Rebels (34-24) will play Boston (46-13) on May 15 (1 p.m. CT, ESPNU) in the Lubbock Regional. Ole Miss is the No. 2 seed in the regional, and Boston is the No. 3.

Advertisement

Texas Tech (52-6), the No. 11 overall seed and regional host, will face No. 4 Marist (37-19).

The Rebels went 6-18 in SEC play this season, and have a largely new-look roster from the team that made the WCWS last season.

Ole Miss beat South Carolina and Tennessee in the SEC Tournament to improve its seed.

Freshman Madi George has burst onto the scene in the SEC. The first-year infielder leads Ole Miss with a .385 batting average. She has a team-high 21 home runs and 58 RBIs.

Seniors Emilee Boyer (3.86 ERA), Kyra Aycock (3.97 ERA) and junior Lily Whitten (3.04 ERA) are the primary options in the circle for coach Jamie Trachsel.

Advertisement

Trachsel is in her sixth season leading the Ole Miss program. She led the Rebels to their first WCWS appearance in program history in 2025.

What to know about Boston, Texas Tech and Marist in Lubbock Regional

Boston entered the Patriot League Tournament as the top seed and the Terriers delivered. Boston beat No. 2 Colgate 12-1, becoming the second team in Patriot League history to four-peat as conference champions. Boston is on a 12-game winning streak. Kylie Doherty leads the team with a .396 batting average and 26 home runs.

Texas Tech made the 2025 WCWS championship series, losing to Texas in three games.

Texas Tech lost just three Big 12 games this season but lost in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. The Red Raiders are a strong threat to get to the WCWS again. There are four Texas Tech batters hitting over .400. Star pitcher NiJaree Canady leads the Red Raiders with a 1.24 ERA. She has 209 strikeouts.

Advertisement

Marist plays in the MAAC and won the conference tournament. Marist split a two-game series against South Carolina early in the season. Ava Metzger (12-3, 2.51 ERA) and Peyton Pusey (.404 batting average) lead the team.

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_



Source link

Continue Reading

Boston, MA

‘This is really just the start of it all’: Mojo Boston makes splashy debut at City Hall Plaza – The Boston Globe

Published

on

‘This is really just the start of it all’: Mojo Boston makes splashy debut at City Hall Plaza – The Boston Globe


Attendees held umbrellas as The Bends performed at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe

Mojo, a music brand and concert organizer, was founded in 2021 by Charley Blacker, Alex Parker, and Emily Donovan while they were students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The trio of friends decided to create Mojo out of their shared love for music and house shows.

“We saw there were so many local musicians that were so talented, but they didn’t have the platform we thought they really deserved,” Blacker told the Globe during Saturday’s festivities. “So we thought if we could do the behind-the-scenes work of organizing photographers and [provide] a social media platform, we could give these musicians the platform they deserve.”

Attendees danced as The Bends performed at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe

Five years later, the team behind Mojo is sticking to their mission, tackling their biggest venue yet with this weekend’s event at City Hall Plaza, which previously served as the original location for Boston Calling before it moved to the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston. Boston Calling announced last year that it is taking a one-year hiatus in 2026, with plans to return in 2027.

In addition to getting the chance to work on such a big event with his best friends, Blacker hopes Mojo Boston can help “lead to a lot more opportunities for local music.”

People browsed food vendors at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe

There was a wide range of genres represented at Saturday’s event, from the pop-rock stylings of The Bends to house and garage music from DJ AC Slater. Prior to the Boston debut, Mojo brought a festival to Pennsylvania’s Happy Valley in April and returned to Amherst later that month to host another event.

Mojo Boston attendees and former UMass Amherst students Emily Bowler and Max Debeau have been familiar with Mojo since its inception, watching the organization go from hosting basement shows to full scale music festivals. Debeau noted how many of the acts at Saturday’s event have worked with Mojo in the past, performing at UMass and other shows around the Bay State.

“To see it all come together has been great,” Debeau said. “This is the stage that they all deserve.”

“It’s crazy how quickly they were able to erect something so amazing,” Bowler added.

Amanda Giroux danced away from the stage while The Bends performed at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe

Formed in New Bedford, the band Autumn Drive was one of 18 acts that performed at Mojo Boston, and they are no strangers to a Mojo show.

“We’ve done, I think, every single Mojo that there is, so we’re very tight with them,” said guitarist and singer Charlie Gamache. “When we found out they were doing a big festival [in Boston], I was like, ‘We want in no matter what.’”

Advertisement

The band emphasized how much their relationship with Mojo has meant to them over the years, with Autumn Drive drummer Joe Gauvin praising the organization for “always putting us in front of a crowd that’s there to see music and hear us.”

Michael Asulin, of Stoughton, and Jackie Ludicke, of Miami, Fla., talked while wearing ponchos at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe

From a makeshift stage out of wooden pallets in his basement to Boston’s City Hall Plaza, Blacker is is proud of Mojo’s success and is already looking ahead at what’s to come.

“This is really just the start of it all,” said Blacker. “We have very lofty ambitions and goals, and we have nothing but confidence in our ability to accomplish everything we set out to do.”


Gitana Savage can be reached at gitana.savage@globe.com. Follow her on X @gitana_savage.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending