New BC coach Addazio's son among 17 signees

BOSTON (AP) - Steve Addazio took the Boston College job when the recruiting process was well under way, giving him only six or eight weeks to get to know some of the players who had committed to the Eagles.

But there's one he's quite familiar with.

Addazio's son, Louie, is a 6-foot-3, 245-pound tight end who went to Syracuse last year but did not play because of an injury. He transferred to BC this semester after his father was hired in December.

"He's got a good work ethic, toughness. He can block," the elder Addazio said Wednesday as he announced the 17 players who committed to the Eagles on national signing day. "He certainly got a lot more athleticism than his father."

Addazio's first recruiting class was mostly completed by the time he was hired from Temple to replace Frank Spaziani, who finished 22-29 in four-plus seasons with the Eagles. Addazio brought in 17 players, but 13 of them were already committed to Spaziani.

Among them is Matt Patchan, an offensive lineman who transferred from Florida, where Addazio had been the offensive coordinator. Patchan was rated with five stars when Addazio recruited him out of high school, which would make him the only highly rated recruit in the BC class.

"No one has a stronger relationship with him than I do," Addazio said.

Also coming to Chestnut Hill is Tyler Rouse, a 5-foot-9, 190-pound running back who was the player of the year in New York while rushing for 2,977 yards on 333 carries and 45 touchdowns in 2012.

Addazio said he couldn't recruit all-out because all of his scholarships were accounted for. Two players backed out of their commitments and Addazio did replace them.

"When you recruit, you've got to go in with a hammer. How do you go in with a hammer when you don't know if you've got a spot?" he said. "My relationship with these guys is a, whatever, 6-8 week relationship. Next year when we have this conversation it will be about a 14-month relationship."

Also heading to BC are:

-Wide receiver Drew Barksdale of Solon, Ohio, who caught 35 passes for 564 yards and seven touchdowns in his high school career, while also rushing for five touchdowns and throwing for seven. He was also offered a lacrosse scholarship at Michigan.

-Wide receiver Charlie Callinan of Westfield, N.J., who caught 33 passes for 565 yards and 9 touchdowns as a senior before playing in the 2012 Chesapeake Bowl all-star game.

-Linebacker/defensive end Jack Cottrell, of Eden Prairie, Minn., who led his school in tackles as a junior and senior while leading them to consecutive state championships. He was also captain of the basketball team.

-Defensive tackle Truman Gutapfel of Harrison, Ohio, who won the 2012 Ohio Division II Anthony Munoz Defensive Lineman of the Year award and also amassed over 100 career victories as a high-school wrestler.

-Cornerback John Johnson, a captain of his high school team in West Hyattsville, Md., who recorded 50 tackles, six tackles for loss, five interceptions, and 13 passes deflected in 2012.

-Defensive end Kevin Kavalec of Middleburg Heights, Ohio, who earned first team AP All-Ohio accolades while leading his team to a state championship in 2011 and second team AP All-Ohio accolades in 2012.

-Linebacker Marquis Little of Manchester, Conn., who earned Hartford Courant and Walter Camp All-Connecticut state team honors as a senior while recording 72 tackles, including eight sacks, and two forced fumbles. He also played quarterback, rushing 81 times for 609 yards and eight touchdowns in eight games, and completing 74-of-132 passing attempts for 831 yards and eight touchdowns.

-Quarterback Mack Lowrie, of Roxbury Latin in Boston, who was named to the Massachusetts All-State team while earning the Independent School League MVP. He holds the ISL record for touchdowns in a season with 35 and has career totals of 5,600 passing yards, 1,600 rushing yards, and 75 touchdowns.

-Safety Matt Milano of Orlando, Fla., who earned Orlando Sentinel All-Central Florida Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior safety in 2012 while registering 100 tackles, including 18 tackles for loss and three sacks.

-Defensive tackle Tevin Montgomery of Boston, who was selected to the U-19 National Football team and invited to participate in the Semper Fidelis All-America Bowl.

-Cornerback Atem Ntantang of Purcellville, Va., who earned first team All-Region II honors while recording 82 tackles, 15 passes defended, and 3 interceptions as a senior. He rushed for over 900 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior and also competed in track and field.

-Tight end Joel Rich of Paris, Ohio, who earned AP All-State first-team honors as a senior. He registered 45 career receptions for 620 yards and 15 touchdowns and tallied 213 career tackles, including 15 sacks, five forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries.

-Quarterback James Walsh of Dublin, Ohio, who threw for 2,038 yards and rushed for 558 yards in 2012. He was a three-year letterman in football and four-year letterman in baseball.

-Running back Myles Willis of Conyers, Ga., who earned Georgia AAAA Region 6A All-State Offensive Most Valuable Player honors as a senior quarterback in 2012 while completed 63-of-111 passes for 1,005 yards and nine touchdowns. He also ran 221 times for 1,181 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Cox Media Group