Boston College is set to break training for the Sept. 19 opener at Duke.
Boston College safety Deon Jones’ cellphone and social media platforms became very active on Aug.11. That was the day the Big 10 tabled its football season in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Pac-12 wasn’t far behind, depriving Division 1 FBS of two of its Power-5 conferences. Jones is a 6-1,180-pound, graduate transfer student from Maryland, who was snagged from the NCAA’s relocation portal by BC first-year head coach Jeff Hafley. The Big 10’s mandate has adversely affected Jones’ former teammates back in College Park, Md., and his acquaintances in the Big 10 who were issued football furloughs by the league’s board of governors. BC competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference which, along with the SEC and the Big 12, has elected to play an abbreviated schedule under strict safety protocols. Jones decision to leave Maryland and grab a football lifeline from BC turned out to be a godsend he never could have anticipated. Maryland left the ACC for the Big 10 on July 1, 2014. “It was so crazy, you know,” said Jones. “I have so many friends from the (Big 10) that started calling me telling me the Big 10 just cancelled and all asking me ‘what is the ACC going to do?’ “I just told them that ‘we are still practicing.’ It’s definitely unfortunate for them, but I’m grateful that I get to suit up every day and go out on the practice field and get ready for the season.” BC senior right offensive tackle Ben Petrula has been on an NFL trajectory since being named an ESPN Freshman All-American center in 2017, a position he neither competed for in training camp or played in high school. The 6-5,315-pound, native of Freehold, N. J., was a second team All-ACC selection in 2019 who started 13 games and allowed one sack on 311 pass attempts. Petrula has started 37 consecutive games and has an excellent opportunity to enhance his college portfolio while others stagnate. The ACC’s decision to conduct a football season helps Petrula’s NFL aspirations. While his draft rivals from the Big 10, the Pac-12 and the other cancelled conferences sit idle, Petrula will be showcasing his NFL qualifications against some of the most beastly pass rushers in college football.
