Know Your BC Recruits: LB Connor Strachan
By Kyle Egan
Nov 25, 2011; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes running back Lamar Miller (6) is tackled by Boston College Eagles linebacker Luke Kuechly (40) during the first half at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
When you’re out this summer, sipping a nice (rhymes with Matty ICE) chilling with your buddies and someone peeps in about some random recruit Steve Addazio stole from their school, don’t look dumbfounded anymore. Soaring to Glory is starting a series detailing BC recruits for 2014 in basketball, hockey, and football, along with previewing the 2013 recruits later this summer. So sit back relax enjoy what the Heights has in store for it in 2014.
Matthias Kiwanuka, Luke Kuechly, Bill Romanowski, Mark Herzlich, Jo-Lonn Dunbar. Those are just some of the great linebackers who separated themselves from the pack in chestnut Hill. While Boston College is usually known for producing great offensive lineman in recent times, their vaunted linebackers definitely cannot be ignored.
Even during the grungy 2012 season, the Eagles’ linebacker core was still exceptional with Nick Clancy, Kevin Pierre-Louis (when healthy) and Steele Deviito (unofficial winner of the best name in college football) manning protecting the field.
However, 2014 will be a whole new year. Nick Clancy has already graduated after last season and 2013 will be the senior years for Pierre-Louis and Devitto.
Enter Connor Strachan into the Boston College linebacker equation.
Connor Strachan is a 6’1 240lb inside linebacker out of Saint Sebastian’s Country Day School in Wellesley. He runs a 40 time which is not only envied by other inside linebacker prospects but actually better than all of them according to ESPN with a 4.48s time. For comparison, Boston College’s #1 RB commit Marcus Outlow runs a 4.7s 40. And while he also had a respectable 20 yard shuttle, his vertical leap paralleled his 40 time, beating out the rest of the competition at his position with 36.5 inch leap.
ESPN grades Strachan as a 4-star prospect and the #20 inside linebacker in the country. Rivals ranks him even higher as the #12 inside linebacker and the 179th best prospect in the country overall. The service evens goes on to rank him as the best college prospect in all of Massachusetts. ESPN pins Strachan at #2 behind Johnathan Thomas, the 4-star running back Boston College missed out to Maryland on.
If you were not impressed by Strachan’s measurements and rankings, take a look at the highlights from ESPN’s scouting report:
"Has the size, athleticism and straight-line speed sought after for the inside linebacker position at the BCS level. While thick and muscular, his frame still appears capable of supporting additional body mass…Shows outstanding instincts with a nose for the football…Possesses dominant tackling skills. Will wrap up and run through…Can time the blitz and utilize his burst and relentless style to disruptive plays behind the line of scrimmage…Strachan is a physical and athletic prospect capable of seeing early action at the BCS level of play."
The only knock from the ESPN scouts is that Strachan’s arms aren’t the length that is usually boosts prospects to the top. Despite his “alligator arms”, Strachan is still an athletics prospect that will bring a lot to the Eagles if he stays committed to the program. In fact, while some of Strachan’s genetics might be criticized, his uncle Steve was a solid player for the Boston College Eagles in the mid 80’s. In the 1985 Cotton Bowl, the last major bowl the Eagles have been a part of, Strachan ran for 91 yards on 23 carries, scoring 2 touchdowns in the 45-28 win over Houston. For the 1984 season, Steve Strachan won the Scanlan Award, “Boston College Football’s highest honor” for the “ senior who best exemplifies the ideals of Tom Scanlan; scholar, athlete, gentleman and friend”. Strachan went on to play for five years with the LA Raiders before ending his career with the New England Patriots.
Connor Strachan’s Boston College pedigree most likely had something to do with his commitment but it’s more likely that the fact that he has a chance to start in his freshman year alongside Sean Duggan and possibly 2013 commit Jack Cottrell. Also something that must be considered and probably highlighted by Addazio’s recruiting team is Boston College’s proximity to Wellesley. Coach Addazio continues to stress “building a fence” around a three hour radius from Boston College. In Spaziani’s time, there might be a better chance that Strachan commit to Wellesley than BC. However, Strachan turned down offers from Virginia, Wake Forest, UMass and UConn after being aggressively recruited by defensive coordinator Don Brown, of #BeADude fame, to take a fifteen minute to the Heights.
We hope for the best for Connor Strachan to continue his family’s legacy at Boston College and be an integral part of the rebuilding project which Coach Addazio has already laid the foundation for in his short time at Boston College.
Keep on following Soaring to Glory throughout the summer as we educate you on all the prospects signed and committed to Boston College for the next two years in hockey, basketball, and football. Maybe even baseball…….
PS: Watch Connor Strachan be a complete dude in his recruiting video: