Boston College Football 2014: Truman Gutapfel, DT

To share a name with that of a United States president is interesting. To play Boston College football is better. Defensive tackle Truman Gutapfel does not have to choose between the two.

Gutapfel, pronounced like “good-apple,” is from the Cincinnati area, but he did not come to Boston College through the famed St. X pipeline. He played his high school ball to the northwest in Harrison, and amongst his honors was being named the Ohio Division II Anthony Munoz Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2012 while a senior.

While being a standout on the football team, Truman Gutapfel was also known in the high school sports local community as a wrestler. As a matter of fact, he was great at it: Gutapfel went 48-1 during his senior year on the mat and finished in third place in the Ohio state competition.

One might expect that he was a very good tackler; tackling in wrestling is different than tackling in football, but if it is a transferable skill, it showed with his performance as a member of the Harrison football team (or perhaps vice versa).

In his first year on the Heights, Gutapfel got into eight games — not bad for a true freshman. During that time, his snaps were limited and he recorded four tackles. Now, true sophomore Truman Gutapfel could play much more of a role on the 2014 Boston College Eagles, given the need for replenishment on the defensive line.

Truman Gutapfel #97: Fast Facts

• Position: Defensive tackle
• Hometown: Harrison, Ohio
• High School: Harrison High School
• Measurements: 6-foot-3, 280 lb.
• Class year & age at 2014 opener: Sophomore, 20
• BC games played: 8

Truman Gutapfel #97: 2013 Season

• Backup at left defensive tackle behind Jaryd Rudolph
• Games played: 8; no starts
• Cumulative statistics: 4 tackles, 0.5 TFL
• Appeared on Spring 2014 roster

As one may have noticed, none of the four starters on the 2013 defensive line are back in 2014. Mehdi Abdesmad will come back to fill a void while Harold Landry might plug in another, but up the middle, the competitions are wide open. Connor Wujciak might have the inside track on one tackle spot, and Gutapfel might be getting groomed for the other. Admittedly, if he starts, it will not be with a great number of snaps under his belt, but the Eagles are in desperate need of bodies to fill the void here.

Promising a starting role to a player is not my job, and not a vow that could be made in this case anyway, but expect a marked increase in Gutapfel’s playing time in 2014.

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