101 Days of BC Football: Montel, Moving On

Yesterday, the 101 Days touched on Boston College football player #1, Colin Larmond. Today is the spot reserved for jersey #2.

But we don’t have #2 anymore, do we?

Sure, it’ll probably be assigned to someone else over the course of the offseason, perhaps an incoming recruit or someone else seeking a number change, but its former holder, Montel Harris, no longer dons it. As a matter of fact, when this academic year concludes with graduation on Monday, he’ll no longer be affiliated with the school.

Nevertheless, this article is dedicated to the years of hard work he put in for the Boston College program. There are few offensive players in the last decade who have been as deserving, and we’ve had some good ones come through.

There is still much about his departure that we don’t know, weeks after the fact. Reaction to the event was most unfavorable. We also don’t know where he’ll end up, though some sources suggest to him both Temple and the NFL Supplemental Draft. What we do know is what we’re missing and what production BC needs to replace.

First, on what we don’t know, specifically where Montel Harris will land. Two weeks on, that’s still unclear. What I would say is that it would be useless for him to enter the supplemental draft. For one thing, the odds of his getting drafted are remote, and more importantly, this would be a case of Montel “selling low.” He hasn’t gotten regular field time since 2010 and his draft stock no longer exists. If I were advising him and Temple were his top choice, I’d tell him to go to Philadelphia, have a tremendous year, and see where he stands after the season is over. Unless his goal is to hang up his cleats for good and/or he has no professional ambitions, Harris stands to accomplish very little by rolling the dice on the supplemental draft this summer and passing on a final year of eligibility somewhere else.

What we do know is that from 2011, Boston College does not have to replace much production at all, mainly because Montel didn’t give BC any. Harris appeared in two contests before going down for the season again, and in a way, BC learned to adapt without him. Rolandan Finch and Andre Williams are capable of shouldering the load and putting together similar numbers. Still, when all are at 100%, with all due respect to the aforementioned remaining tailbacks, Montel Harris is easily the most preferable option. Unfortunately for BC, he is no longer one, so we must play the hand we’ve been dealt.

Here’s the problem: even with Montel Harris, BC’s rushing offense has left much to be desired statistically. In 2009, it was still only sixth-best in the ACC. In 2010, ninth. Last season without him, eighth. BC’s issues extend beyond who carries the ball, and sad to say, Montel Harris being here and fully operational probably wouldn’t tip the scales as much as some think it would.

Regardless, one of the most prominent players on the team is gone. His Boston College career would have ended in late 2012 no matter what, but one thing’s for sure: Saturday afternoons in the fall won’t be the same without #2 on the sideline.