Know your BC Recruits: DE Harold Landry

Nov 10, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Temple Owls Temple Owls head coach Steve Addazio during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. Cincinnati defeated Temple 34-10. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-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. 

Last season, with Coach Frank Spaziani at the helm, the defensive line was basically equivalent to a sieve against opposing offensive lines. The lack of burst off the line could be equated to four BU Physics majors with pillows.  A little too harsh? Let’s take a look at the statistics: The Boston College Eagles racked up a total of 6 sacks in 12 games good enough for dead last in not only the ACC but in the whole FBS. Even St. Francis(PA) of the FCS beat us with 7 sacks. On the other hand, opposing teams racked up 36 sacks against Chase Rettig. In terms of other damning statistics, the total rush defense ranked 111th in the FBS, while allowing opposing teams to convert on third down nearly fifty percent of the time(49.77%).

Frank Spaziani responded to this obvious deficiency on the line by recruiting two projects in Truman Gutapfel and Kevin Kavalec. Solid three star recruits, but projects nonetheless.

New Head Coach Steve Addazio saw the problem from the very beginning at his introductory press conference basically declaring that Eagles defense under his command would attack opposing offenses from the snap and take no prisoners.

Running backs coach Al Washington and Defensive Coordinator Don Brown too that philosophy to heart when they were able to persuade North Carolina defensive end Harold Landry to verbally commit to come to the Heights in 2014.

So when Harold Landry committed to Boston College on April 5th after an unofficial visit to the school, he was still relatively unknown among the college recruits. Boston College was the first major school to offer him on March 14th. In the time between March 14th and his verbal commitment four other schools offered, with Duke being the most prestigious.

It looked as if Harold Landry was just another one of those class-filler commits. But that all changed five days later when  South Carolina offered followed by schools like Florida State, Clemson, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Miami, Auburn, Missouri, among others. It took a commitment to Boston College for other major schools to take notice of the Pine Forest High School defensive lineman-outside linebacker hybrid.

ESPN describes Harold Landry as a defender with a “nice initial burst off the ball…[playing] with a good motor…..and a lean, wiry build with room to pack on some more needed mass with further physical development.” Landry’s vital statistics are 6’3 and 232 pounds. According to his page on the Hudl recruiting service, he runs a 4.62 40, can bench 300 pounds and has a vertical leap of 35”(which would have been good for 3rd among defensive ends at this year’s NFL Combine).

Landry’s high school statistics from this past year also paint a picture of the athlete BC needs on the defensive line as he 8 sacks to complement 73 tackles on the year.

From the Fayetteville Observer:

"“They’re going to play me at the open side defensive end where they can get me in one-on-one situations to rush the passer,” Landry said after participating in the Rivals.com Camp Series sponsored by Under Armour in Charlotte at Mallard Creek High School. “That’s what they want me to do – rush the passer. But when they go to a 3-4 formation, they want me to play outside linebacker….I really looked at their depth chart and I feel like I can go there and start as a true freshman. The coaches there were the realest I’ve met so far, and Boston is a great city.”"

It is also obvious, and stated by his high school coach Bill Sochovka that Landry gave extra consideration to Boston College because they were the first major program to find him, before the floodgates of offers opened.

The ability of the Boston College staff to recognize talent before other major schools has obviously  become much stronger this year and it helps them when trying to sway a recruit to come to their school.

When Landry started receiving offers from Florida State, Ohio State and several SEC schools, I thought he would be gone in a second. But, his constant rebuking of offers, most notably his colorful response to his UNC offer, have inspired Eagles fan that just maybe Boston College can have power while recruiting high school prospects.

For now, we can only hope that Harold Landry will stay with Boston College and that all of those recruiting rating sites will give him the proper 4 star ranking that all of the major schools have obviously pinned him as(He is currently ranked as three stars by 247 and Rivals).

Anyways, welcome to the Heights and don’t forget to #BeADude!!!

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…….