Boston College Football 2014: Manny Asprilla, CB

Bob DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE

Boston College Eagles football might be somewhere in the ballpark of 109 days away, and Stanley Cup Playoffs fever has swept across Boston faster than traffic fills up on I-93 South over the Zakim Bridge, but none of that means we can’t prepare ourselves for what should be an interesting season of change.

In spite of that change to come, there are still a great many veteran players in maroon and gold who lead the way. Manny Asprilla, soon to be a senior cornerback, is one of them.

Asprilla has built a Boston College career of being a steady option in the defensive backfield. Never too high or too low, Manny Asprilla could be defined as reliable over the course of his three years so far in Chestnut Hill.

What might he bring to the table in year four?

Manny Asprilla #21: Fast Facts

• Position: Cornerback
• Hometown: Everett, Massachusetts
• High School: Everett High School
• Measurements: 5-foot-10, 167 lb.
• Age at 2014 season opener: 21
• BC games played: 30

Manny Asprilla #21: 2013 Season

• Starting cornerback
• Games played: 13
• Cumulative stats: 68 tackles, 7 TFL, 2 INT, forced fumble, blocked kick
• Appeared on Spring 2014 roster

Asprilla was tied for fourth on the team in 2013 in tackles with 68, which was the most any Boston College defensive back would get (Sean Sylvia also totaled 68). His 49-yard interception return against Virginia Tech was also the longest on the team all year. This is the sort of thing we can expect to continue in 2014, and the sort of thing we collectively have come to expect from Asprilla.

There is little doubt at all that Asprilla will be starting in 2014. Save for injury, he will start all season long. That has been his role in the past, and there is little reason why that should change. Even before the change in coaching regime, Manny Asprilla was a consistent performer, but now as a senior, he has the opportunity to be a leader on defense.