Boston College Football 2014: Josh Bordner, WR

Josh Bordner spent the better part of three years as the backup quarterback on the Boston College Eagles football team. At one point, after a sub-par spring game performance by Chase Rettig, followed by a good outing by Bordner, some thought he might be “the guy.”

That was not to be (and never was, regardless of what some in the media mused out loud); nor was his elevation to starter once Rettig departed. In fact, his remaining at that position was also not in the cards. Today, as we approach the 2014 Boston College season, Josh Bordner is set to line up as a wide receiver during his senior year.

That seems on the surface like a hefty transition for a hefty player. When Frank Spaziani brought Bordner into games as a quasi-Wildcat option late in his ill-fated coaching tenure, he ran like one might expect a guy his size to run, which gave him a sort of tight end or fullback feel. However, it’s not like Bordner has been a quarterback exclusively: in high school, in addition to being under center, he played linebacker. Wide receiver does appear to be relatively new ground for Bordner.

Josh Bordner #8: Fast Facts

• Position: Wide receiver
• Hometown: Sykesville, Maryland
• High School: Century High School, Sykesville, MD
• Measurements: 6-foot-4, 226 lb.
• Class year & age at 2014 opener: Senior, 22
• BC games played: 9

Josh Bordner #8: 2013 Season

• Backup quarterback behind Chase Rettig
• Games played: 2; no starts
• Appeared on Spring 2014 roster

The Eagles coaches would not be going to the trouble of moving him there unless they intended to play him, even if just as a backup on the two-deep. Given what we have seen of Josh Bordner so far, if he gets reps as a wide receiver, it seems pretty unlikely that he will be the guy streaking down the field on a deep post. He might be used in short-yardage play calls, and might even be better suited to more of a tight end or fullback role. Much of that depends on his pass-catching abilities, which will become clear to us in the Fall.