Boston College Football 2014: Kevin Kavalec, DE

Sophomore defensive end Kevin Kavalec will have to step up for the Boston College Eagles in 2014 in the wake of mass departures on the defensive line.

The Kavalec trek to Boston College started in northeastern Ohio while he played football for another Jesuit school, St. Ignatius. Between Kevin Kavalec and the St. X kids from Cincinnati, the Eagles have two corners of Ohio locked down.

At St. Ignatius as a member of the Wildcats, Kavalec had a great career, culminating in honors such as All-Ohio first and second-team honors in his two upperclassman years. He was a talented pass rusher who recorded 24 sacks during his high school days.

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Those are skills which Eagles fans would like to see translate to the collegiate level. Unfortunately for Kevin Kavalec, his rise to the top had a road block in the way during his true freshman season. A big one, in fact, whose name is Kasim Edebali. Kavalec got intermittent playing time on defense in his first year; despite making the two-deep, Edebali, who led Boston College in sacks last year, was not ceding the starting role to anyone.

Now, Edebali is gone. In his warm-up for the new season, Kavalec had a five-tackle, three-sack performance in the spring game, but what will be of Kavalec in his second year on the Heights?

Kevin Kavalec #93: Fast Facts

• Position: Defensive end
• Hometown: Middleburg Heights, Ohio
• High School: St. Ignatius High School, Cleveland, OH
• Measurements: 6-foot-3, 251 lb.
• Class year at 2014 opener: Sophomore
• BC games played: 4

Kevin Kavalec #93: 2013 Season

• Backup right defensive end behind Kasim Edebali
• Games played: 4; no starts
• Cumulative statistics: 3 tackles
• Appeared on Spring 2014 roster

This position battle is hard to call right now. All things being equal, Kavalec might have the inside track on this starting job, but have you heard of Harold Landry, arguably Boston College’s most coveted 2014 recruit? He is a weak-side defensive end, and this just happens to be the weak-side defensive end position.

What the coaches do with Landry will have a significant impact on Kavalec’s playing time, but expect that he will get more than the little he received as a true freshman in 2013.

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