Report: Boston College names Alabama transfer Dylan Lonergan starting quarterback

The Boston College Eagles have reportedly named Dylan Lonergan as their starting quarterback for the 2025 season. A transfer, he previously spent two seasons with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Dylan Lonergan joins Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein as former Alabama quarterbacks who transferred to ACC schools and will now start for them. 2025 will be the second season for Holstein starting at Pitt, having transferred out of Alabama a year prior. All of that came following Nick Saban‘s retirement and Kalen DeBoer became that program’s next head coach.

From 2021 to 2022, Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien was the offensive coordinator at Alabama. During that time, he would have recruited Dylan Lonergan, who played his high school football in Brookwood, Georgia. However, O’Brien would have spent Lonergan’s two seasons at Alabama as the New England Patriots offensive coordinator and as the Boston College head coach.

Coming out of high school, Dylan Lonergan was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2023. He was also the 162nd-ranked player nationally and the 13th-ranked quarterback in that recruiting cycle.

In his two seasons at Alabama, Lonergan saw limited playing time. He’d appear in three total games, one in 2023 and two in 2024. He’d use a redshirt for the 2023 season, giving him three seasons of eligibility remaining. In his time playing, Lonergan would complete seven of eight pass attempts for 35 yards. That’s 5.0 yards per completion and 4.4 yards per attempt. He also rushed for 21 yards.

The quarterback position seemed to be one where there was friction last season at Boston College. Bill O’Brien would eventually bench then-starting quarterback Thomas Castellanos. Since then, Castellanos transferred and has spoken openly about some troubles he felt in the relationship there between player and coach. O’Brien has pushed back on that some, though it is notable that both have used the Transfer Portal to get into a situation where they’re comfortable for the 2025 season. In Castellanos’ case, he’s at Florida State. For O’Brien, he landed Dylan Lonergan.

The quarterback battle at Boston College was between Dylan Lonergan and Grayson James. It was James who would stepped in to start last season once Castellanos hit the bench for the Eagles.

Dylan Lonergan will debut for Boston College on August 30th. That’s when Boston College is set to host the Fordham Rams out of the Patriot League. After that, things get interesting. The next week, Lonergan gets his first Power Four start against the Michigan State Spartans on the road. A week after that, the Eagles are set to kickoff ACC play on the road against the Stanford Cardinal.