Spring ball preview (Part 3) - Interview with Matt Thurin

On Saturday afternoon, Boston College coaches Matt Thurin, Jonathan DiBiaso and Kurt Anderson all presented at the MHSFCA Coaches Clinic inside Gillette Stadium.

With spring ball rapidly approaching in 10 days, I had a chance to chat with both Thurin and DiBiaso for about 6-7 minutes each in-between their hour-long presentations.

Here’s my sit-down with Thurin:

On the feeling amongst the staff heading into March after so much turnover on the roster & with the staff

“I think there’s a lot of excitement. The guys have put in a lot of work the last few…I guess you could say two months. They’ve been doing a great job of just taking it one day at a time. But, I think the guys have come together. I think whether it’s the players or the coaches and obviously with both, the synergy…I think there’s a really good energy and vibe among everyone moving into the next phase of the offseason.”

On the special teams improvement from a year ago (compared to 2024) & what changed

“I think the guys put their heads down and Coach (O’Brien) has always done an amazing job of implementing the importance of it. I think there’s a lot of factors that go into some of the successes that we had last year. I think some guys had a really good season. We did a good job of – again – just taking it one game at a time, one practice at a time and then staying healthy. I think that was a very big element of it. I’m excited, but last year is last year. We have to have a good year this year.”

On Luca Lombardo & how much having a reliable kicker helps everyone

“I think it goes back to…constantly as time goes on, you’re building trust and the more kicks that he was able to make and have success, I think it added to the confidence of the team and to his confidence going out there. It builds self confidence. I think continued success…success is bred with confidence in those positions specifically. I think he did a great job staying in the moment, staying in each week, never getting too high or too low. He’s the same guy every day and I think that led to his success, hopefully he builds into this season too.”

On poor punting the last two years & how it gets fixed

“I think punting is one of the unique parts of the game of football. You have to play offense and then you have to transition to defense, because you have to protect first. I think first thing, it starts with the snap. Snap’s got to be really good. Then, you have to have great protection and then you have to have a great kick. Situationally, with a kicking, is the location correct? Does the hang time match the distance? There’s a lot of elements. Then, there’s the coverage element. You don’t want to give up big returns. You want to be able to flip the field, but then also, from a coverage standpoint, a 55-yard punt with a 3.7 hang time, you have maybe their best player in space for 15-20 yards, that can lead to problems too.

“So, I think there’s a lot of elements to the punt to have success. And, I think it’s a constant. Andy (Quinn) is a very young kid who I think has a very talented future ahead. We have some other really good guys on the team that’ll breed competition, some new guys rolling in. I think that it’s a constant process. But, I do think, with execution, some of the games we want to keep the ball out of the returner’s hands. Do not let one of the best players on their team have a chance to go. There’s a lot of elements that we preach and that we work on on a daily basis that all encompasses the punt. Is it the gunner? Is it the snap? There’s a lot.”

On the lack of the punt & kick return game being a factor (both here and nationally)

“I think you look at the new rules in college football with the fair catch. However many years ago that was, from a fair catch perspective, you can take the ball at the 25. There’s only 10 teams in FBS last year that averaged 25 yards a return. So, if you’re at the goal line, from an average standpoint, are you putting your offense and your team in the best situation? Obviously, everybody wants to hit the home run, I think it comes down to decision making. I think it always starts with the kick. If it’s hanging up in the air for a long time, where is that coverage team? In the NFL, it’s set now. In the NFL, the coverage team is exactly where they have to be.

“Whereas, when you have a kick and guys are running down, if that ball is caught at the goal line and that coverage team is at the 25 already, compared to a line drive kick and now they’re at the 35, that can build a very big decision and success rate based on the team. I think the ACC as a whole has some of the best kickers in college football. I think it becomes a challenge to make great decisions about when to be able to do that. Same goes with punt return.

“If the hang time is up there and the guy is in his face, they have to make the right decision themselves. If it’s a line drive, then let’s get the first first down and go.”

On outside noise about his job and Bill O’Brien’s in 2024 & then last season

“You can’t really ever think about stuff like that. I think you’ve got to focus on doing your job. The most important thing is the players on the team. It’s about developing a good relationship with them and then helping and guiding them. That’s the focus. It’s your own family first and the players are a part of your family. I think if you dig into whether it’s noise or anything outside…the only thing you can focus on is doing your job to the best of your ability every single day. You wake up every morning and your job should be ‘how can I get better, and how can I make the people around me better?’ If you focus on that every day no matter what the circumstances, no matter how high or low you are, I think that’s what breeds constant success in a lot of different areas, who you impact every single day.”