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Dylan Lonergan said it was tough to leave Alabama, but believes he’s found perfect fit as BC quarterback
In October 1982, a promising Boston College quarterback named Doug Flutie threw for a school-record 520 yards in a loss to eventual national champion Penn State.
Dan Lonergan, a member of that Nittany Lions team, still remembers the day vividly.
“He was hard to find, hard to bring down,” Lonergan said. “Very dynamic on the run. A really intelligent player.”
Lonergan made only one start in his college career, serving primarily as backup quarterback on a perennial powerhouse.
When his son, Dylan, found himself in a reserve role at Alabama decades later, Dan knew how to navigate the situation. Most parents can sympathize, but he could empathize.
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But Dan also knew Dylan had skills he did not.
“I don’t think I was nearly as good as he is,” Dan Lonergan said. “I kind of expected him to be a starter, even at Alabama. I had that expectation. There are some parallels, but he’s gotten there quicker and he’s more talented.”
Entering the transfer portal was difficult for Lonergan, a creature of habit. He reconnected with Boston College coach Bill O’Brien, who recruited him to the Crimson Tide back in high school, and realized it was a perfect fit.
He narrowed his search to BC, Georgia, and North Carolina, but quickly landed on Chestnut Hill. All Lonergan wanted was an opportunity at an elite academic school with a coach he trusted.
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Lonergan, a poised, intelligent, and regimented 6-foot-2-inch, 211-pound redshirt sophomore, earned the starting job over Grayson James in training camp, and is eager to prove himself once the season begins Saturday against Fordham.
“It was tough watching on the sidelines,” Lonergan said. “You want to get back on the field as quickly as possible. I’m very motivated to be the best I can be and help this team win.”
Lonergan’s first word was “ball.” His father has known since Lonergan was 3 years old that he could do “different things” with a ball than most.
It took O’Brien 55 years to secure his first hole-in-one. Lonergan notched his at the age of 7. On a 135-yard par-3, from the red tees on the Pines Course at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga., Lonergan used his 5-iron to loft the ball over a slight hill.
“There was no ball on the green, so he went running in, looked in the hole, and pulled it out,” Dan Lonergan said. “It was pretty cool.”
Dylan Lonergan hit a half-court shot in a basketball game at age 8. He specialized as a pitcher and was committed to play both sports at Alabama before choosing football.
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Dan coached in the Peachtree Ridge District with former NFL players Rodney Harrison and Randall Godfrey, who both noticed something special in Dylan Lonergan from the start.
“They saw him throw the ball and said, ‘Coach, you’ve got to bring him on board with us,’ ” Dan said. “The rest is history. He started Day 1 as a quarterback.”
P.J. Katz, the former offensive coordinator at Brookwood High, first saw Lonergan play as an eighth-grader. He says he “knew from that minute” that every tool was there.
Katz called Lonergan “surgical” and “calculated” on the field. Lonergan consistently showed up to 8 a.m. meetings at 7:50. The process of mastering tasks that others may find mundane always appealed to him, and he relished the nuances of watching film and fine-tuning his craft. It all paid dividends on the field.
“He’s like a person with the answer sheet before the test,” Katz said. “He’s not perfect, he’s going to make mistakes, but his mistakes are few and far between.”
Lonergan’s throwing motion has never changed, so rather than focusing on the basics, they could sharpen the skills he already had. He took over as starter late in his freshman season and began receiving Division 1 offers shortly after.
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Lonergan’s high school career ended abruptly after turf toe and surgery his senior year, which didn’t sit right with him. So he graduated early with a 4.02 GPA, rehabbed at Alabama, and returned to the field.
He showed flashes as a freshman for coach Nick Saban, but under the new staff last year, he felt as though the job was Jalen Milroe’s.
Lonergan accumulated 92 credits and built a 3.9 GPA over two years at Alabama. He had to forgo some of those credits to enter the Carroll School of Management at BC, but he decided it was worth it.
“It was a very tough decision to leave,” Lonergan said. “I personally didn’t like the idea of change. I knew I could compete for the job, but I think there were better situations elsewhere. I ended up making the tough decision.”
At first glance, a former four-star recruit from Georgia with no starting experience may not seem like a natural fit at BC. The reality, however, is that the two are perfectly tailored for each other.
When O’Brien first met the Lonergans after a camp prior to Dylan’s sophomore year, Dan immediately thanked him for revitalizing his beloved Penn State in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. O’Brien visited the Lonergan home several times, and the two parties shared an admiration of each other.
The Lonergans knew there was a chance O’Brien would leave Alabama. They stayed in touch, and when Lonergan entered the portal, a reunion felt organic — the chance to see what they could do together after it never materialized at Alabama.
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“He kind of has a chip on his shoulder from a coaching perspective,” Dan said of O’Brien. “I think Dylan likes that. He knows everything is earned, nothing given, even though he’s very talented. He likes that mentality.”
Offensive coordinator Will Lawing credited Lonergan for doing extra work around the facility when the coaches aren’t requiring him to be there. He has a hunger to be exceptional, and now he has a chance to prove himself and O’Brien right.
Lonergan is unassuming, polite, and mild-mannered by nature, and that steadiness, preparedness, and inner zen are his superpowers on the field.
“He’s not a rah-rah guy, but he’s the same guy every day,” O’Brien said of Lonergan. “You know what you’re going to get every single day. I think the teammates appreciate that. He’s going to give you a day’s work.”
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