College football 2018: Top 30 breakout players to watch

Steve Addazio took over the program after a 2-10 season in 2012 and immediately righted the ship, leading Boston College to a 7-6 record and the team’s first bowl bid in three seasons. Five years later, the Eagles have yet to improve on that record, winning seven games in four of the fives years under Addazio.

Thankfully, heading into what should be a make or break season, Addazio and his staff have more talent on their roster than at any point during his tenure. Much like the Tom O’Brien Boston College teams of the mid-2000s that won nine and 10 games season after season, the 2018 Eagles will be built around a solid ground game on offense and a stingy defense led by a physical and athletic front seven.

The centerpiece, both literally and figuratively, on defense is redshirt sophomore linebacker, John Lamot. As a freshman last season, the former high school quarterback played in eight games and recorded 63 tackles, including three games with double-digit stops.

Lamot has added more than 30 pounds from his high school playing weight while keeping the speed that helped him rush for 2,200 yards and 39 touchdowns as a senior. He plays sideline to sideline, is as adept in defending the run as he is dropping into coverage, and he reads the field like a quarterback from his middle linebacker position.

The BC offense showed flashes last season but they’ll be relying heavily on their defense again in 2018. They’ll benefit from the return of outside linebacker, Connor Strachan, who missed all of 2017 after leading the team in tackles in 2016 and have several other key returning starters. Lamot will be the linchpin on defense though and a breakout season with triple-digit tackles and many big plays from Lamot will likely mean big things for Boston College as they look to improve from seven wins.