Jaelen

Gill

Boston College has been hit hard by the flu this week, and Gill (5'11/187) is one of the many who have been impacted. While the redshirt junior is considered to be a game-time decision, the Eagles will be without 32 players according to Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel. Gill, who missed time earlier this season due to a foot injury, has a 24-269-1 receiving line in eight games played.

Gill (5'11/187) was forced to sit out the first three games of the season due to a foot injury. His statistics have continued to improve as the season has gone on, culminating in his highest production. That’s nine consecutive games without a touchdown dating back to Oct. 17, 2020 at Virginia Tech, but the yardage total was his highest a 105-yard night against Notre Dame last Nov. 14. He’ll look to keep up the good work next Saturday at Louisville.

Gill is dressed and warming up in advance of BC’s game against Mizzou. A foot injury kept the Ohio State transfer out for the first three games of the season, with true freshman Jaden Williams filling his vacated job in the slot. Gill’s return is a coup for Boston College replacement quarterback Dennis Grosel, who is starting following Phil Jurkovec’s season-ending injury.

Gill (5'11/187) has yet to see the field in 2021. His progress took a big step forward a couple of weeks ago when head coach Jeff Hafley indicated he was beginning to run routes in practice. The Ohio State transfer had 435 yards and a touchdown in his first season with the Eagles last year. Hopefully Gill can make an impact right away as BC will host SEC-opponent Missouri on Saturday.

Gill (5'11/187) missed a second consecutive week of action, as he was held out of the Eagles’ season-opening win over Colgate in addition to last Saturday’s tilt against UMass. When asked about Gill’s progress, HC Jeff Hafley said “Jaelen, the good news, which fires me up, is Jaelen was running today. So everybody can be pretty excited. Jaelen Gill is running for the first time. He’s got a big smile on his face so hopefully we’ll see him very soon.” The hope is that the redshirt sophomore will be healthy enough to play when Boston College visits Temple on Saturday, but it’s imperative that BC has as many weapons as possible available next weekend when the eagles face a quality SEC opponent in Missouri.

Gill (5'11/187) will sit for a second consecutive week, as he was held out of the Eagles’ season-opening win over Colgate. The hope is that the redshirt sophomore will be healthy enough to play when Boston College visits Temple on September 18. Zay Flowers (7-135-1) led the way for the BC receivers against Colgate, while TE Trae Barry turned his lone reception into a 51-yard touchdown. Wideouts such as C.J. Lewis (3-67-0) and Jaden Williams (2-24-1) will have another opportunity to step up in Gill’s absence.

Gill (5'11/187) is sitting due to a foot injury, the severity of which is unknown. The redshirt sophomore had a breakout season in 2020, as he caught 29 passes for 435 yards and one touchdown. Entering that season, Gill caught a total of seven passes. His absence frees up additional opportunities for freshman Jaden Williams, but Zay Flowers is the wide receiver to watch Saturday afternoon.

Gill did a good deal of his damage on a 40-yard passing play from Phil Jurkovec. The former Ohio State wideout has gone over the century mark twice this year; with this being the first time since October 17 against Virginia Tech. Gill has at least reminded folks why he was such a highly-recruited player at times this fall, and will look to build on this in two weeks when Boston College faces Louisville on November 27.

Gill had the longest reception by any player all night with a 43-yard snag on a Boston College scramble drill. Alas, Gill’s effort was for naught, as the Eagles’ offense struggled to string together enough consistent drives to keep up with Virginia Tech. At least Gill can say he had a breakout performance, though. Not only had Gill never had a 100-yard game, but his 104 yards were more than the 78 yards he had in the previous four games combined. Time will tell if Gill can continue to grow and put up more performances like this one.

Gill (6'0/188) transferred over to Boston College from Ohio State in mid-May after entering the transfer portal earlier in the spring. On what grounds he is receiving his eligibility waiver are not currently known, but the tangible end result is that the redshirt sophomore will be able to suit up for BC this fall. He initially signed on with OSU as a top-100 recruit. While he was never able to truly carve out a role in Columbus -- he managed just seven catches with the program -- his athleticism and versatility should give him a chance for real production in his new home, especially given that he’ll no longer be fighting it out for depth-chart positioning with a rash of other former four- and five-star recruits.