For Louisville to contend for an ACC title and a spot in the College Football Playoff, the biggest must-win game on the 2025 schedule could be the Week 8 matchup on the road against Miami. Win-or-lose, that makes a Week 9 game against Boston College at L&N Credit Union Stadium a potential let-down spot for Jeff Brohm’s team.
The Boston College Eagles are in Year 2 of the Bill O’Brien era, after Jeff Hafley left his post as the program’s head coach to become the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers. O’Brien led the Eagles to a 7-6 record, but his offense wasn’t a good fit for starting quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who is now at Florida State.
O’Brien enters this season with Grayson James, who took over for Castellanos late last season, entrenched as the starter and a clearer identity for the program. It’s that identity and O’Brien’s pro-style passing attack that could be the biggest problem for Louisville in Week 9.
Lewis Bond is a true No. 1 target for Boston College QB Grayson James
From Hafley’s Castellanos-led attack to O’Brien’s offense that favored James, Lewis Bond has remained the focal point of the BC passing game and the program’s clear No. 1 receiver. Last season, Bond led the way with 67 catches for 689 yards and three touchdowns, a career year for the redshirt junior.
Keeping Bond in check with be priority No. 1 for the Louisville defense, which features six new faces in the secondary. This offseason, Brohm went into the portal to add Rodney Johnson, Justin Agu, and Jabari Mack at cornerback, JoJo Evans and Corey Gordon at the safety spots, and Joseph Jefferson II at nickel. That group joins returners D’Angelo Hutchinson and Antonio Watts.
By Week 9, Louisville’s defense staff, led by co-defensive coordinators Mark Hagen and Ron English, should have the rotation sorted out and have their secondary communicating at a high level. If they aren’t, Bond could have a big day, and the Eagles could knock off the Cardinals in Louisville.
Bond has a stocky build and often plays as a power slot, taking over half of his snaps from the slot last season. He’s a threat with the ball in his hands and tough to tackle over the middle of the field. He managed just two catches for nine yards and ran the ball twice for 11 yards in their matchup last season, but Quincy Riley, who was in his final season of eligibility, was primarily in coverage.
With Riley gone, Louisville will need a new solution to the multitude of problems that a versatile receiver like Bond creates. Brohm has to hope that he found one in the portal this offseason.