Boston College Special Teams Coordinator Addresses 2024 Punting and Kicking Woes

The punting woes, however, trumped all of BC’s special teams misery, and by a thorough margin.

The Eagles averaged 36.5 yards per punt—3.1 yards fewer than the second-lowest team, North Carolina—and were one of only six teams in the conference to punt for less than 2,000 total yards in 2024.

Kickoffs fared much better for BC as opposed to the rest of the special teams statistical categories—the Eagles ranked eighth overall in the ACC—but overall, it is safe to say that special teams plagued BC so much that it might have even single-handedly lost the Eagles a few close games last year.

After Thursday’s fall training camp practice—the final practice of fall camp—special teams coordinator Matt Thurin, who is entering his fifth season in Chestnut Hill, Mass., after a five-year stint at Ohio State, spoke at the podium to address the concerns stemming from 2024’s special teams unit.

“As soon as that game ended last year, it’s ‘Hey, what can we do great for the 2025 season,’” Thurin said. “There’s different parts of that. Number one, we got to get healthy, right? We have to be healthier across the board. We have to be more consistent, you know? And when you look at the growth and development, we have to take more steps every single day.”

BC’s kickers for the 2025 season are the same as they were last year. That duo includes seniors Liam Connor and Luca Lombardo. Connor was the Eagles’ primary field-goal kicker, going 2-for-4 on the season, while Lombardo went 1-for-1.

Power is not the problem for either kicker. They both possess the strength to kick a field goal 50 yards or more—Connor booted a 49-yarder against the Tar Heels last season, the longest of a BC kicker since 2021. 

But consistency is their job, first and foremost, and the consistency has been a mess, to say the least.

Connor and Lombardo are still technically competing with one another for the starting role when Fordham visits BC on Aug. 30—its first game of 2025—but Connor has shown more consistency throughout camp in the field-goal arena.

“I think it’s a competition,” Thurin said. “They both are very explosive legs. They definitely have the leg. I think the one thing for them is the overall consistency and health. … And that starts with a snap, and then it goes to the hold, and then it goes to the kick. I think that both of those guys are very serious about their craft. … They want to be great.”

On the punting side, the Eagles may have found a couple of saviors who could revive that aspect of the special teams.

Those two are punters Andy Quinn, a true freshman, and redshirt senior Shamus Florio, who played the last four seasons at Yale in the Ivy League.

Quinn, a Galway, Ireland native, is a product of the NFL Academy and was given a five-star rating by the Kohl’s Professional Kicking Camps as the No. 4 punter and No. 12 kicker in the Class of 2025. Florio appeared in 28 games for Yale, including all 10 in each of his final two seasons, and punted 39 times for an average of 38.0 yards with six punts which traveled over 50 yards in 2024.

In training camp, both Quinn and Florio showed their ability to boot the football 50-plus yards on command and control the football inside the 20- or 10-yard line when they are faced with a fourth-down situation near midfield, but neither have actually suited up in an environment against ACC programs in front of tens of thousands of fans.

The consistency of their punts in training camp, however, has steadily improved, and BC head coach Bill O’Brien commented on the fact that he is pleased with how the punting has gone.

“It’s been a heck of a battle,” Thurin said. “We have two great kids that [are] very serious, they’re diligent about their craft. You have an older guy, a lot older, and he’s been there in a college standpoint, and you have a young guy. … I think they both bring skill sets unto their own. I think it’s, ‘What do they do best, and how can we utilize what they do best?’”

Thurin called Quinn “a sponge” and an individual who is fun to coach because he is still new to the sport. 

“When you take people that want to be great, and you have guys that are diligent to it, you see a lot of growth,” Thurin said. “And from his growth, when he got here in the spring to now, I mean, I can’t tell you [how much he’s grown]. I mean, things maybe you guys don’t necessarily see, but like every single day it’s a pleasure to be around.”

On a positive note, BC’s punt and kick returning options are virtually limitless. 

Defensive back Cameron Martinez, wide receiver Lewis Bond, running backs Turbo Richard, Alex Broome, and Bo MacCormack, and others have all shown promise in that department. 

Thurin sees the Eagles’ returning unit as a group of versatile playmakers who all bring different talents to the table, but the success of those returners all comes down to decision making and ball security—not allowing the opponent to take advantage off of turnovers.

“Who’s going to be the best decision maker?” Thurin said. “Who’s going to have the best ball security? Because I think that a lot of that comes down to, number one, we got to protect the football, right? Number two is we got to make great decisions on when to return, when not to return, but then also giving different guys opportunities to show themselves and showcase their skills.”