Cam Horsley Reflects on His Time at Boston College at 2025 NFL Combine

INDIANAPOLIS — Not many college athletes did what Boston College defensive tackle Cam Horsley did in his football career.

Horsley spent all of his time as a college football player with the Eagles, tallying five seasons of production. Outside of his freshman season, he recorded 30 tackles or more every single year. His consistent production gave Horsley no reason to consider leaving the school, even in the new-look transfer portal era.

“I wanted to stay put, finish what I started,” Horsley said. “I wanted to come into BC and [build] a legacy.”

In recent memory, many of the best NFL draft prospects have transferred schools at least once in their collegiate careers. Whether it hurt Horsley's draft stock or not doesn't matter because it says a lot about his character and work ethic.

Many things can go wrong once a player decides to transfer and Horsley felt right at home in Boston, giving him no reason to leave. He made connections with his teammates and enjoyed life outside of football in the place he spent his college days.

“The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. I was very comfortable at BC,” Horsley said.  “The relationships I’d developed with my teammates. I had very good relationships with a lot of my teammates, outside of football too.”

His decision not to transfer led to a successful five-year career with the Eagles. For some, it might be hard to find continued success and show gradual improvement at the same place for a long period of time, especially in college. Horsley did that, thanks to his work ethic and mentality when he entered the program as a freshman.

“Not wanting to be complacent [and] getting better each year,” Horsley said. “I came in with a chip on my shoulder as a freshman to prove myself to the coaches.” 

When he came into the program as a freshman in the 2020-21 season, he knew he had something to prove right away. He did that, recording 13 tackles and half a sack, setting himself up for a larger role in the future.

“I got my feet wet my freshman year, I played in some games and it took off after that,” Horsley said.

His hunger and desire to improve his freshman season truly did set the stage for him to be a crucial member of the Boston College defense for years to come. That same mindset is certainly what made him so successful in college and is also what got him to this point.

Now, the biggest stage where he can prove himself to NFL scouts, Horsley is ready to show what he can do. He has no doubts and is confident in his tape from the last five years and the training he's done for the combine.

“I’m not nervous, I’m confident. I’m confident in my abilities to perform [tomorrow] at a high level,” Horsley said. “I’ve been training for the last two months for this.”

Horsley had the opportunity to line up with one of the best pass-rushing prospects in the 2025 class, Donovan Ezeiruaku. The two were roommates with each other and grew close, both on and off the field. The two are also very complimentary of each other.

“He does what he has to do in the middle. He stops and clogs up the middle for me,” Ezeiruaku said. “He lets me be free on the outside. So I definitely appreciate Cam, and he's been consistent his five years at Boston College."

Not only was Horsley around a future professional pass rusher in Ezeiruaku but also multiple former NFL coaches. Boston College's current head coach, Bill O'Brien, has spent many years in the NFL, including a seven-year stint as the head coach of the Houston Texans.

Their former head coach and current Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley also has NFL experience. He spent many years prior in smaller assistant coaching roles with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers before making the bump back down to college. That makes two seasoned NFL coaches who coached Horsley and others.

“Those guys have been around the league for a while,” Horsley said. “They know what it takes to get to the highest level.”

As of now, Horsley's best shot of getting drafted will be on day three. Whichever team he ends up on, whether it's as a drafted player or undrafted free agent, will be getting a hard worker and a surefire leader.