Advertisement

Sources: Boston College fires coach Steve Addazio after seven seasons

pete thamel
Boston College head coach Steve Addazio adjusts his headset on the sideline in the second half of a game against Florida State on Nov. 9. (AP)
Boston College head coach Steve Addazio adjusts his headset on the sideline in the second half of a game against Florida State on Nov. 9. (AP)

Boston College fired coach Steve Addazio on Sunday, sources told Yahoo Sports, ending his seven-year tenure with a record of 44-44. Addazio led Boston College to bowl games in six of his seven seasons.

Sources told Yahoo Sports that wide receivers coach Rich Gunnell will serve as the interim coach while BC searches for a replacement.

Addazio proved solid during his tenure but never spectacular, as he went 22-34 in the ACC and beat just one team ranked by the Associated Press during his seven seasons. (That was No. 9 USC back in 2014.) BC brass made the move in the hopes of finding someone who can make the Eagles more competitive in the ACC. Boston College finished 6-6 this season, including 4-4 in the league, and the move shows a desire to reach for a higher ceiling.

Boston College beat Pittsburgh, 26-19, on the road on Saturday to achieve bowl eligibility. The Eagles floundered defensively this season, as they finished the regular season No. 125 in total defense (480.3) and No. 96 in scoring defense (31.7). The turning point for Addazio this season came when Kansas blew out the Eagles, 48-24, in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, back in September.

The move opens up one of the trickier jobs in college football, as BC’s location and academic standards provide challenges. Boston College’s staff salary pool is among the lowest in major college football, and BC trails ACC peers like Wake Forest in support staff infrastructure.

For athletic director Martin Jarmond, part of the pitch to prospective coaches is the school’s new $53 million indoor football facility, which they debuted in 2018. BC had long lagged in physical facilities, often busing to local schools like Bryant College to practice in bad weather.

Addazio signed a two-year contract extension after last season, but the buyout owed to him isn’t considered an onerous amount (especially compared to places like Florida State and Arkansas). Addazio made $2.6 million in 2019, according to the USA Today salary database.

More from Yahoo Sports: