BC PLAYERS FORCED TO USE ‘BARN WORKOUTS’
Eagles strength coach Matusz thinks outside box in social distancing era
Boston College football strength and conditioning coach Phil Matusz has an unprecedented task developing coronavirus-challenged training regimens for players ahead of head coach Jeff Hafley’s first season on The Heights.
Matusz will have to address the issue of unequal access to training facilities in the event the Eagles open training camp in August.
Hafley suspended spring football after five sessions when the school closed shop on March 15 in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Student-athletes were sent home and left to their own devices to accommodate the conditioning programs Matusz instituted before and during spring ball.
Old high school facilities are likely off-limits, local gyms were shuttered by government decree and contact with other players is discouraged because of the contagious nature of the virus.
The players’ home states could play a big role in their preparedness when the Eagles reassemble ahead of the 2020 season, scheduled to open Friday, Sept. 4, against Syracuse at Alumni Stadium.
Most of BC’s roster is from the Northeast and states hardest hit by the coronavirus. BC has 14 players from New York, 11 from New Jersey, nine from Massachusetts, seven from Connecticut and four from Pennsylvania.
One of the Pennsylvania players is quarterback Phil Jurkovec, a redshirt freshman transfer from Notre Dame who is awaiting an eligibility ruling from the NCAA.
The public gyms and workout facilities in those states remain under lockdown while regions of the South, Midwest and West are starting to reopen.
Syracuse and Pittsburgh may be in the same boat as BC because they recruit in the same areas. But ACC schools in the south like North Carolina, Louisville, Clemson and Florida State are in states that have already lifted or plan to relax restrictions on workout facilities.
“We have to be cognizant where all these athletes are currently and what they have access to and we have to respect everyone’s situation,” said Matusz during a Zoom video conference.
“We have a lot of players that are in New York and New Jersey and we have athletes down in Georgia and Texas. Some people have access to free weights, some people have access to machines and some don’t.”
The disparity could create a strength and conditioning imbalance when the players are allowed to return. Matusz will assume an outsized role in leveling the discrepancy before Hafley, the coordinators and position coaches can begin to set practices and scrimmages.
“So, you have to do your
best with everyone’s scenario,” said Matusz. “You can’t quite frankly get mad at the player and we’ve had a lot of great dialogue with coaching staffs and football training coaches across the country.”
In their short time together, Matusz was impressed by tight end Hunter Long, a 6-5, 250-pound, redshirt sophomore from Exeter, N.H.
Long emerged as a leader at his position last season after being named to the AllACC third team and receiving an 89.2 grade from Pro Football Focus, which was tops in the nation for a tight end. Long had 26 receptions for 464 yards and two touchdowns for a stellar 17.8 yards per catch, an average more in line with a wide receiver.
Long attained those numbers in a two tight end “12personnel” power run scheme centered on tailback AJ Dillon, the third-round pick of the Green Bay Packers.
Long’s abilities as a receiver will likely expand under Hafley and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti. New Hampshire has begun the process of reopening and Matusz anticipates Long will safely take advantage of his improved situation.
“I guarantee you right now Hunter Long is probably doing a great job training up in New Hampshire,” said Matusz. “That is who Hunter
is, he’ll find a way and he’ll figure it out.
“Compared to an athlete in New York or New Jersey, that might be a different story and we are going to be really creative. Our staff is going to be highly available to get them those small, extra workouts in that aren’t super load-bearing.”
Matusz remains in contact with the players through Zoom, texts and phone calls while working through the limitations some of them are experiencing.
Matusz and his counterparts across the FBS are being creative in ways they never imagined while revisiting conditioning techniques that were long abandoned. Some athletes in hard-hit states are resorting to “barn workouts” — a phrase put out there by former BC guard John Phillips, a first team All-ACC lineman from Phoenix, N.Y.
“We’ve been pretty creative with our program design and we’ll throw components in there for them,” said Matusz. “Some guys have loaded book bags and their training sessions are going to look a little bit different from how we write it up for them.
“It’s the situation we are in and it’s going to be tough. We’ve given them template and we’ve gotten real creative with the metabolic work giving guys options.
“If you can push a car safely with someone operating the vehicle, wheelbarrow carries and farmer carries in general or carrying gallon jugs — and the trusty chopping wood.”
According to Matusz, Jurkovec and starting center Alec Lindstrom, of Dudley, have taken up the ax to build arm, shoulder and back strength.
“I told them make sure you know how to chop wood first before you do it,” said Matusz. “They have actually done a pretty good job with their metabolic conditioning.
“I may have turned some guys off because that is not my cup of tea but some of the guys eat that stuff up.”
Football players come in all dimensions, so a “onesize-fits-all” offseason training regimen doesn’t work under normal circumstances.
The first order of business for Hafley and Matusz when training camp starts will be to assess each player individually and ascertain their level or readiness. Matusz will have a plan in place to get an accurate reading, but it must be administered with a level of flexibility.
“First and foremost, safety is the most important thing and sometimes we get caught up in the rush of getting back to football,” said Matusz.
“We have to be very smart but I think we have the right coaching staff to really game plan for this adversity that we’ve been hit with.
“I know a lot of players have done every single workout and done every single run so they are in great shape. We have a plan for that and we are going to tier it.
“We have to best prepare for the worst-case scenario which is the athlete that has nothing and needs that physical preparation.”