Nick Saban left plenty of parting gifts for Kalen DeBoer in his final recruiting class of 2023, but both of the quarterbacks from that No. 1 class in the country are starting for other programs just two years later. Eli Holstein became the starter for Pitt last season, and now Dylan Lonergan is going to be the starting QB for Bill O’Brien at Boston College in his redshirt sophomore year.
After a battle with incumbent Grayson James, Lonergan was named the starter on Monday, the same day that Ty Simpson officially earned the job in Tuscaloosa. James replaced Alabama’s Week 1 opponent, Thomas Castellanos, at BC last season, which prompted Castellanos to transfer to Florida State for his final season of eligibility.
https://x.com/PeteThamel/status/1955242090062831761
While Thamel mentions that Lonergan was ESPN’s 36th overall recruit in the 2023 class, the 247Sports Composite Rankings had the 6-foot-2 Snellville, Georgia, product at No. 154 nationally and as the 12th highest-rated QB in the class.
Remarkably, Lonergan and Holstein are not the only two former Alabama QB recruits likely to have starting jobs with different programs this season. 2024 five-star Julian Sayin, who quickly transferred to Ohio State, is the favorite to win a QB competition to replace Will Howard for the defending national champions.
Reunited with Bill O’Brien, Dylan Lonergan named the starting QB at Boston College
Following a lengthy tenure as the head coach of the Houston Texans, Bill O’Brien made his way to Alabama for a two-year stint as Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator before returning to Bill Belichick’s staff with the New England Patriots.
During his time in Tuscaloosa, O’Brien, who runs a pro-style offense and is not particularly fond of mobile quarterbacks, was instrumental in the recruitment of Lonergan. However, the two were never at Alabama for a season together as O’Brien left in 2023, Lonergan’s freshman year, and was replaced by Tommy Rees.
Lonergan stayed put in Tuscaloosa for the transition from Saban and Rees to Kalen DeBoer and Nick Sheridan, but was buried on the depth chart behind Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson, and Washington transfer Austin Mack, who followed DeBoer from Seattle. The arrival of 2025 five-star Keelon Russell would have dropped Lonergan further down the pecking order in the QB room, so it’s undeniable that transferring was his only option, and Boston College was his ideal landing spot.
Despite his status as the third-string QB last season, Lonergan found his way onto the field in blowout wins over Mercer and Western Kentucky, completing five of six pass attempts for 23 yards and carrying the ball once for 16 yards. He also went two-for-two throw the air against UT Chattanooga as a true freshman in 2023.