Boston College football quarterback Phil Jurkovec intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal after spending three seasons on the Heights, as reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Jurkovec will enter as a graduate transfer with one season of eligibility left.
“Jurkovec is looking for an opportunity to play, develop, and lead a program, according to sources,” Thamel’s article reads. “He’s hoping that a strong season could help his prospects for the 2024 NFL Draft, and he realizes that both he and his new program would mutually benefit from him having a strong season.”
Jurkovec made eight starts in 2022 but was sidelined for the remainder of the season after sustaining injuries in BC’s 13–3 loss at UConn on Oct. 29. Jurkovec would be available at full health for spring practice wherever he transfers, according to Thamel’s article.
Redshirt freshman Emmett Morehead has since replaced Jurkovec. Morehead passed for 330 yards and three four touchdowns in his first career start, and a week later, he led BC to a 21–20 upset win over then-No. 17 NC State.
The buzz around Jurkovec began in 2020 when the then-sophomore transferred to BC after two seasons at Notre Dame. Jurkovec jumped onto the scene in his first career start for the Eagles, throwing for 300 yards and two touchdowns at Duke.
Jurkovec started every game for the Eagles in 2020, registering 2,558 passing yards—the most by any quarterback in BC’s history across their first 10 starts. Jurkovec recorded 17 passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns.
Jurkovec became BC’s first-ever quarterback to total four 300-yard passing games in their first five career starts and the first BC quarterback with four or more 300-yard games in a season since Matt Ryan in 2007. Jurkovec’s 255.8 passing yards per game were also second among all BC quarterbacks since 1996, trailing only Ryan’s 321.9 passing yards per game in 2007.
Jurkovec’s breakout 2020 season included wins over Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Duke. While he was productive when healthy, Jurkovec’s 2021 season was derailed by a hand injury he suffered against UMass in Week Two.
After throwing for 303 yards and three touchdowns on a 66.7 percent pass completion rate in a 51–0 win against Colgate in the first game of the 2021 season, Jurkovec’s injury limited him to six starts.
The Eagles went 4–2 with Jurkovec starting at quarterback and completed a home upset over Virginia Tech on the night of Jurkovec’s return, but finished the season with an overall record of 6–6 with then-backup Dennis Grosel at the helm of the offense for half the 2021 season.
Jurkovec finished the 2021 season with 914 passing yards, 322 rushing yards, seven passing touchdowns, and four interceptions. Despite only starting six games, Jurkovec topped his number of rushing touchdowns in 2020, totaling five rushing touchdowns in 2021.
With Jurkovec entering the 2022 season healthy, analysts were optimistic about his potential and many predicted he would outperform his 2021 season.
“Kids aren’t built like that anymore,” Hafley said of Jurkovec this summer. “He’s tough. He cares about his team. When he gets out on the field, there’s nothing that fazes him.”
But Jurkovec’s 2022 performance did not align with preseason predictions. In eight games, Jurkovec passed for 1,711 yards, 11 touchdowns, and eight interceptions—the highest interception total of his career.
