As a head coach, game-planning for a team that hasn't yet named its starting quarterback is not an easy task. So for Michigan State football, the first game of the season can be tough because there's a good chance that unless there's a returning starter, the QB1 isn't named until well into fall camp.
That goes for all of non-conference play. You obviously game-plan for what's in front of you, but it's good to have a scouting report for all of your non-conference opponents ahead of time.
So with Thomas Castellanos no longer under center at Boston College, that Week 2 matchup in East Lansing had some question marks. The Eagles hadn't picked a starter through two weeks of fall camp and that meant that the scouting staff had to plan for a couple of guys as the potential starter.
That's still going to be the case with a starter named, but at least then you can focus on the guy who's getting the nod and have a little info on the backup. It just makes the staff's job easier.
Well, Michigan State got a nice development in that Boston College quarterback battle as Bill O'Brien and the Eagles have named redshirt sophomore Dylan Lonergan, an Alabama transfer who was one of the best quarterbacks in the 2023 class, the starter.
Sources: Boston College is naming redshirt sophomore Dylan Lonergan as the starting quarterback, and he'll debut for BC as the starter in the opener against Fordham. Lonergan is an Alabama transfer who came to BC this winter. He was ESPN's No. 36 overall recruit in the Class of… pic.twitter.com/aMcyJ2QyZv
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 12, 2025
In limited action over two years at Alabama, Lonergan completed 7-of-8 passes for 35 yards and he rushed two times for 21 yards. He played in garbage time, so these numbers mean next to nothing, but he was an Alabama quarterback and a former four-star.
Lonergan has the talent to be a problem, but getting that first road experience in a hostile Spartan Stadium should rattle him a little bit -- hopefully.