Basketball
Earl Grant’s exit seems likely, but Saturday could complicate everything for Boston College
Entering the final weekend of the regular season, many believe Earl Grant is coaching his last game in Chestnut Hill. With an ACC Tournament berth still within reach, however, the outcome of Saturday’s game against Notre Dame could complicate what many view as an inevitable coaching change.
As of March 5, Boston College (10-20, 3-14 ACC) sits one game behind Notre Dame and Pittsburgh in the conference standings for the 15th and final spot in the ACC Tournament. If BC defeats Notre Dame on Saturday in Chestnut Hill and Pitt loses to Syracuse, the Eagles would clinch a spot in Charlotte.
BC’s 20 losses this season are tied for the most under Earl Grant in his five seasons as head coach of the Eagles (since 2021-22). Since BC won 20 games in 2023-24, it has a record of 22-39. A loss on Saturday would not only mean this season was statistically the worst in the Grant era, it would also mean a second straight season the Eagles miss out on the ACC Tournament.
Many insiders, including ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, believe Grant’s firing is almost inevitable at this point. A loss to Notre Dame or a Pitt victory against Syracuse would, in all likelihood, according to these insiders, seals his fate. Is it possible, however, that Grant can save his job with an ACC Tournament berth? Here are the reasons why it might:

Recent History
In 2009, Al Skinner led BC to its last NCAA Tournament appearance. He was fired a year later with three years left on his contract. During his 13-year tenure, BC reached the tournament seven times and earned the highest seed in program history: a No. 3 seed in 2001. Is it possible Boston College’s hesitancy to make a move stems from a decision many view as a mistake?
The two coaches who followed Skinner were fired either during or in the offseason before their final year under contract. Jim Christian, the man Earl Grant replaced, was fired in the middle of his final year under contract following a 3-13 start and two straight losing seasons prior. Christian had only one winning season as BC’s head coach, but that was enough to give him security for two and a half years. The coach before Christian, Steve Donahue, had three straight losing seasons before he was fired. Grant is approaching his second straight losing season following his only winning season. A late-season push could make BC hesitant about pulling the trigger. If BC does fire Grant, however, it would be a good sign that BC no longer has this apprehension and is not holding coaches long past their expiration date.
Money
Coach Grant is under contract with BC through the 2028-29 season thanks to an extension he signed following the aforementioned 20-win season. According to Boston College’s tax filings from FY 2024, Grant’s salary is $2,414,487, meaning BC should owe him at least $7.2 million through the next three seasons. Because Boston College is a private university, Grant’s contract buyout details are not public. One would assume, however, buying him out would cost more than that $7.2 million figure.
Firing Grant would not only mean buying out his contract. It would mean having to spend similar, if not more, money on a new coach, along with spending money to completely build a new roster as, in all likelihood, the majority, if not all, of the team would enter the transfer portal. BC has been notorious for not wanting to spend Big Ten- or SEC-level (or even top-tier ACC) money on sports. With football also in the middle of a complete overhaul under Bill O’Brien and women’s basketball looking for a new head coach, it would not be far-fetched to see BC try to find an excuse to push off Grant’s firing to save some money.
They Just Like Earl
“I trust Coach Grant with my life,” BC guard Donald Hand Jr. said earlier this season. “Imma ride with him till the end.” Hand has also called Grant “one of the best coaches in America.”
Fred Payne’s mother, Brandi (Brandinross on X), has tweeted multiple times about how much Payne loves Earl Grant, once saying, “He loves Earl. If coach leave I know Fred will also.”
Other athletes outside the basketball program have also sung Earl’s praises. One athlete emphasized to me how much they appreciated that Earl looks out for female athletes, often overlooked or underinvested in by BC.
Bottom Line
While I believe Earl Grant’s firing is the right move for Boston College, and it certainly seems as if Blake James and Co. are ready to pull the plug, an ACC Tournament berth and a win in Charlotte could secure Grant another season on Chestnut Hill.
Something to look out for as well: Kim English and Providence are reported parting ways. BC will have to compete with the Friars for top coaches in the area.
Basketball
Boston College lands one of nation’s top rebounders in Brandon Benjamin, along with former Charleston forward Colby Duggan
Boston College received two more transfer commitments this weekend in Brandon Benjamin and Colby Duggan. Benjamin and Duggan join Money Williams, Ernest Shelton and JB Frankel as the fourth and fifth transfers to commit to Luke Murray and BC this offseason. The Eagles now have seven players on their roster, including international signing Zak Smrekar and Jack Bailey, the only BC player from last year not to enter the portal.
Benjamin, a 6-foot-8 forward from Newark, N.J., played his only collegiate season last year at Fairfield University. The rising sophomore was named to the 2025-26 MAAC All-Rookie Team and All-MAAC Second Team after averaging 14.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while shooting 56.5% from the field. Benjamin ranked first in the MAAC and eighth in the country in rebounds per game and second in the country in offensive rebounds per game (4.25).
“What made me pick BC first was the coaching staff,” Benjamin told ZAGSBLOG on Sunday. “It really felt like family. I will bring my high motor, plus rebounding, finishing around the rim and taking guys off the dribble. [I also bring] my catch-and-shooting, pick-and-pop, my winning impact and my versatility with guarding 1-5 with the ability to block shots.”
Duggan, a 6-foot-7 forward from Monson, Mass., averaged 9.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 19 games for Charleston last season after missing the first part of the year with an injury. He spent the previous two seasons at Campbell University and averaged 15.7 points and 3.3 rebounds on 34% shooting from 3-point range during the 2024-25 season.
“He competes on both ends of the court at all times,” former Charleston head coach and current USF head coach Chris Mack said. “He’s a warrior. He’s a winner. Defensively, Colby doesn’t back down. He guards well in the post and on the perimeter. Offensively, he led the conference in scoring and is just scratching the surface of what he can be as a mismatch.”
Benjamin should slot into the starting lineup as the power forward or a small-ball big thanks to his impressive rebounding ability, while Duggan comes to BC as a depth piece off the bench.
Basketball
Former Merrimack sharpshooter Ernest Shelton commits to Boston College
Guard Ernest Shelton announced his commitment to Boston College early Thursday night. The former Merrimack Warrior became the fourth transfer to commit to head coach Luke Murray and the Eagles, joining Zak Smrekar, Money Williams and JB Frankel. Shelton was named to the 2025-26 All-MAAC first team while helping lead the Warriors to a MAAC regular-season championship.
Shelton played two seasons at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, on the opposite side of the state from his hometown of Philadelphia, before transferring to Merrimack last offseason. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 15.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 34.6% from behind the 3-point line.
“[Shelton]’s a shooter,” Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo said. “Every time it comes out of his hand, you think it’s going in.”
Shelton knocked down 99 3-pointers for Merrimack last season and was among the top 40 in the country in 3-pointers made per game (2.9). He set a career high last season with nine 3-pointers in a game against Boston University and made five or more 3-pointers in six games.
The sharpshooter is a breath of fresh air for a Boston College program that finished last in the ACC in 3-point percentage last season.
Basketball
Boston College lands Zak Smrekar, Money Williams, and JB Frankel, first three transfer commitments of Luke Murray era
Boston College received its first three transfer commitments of the 2026 transfer portal cycle on Thursday in Zak Smrekar, Money Williams, and JB Frankel. Smrekar, Williams, and Frankel are the first three players to commit to BC since Luke Murray was named head coach on March 26 and join Jack Bailey as the only three players currently on the Eagles’ roster.
Smrekar is a 19-year-old, 6-foot-7 guard from Slovenia and was the first to commit to Murray. He played for the club Krka Novo Mesto in the Slovenian ABA for three seasons and averaged 9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 15 games in the 2025-26 season. Smrekar also played for Slovenia in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup and averaged 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in seven games.
Williams is a 20-year-old, 6-foot-4 guard who played the last three seasons for Montana. The Oakland, California, native was named to the 2025-26 All-Big Sky First Team after averaging 20.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game on 49.8% shooting from the field. Williams scored a career-high 40 points against Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Tournament, along with tallying six other 30-point games last season.
“I can’t come up with enough words to praise Money Williams properly,” Montana head coach Travis DeCuire said in October 2025. “When you talk about the young man that he is off the court, the young man he is when you bring him in the office, and you have real conversations with him and look him in the eye and talk about things that are hard to talk about.”
Frankel is a 21-year-old, 6-foot-3 guard who is not moving far, as he played the last three years at Northeastern. He started 13 of 30 games for the Huskies last season and averaged 5.9 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. The New York City native scored a season-high 13 points in a road win against Harvard.
Coach Murray will have to continue to build up the Eagles roster, but with three guards being picked up, look for the Eagles to hone in on finding their starting forwards and big men.
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Basketball5 months agoBoston College lands one of nation’s top rebounders in Brandon Benjamin, along with former Charleston forward Colby Duggan
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