BOSTON — Boston College could soon be looking for a new football coach.
BC athletic director Gene DeFilippo said Monday he was waiting to see what happens with coach Jeff Jagodzinski, who is reportedly interviewing for the top job with the New York Jets.
DeFilippo declined to confirm those reports or others that said he threatened to fire Jagodzinski if he went trolling for an NFL job.
“I like Jeff. I mean, I really like Jeff,” DeFilippo said when asked if there was any way Jagodzinski could be back in Chestnut Hill next season. “We’re going to handle the situation as it unfolds.”
Jagodzinski was the Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator when he was hired two years ago to replace Tom O’Brien, who left BC for North Carolina State. Coach Jags, as he is known, had been an assistant at BC in 1997-98 but never a head coach before he took over the Eagles.
In his first season, BC rose as high as No. 2 in the nation and lost to Virginia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game before a victory in the Champs Sports Bowl — the Eagles’ eighth straight bowl win. They followed that 11-3 season with another ACC division title and another loss to the Hokies in the conference championship game, finishing 9-5 after a 16-14 loss to Vanderbilt in the Music City Bowl.
But reports began surfacing that Jagodzinski would interview with the Jets, and ESPN.com said that DeFilippo had threatened to fire the coach if he talked with the team. DeFilippo declined to comment on any ultimatum.
“This has been Coach Jags’ initiative,” he said. “And I think you ought to reach out and ask him.”
A call to Jagodzinski’s office was referred to BC media relations. He did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
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