Bowling Green lands former Boston College QB Darius Wade

There’s an old saying in football: “If you have two quarterbacks, you have none.” But for a moment on Thursday, Bowling Green didn’t even have two quarterbacks on its 2019 roster.

Bowling Green’s quarterback situation entered full panic mode after redshirt freshman quarterback Bryce Veasley entered the transfer portal, leaving just one quarterback on the Falcons’ active roster — projected starter Grant Loy, a redshirt junior.

In dire need of QB depth, the savior of Bowling Green’s quarterback catastrophe didn’t wait long to amend the situation. Former Boston College quarterback Darius Wade announced his decision to transfer to Bowling Green to reunite with his former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler. Wade’s arrival was announced in a press release by the university’s athletic department on Thursday afternoon.

In four years of action at Boston College, Wade completed 95-of-171 passes for 1,091 yards with five touchdowns and interceptions apiece. He was granted a medical redshirt after suffering a season-ending injury in his true sophomore year of 2015, a season which also included his first career start. He started seven games during his tenure with the Eagles, ultimately becoming the backup to the younger Anthony Brown during 2017.

In January of 2018, Wade transferred to Delaware, the premier university of his home state. The Middletown, DE native did not take a snap while with the Blue Hens in the FCS, making Boston College’s 2017 Pinstripe Bowl loss to Iowa his most recent collegiate outing. In that game, Wade completed 16-of-27 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown. His 208 passing yards marked the second highest output of his career.

As a graduate transfer, Wade will be eligible to play for the Falcons immediately. He reunites with Loeffler, who was a member of the Eagles staff in Chestnut Hill from 2016-18. Wade’s transfer will create a quarterback competition with the incumbent Loy throughout the rest of this summer. In brief playing time over the past two seasons, Loy completed 16-of-28 passes for 341 yards while throwing two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Bowling Green has been a rotating door for quarterbacks recently. Jarret Doege transferred to West Virginia in May after 17 starts and 4,041 passing yards over the course of two seasons. Doege’s predecessor, James Morgan, transferred from Bowling Green to FIU in the 2018 offseason and emerged as the Panthers’ star quarterback after gaining immediate eligibility.

While the Falcons have lost to the transfer portal, they’ve also gained. Thanks to Loeffler’s presence, Bowling Green is establishing a recruiting pipeline for former Boston College quarterbacks. Along with Wade, the Falcons landed former Eagles quarterback Matt McDonald in May. However, McDonald’s waiver request for immediate eligibility has not yet been granted by the NCAA.

McDonald is on Bowling Green’s official roster, but there is a good chance the Falcons will be limited to just two scholarship quarterbacks heading into 2019. But gaining an experienced veteran was a significant milestone for Bowling Green in its attempt to double the amount of quarterbacks on the active roster.