BC High coach Jonathan Brillo on OT/DE Ozzy Trapilo
One of the most recent offers made by Boston College was to BC High Class of 2020 offensive tackle/defensive end Ozzy Trapilo.
On Tuesday, we reached out to BC High coach Jonathan Brillo to get his thoughts on Trapilo and his development as a player.
MassVarsity: I know the name Trapilo pretty well. What is Ozzy's relation to the lineman who also played at BC High and BC?
Jonathan Brillo: His father was Steve Trapilo. If you watch the Doug Flutie Hail Mary, he's the offensive lineman that catches Doug Flutie at the Orange Bowl. When I was at BC High, I want to say, I think it was either 1997 or '98. I think it was '97 when Steve came back to help coaching. He basically donated our entire new weight room at the time, all new equipment and everything. So the weight room is named after him, as well. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2004. But he was an excellent, excellent guy.
MV: Is Ozzy a first-year starter?
JB: He's a first-year full-time. He was with the varsity last year as a sophomore. He wasn't quite as ready. I think he got some time more at defensive end than he did at tackle this year. He filled in at times pretty well last year. We were a very senior-heavy team last year. We had a lot of talent there, so he had to wait out his time. The minute he stepped on the varsity team as a sophomore, just his football knowledge and IQ was ahead of his years, and it still carries true today.
MV: What is his height/weight?
JB: I would say 6-feet, 8-inches. Weight-wise, it's a hard one to tell. I haven't asked him in a while. But he's probably between 220 and 230, maybe even heavier.
MV: They must be figuring he is going to have a few years before he sees the field in college, so he can get up to a 285, 295, without losing agility.
JB: Yeah, I think so. What the idea for us at the beginning of the year was to use him at tight end a little more, whether it was split out or in line. And then some needs called for us to put him at tackle, and he's really worked out very well there for us. With his size, and he's a great basketball player from what I understand, as well. He can move. He's athletic. So I wouldn't be surprised. I don't know if they want to have him bulk up a little bit more to that 280, or get somewhere between the 250, 260-range and have a very athletic tackle who can move for them.
MV: Obviously, there's a great lineage of offensive linemen from BC High that either go to BC or elsewhere. How does this kid fit in in that tradition?
JB: He's just carried it through. A lot of what you can't coach is size, and he certainly has it. He definitely grew from last year to this year. He's been in the weight room like crazy, just going through technique stuff on every lift, and just improving his lift. I'd say he's up there with the likes of Paul Zukauskas and Tim Bulman are the first two names I can come up with, just as smart, smart kids. Both with the stuff on the field and in the school. He does a great job with all of that. So I'd say he's right there with those type of guys.
MV: You made reference to his football IQ. Where do you see that come through the most?
JB: A lot of just our walkthroughs, if we have a scout team on the other side just holding bags, I like to sometimes stand on the defensive side and I'll watch how the offensive line will communicate. A lot of times they'll turn to him, even seniors, and just make sure they're getting the right protection or the right combo block put together. He always seems like the first one to have the answer. Going back to last year, I was more just the quarterbacks coach and I was the defensive coordinator, so I didn't have a lot to do with the offense. But I do remember one specific, early on in the year, our offensive coordinator this year turned to him and said, 'Ozzy, this is the play. This is the front. Where do you go?' And, without hesitation, he had the correct answer for it. Those are just things that it takes kids sometimes from a freshman to senior year to get that type of routine answer to that, and he just had it right away as a sophomore.
MV: What type of potential do you see out of him in terms of what he can be in a couple years with you guys, and then going forward through college?
JB: For us, I think he can be a very good and a very dominant force at the tackle, protecting. We have a sophomore at quarterback who will be a junior next year. He'll be a great left tackle to kind of protect his blindside. Defensive end-wise, he's just been doing all the little technique things that we've been asking and coaching very well. He sees the game very well. I think it's slowed down for him this year where he can react and be in the correct spot, and do the techniques and perform the scheme that we want to. So I think the ceiling is very high for him, and as long as he keeps up the grades and the work ethic that he has, he's going to go real far in life.
On Tuesday, we reached out to BC High coach Jonathan Brillo to get his thoughts on Trapilo and his development as a player.
MassVarsity: I know the name Trapilo pretty well. What is Ozzy's relation to the lineman who also played at BC High and BC?
Jonathan Brillo: His father was Steve Trapilo. If you watch the Doug Flutie Hail Mary, he's the offensive lineman that catches Doug Flutie at the Orange Bowl. When I was at BC High, I want to say, I think it was either 1997 or '98. I think it was '97 when Steve came back to help coaching. He basically donated our entire new weight room at the time, all new equipment and everything. So the weight room is named after him, as well. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2004. But he was an excellent, excellent guy.
MV: Is Ozzy a first-year starter?
JB: He's a first-year full-time. He was with the varsity last year as a sophomore. He wasn't quite as ready. I think he got some time more at defensive end than he did at tackle this year. He filled in at times pretty well last year. We were a very senior-heavy team last year. We had a lot of talent there, so he had to wait out his time. The minute he stepped on the varsity team as a sophomore, just his football knowledge and IQ was ahead of his years, and it still carries true today.
MV: What is his height/weight?
JB: I would say 6-feet, 8-inches. Weight-wise, it's a hard one to tell. I haven't asked him in a while. But he's probably between 220 and 230, maybe even heavier.
MV: They must be figuring he is going to have a few years before he sees the field in college, so he can get up to a 285, 295, without losing agility.
JB: Yeah, I think so. What the idea for us at the beginning of the year was to use him at tight end a little more, whether it was split out or in line. And then some needs called for us to put him at tackle, and he's really worked out very well there for us. With his size, and he's a great basketball player from what I understand, as well. He can move. He's athletic. So I wouldn't be surprised. I don't know if they want to have him bulk up a little bit more to that 280, or get somewhere between the 250, 260-range and have a very athletic tackle who can move for them.
MV: Obviously, there's a great lineage of offensive linemen from BC High that either go to BC or elsewhere. How does this kid fit in in that tradition?
JB: He's just carried it through. A lot of what you can't coach is size, and he certainly has it. He definitely grew from last year to this year. He's been in the weight room like crazy, just going through technique stuff on every lift, and just improving his lift. I'd say he's up there with the likes of Paul Zukauskas and Tim Bulman are the first two names I can come up with, just as smart, smart kids. Both with the stuff on the field and in the school. He does a great job with all of that. So I'd say he's right there with those type of guys.
MV: You made reference to his football IQ. Where do you see that come through the most?
JB: A lot of just our walkthroughs, if we have a scout team on the other side just holding bags, I like to sometimes stand on the defensive side and I'll watch how the offensive line will communicate. A lot of times they'll turn to him, even seniors, and just make sure they're getting the right protection or the right combo block put together. He always seems like the first one to have the answer. Going back to last year, I was more just the quarterbacks coach and I was the defensive coordinator, so I didn't have a lot to do with the offense. But I do remember one specific, early on in the year, our offensive coordinator this year turned to him and said, 'Ozzy, this is the play. This is the front. Where do you go?' And, without hesitation, he had the correct answer for it. Those are just things that it takes kids sometimes from a freshman to senior year to get that type of routine answer to that, and he just had it right away as a sophomore.
MV: What type of potential do you see out of him in terms of what he can be in a couple years with you guys, and then going forward through college?
JB: For us, I think he can be a very good and a very dominant force at the tackle, protecting. We have a sophomore at quarterback who will be a junior next year. He'll be a great left tackle to kind of protect his blindside. Defensive end-wise, he's just been doing all the little technique things that we've been asking and coaching very well. He sees the game very well. I think it's slowed down for him this year where he can react and be in the correct spot, and do the techniques and perform the scheme that we want to. So I think the ceiling is very high for him, and as long as he keeps up the grades and the work ethic that he has, he's going to go real far in life.
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