Boston College Football: Is There Any Chance That Luke Kuechly Will Return?

The Boston College Eagles have not exactly had their season go according to plan.  Before the season began, the team's offensive MVP, running back Montel Harris, was injured.  Harris did manage to come back mid-way through the season, but played in only two games before having his season ended by another injury.

Harris was easily the most important player on the BC offense, as they struggled mightily without him.  Neither the passing game nor the running game had any sort of success, and the Eagles finished the season 112th in the nation in scoring, better than only eight teams in all of FBS football.

The lack of offense also led to a lack of wins, as BC finished the season 4-8.

One thing that the Eagles weren't lacking, however, was a superstar on the defensive side of the ball.  Linebacker Luke Kuechly racked up 191 tackles (102 of which were solo tackles), and added three interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

The most amazing thing about those stats is they aren't all that different from the stats he put up in his previous two seasons, when he registered 183 and 142 tackles as well as a combined four interceptions (one of which he returned for a touchdown).

Through his junior season, Kuechly is averaging over 170 tackles per season.

Those sort of mind-boggling statistics have earned Kuechly numerous accolades so far in his college career.  He was the ACC defensive rookie of the year during his first season, a unanimous All-American selection last season, and was the only unanimous selection on the all-ACC defensive team this season.

Kuechly is certainly a force to be reckoned with on the football field, and has been projected as a first-round pick in this year's NFL draft. 

However, is there any possibility that Luke Kuechly will bypass the draft and return to BC for his senior season?

While it may seem crazy for Kuechly to pass up NFL riches in order to return to a mediocre college team, there is a chance it could still happen.

The main factor that works in BC's favor here is the fact that the same fiercely competitive spirit that makes Kuechly such a great linebacker also could make him desire to return to BC in order to end his college career on a winning team.

This season's 4-8 finish can't sit well with as fierce a competitor as Kuechly.  In addition, Kuechly has never won a bowl game at BC, something that the competitor in him surely longs for.

Linebackers who possess that rare blend of physical talent and incredible determination that Kuechly has also tend to be fiercely loyal to their teams.  NFL superstar linebackers Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher are perhaps the best examples of this, as Urlacher has spent his entire NFL career with the Chicago Bears, while Lewis has been with the Baltimore Ravens for his whole NFL career.

It is possible that Kuechly possesses that same sense of loyalty, which would make him want to return to BC for his senior season.

Boston College's main priority right now should be trying to appeal to Kuechly's competitive nature and sense of loyalty in order to get him to return for his senior season.