BC lineman Raji is a study in determination

B.J. RAJIAcademic problem resolved

He didn't play for a year, and he got better - in the view of National Football League scouts.

He didn't play for a year, and he caught up on the academic side of his career at Boston College to the point where this fall should be his easiest academic semester since he arrived at The Heights as a true freshman in the fall of 2004.

"I can't wait for the season to start," said B.J. Raji. "After what I went through last year, I am totally focused."

"Focused" is probably the right word for the 6-foot-1-inch, 325-pound defensive tackle, who is one of the reasons the Eagles carry a sense of optimism into the season, which begins against Kent State Aug. 30.

A year ago, Raji thought he was focused. He learned he was wrong before the season opener against Wake Forest when coach Jeff Jagodzinski told him he was academically ineligible - after Raji's academic adviser told him he was eligible.

The problem was not grades; it was the NCAA's "satisfactory progress" rule, which requires student-athletes to maintain a reasonable pace toward graduation. Raji went into last summer thinking he needed to take two courses to meet that requirement. Actually, he needed three, and somehow that information slipped through the academic safety net BC has in place for its athletes.

"At this time last summer, everything was fine," said Raji. "It was on the Monday of the Wake Forest game that the whole thing came up and they told me potentially I might not be able to play in the game. It wasn't a GPA issue, it was a credit issue.

"During the spring semester, I had met with my learning resources adviser, and he told me, 'B.J., I'm pretty sure you need to take three courses in the summer to be eligible in the fall.' We set up another meeting to make sure, but somehow the credits were miscounted."

The anticipation of finishing his BC career on a surge that would carry him into the NFL turned into agony the day before the Wake game when Jagodzinski pulled him off the bus heading to the hotel the team stays in before home games and told him that there was indeed a problem.

"He told me that the school would appeal, but it would take some time and he wasn't sure what would happen," said Raji, who had to go to the hotel on his own and tell his parents who had come up from New Jersey that he wouldn't be playing.

"It was pretty emotional. Everyone was upset. We didn't know what to do."

What Raji had to do was fix things. He became a practice player with the scout team during the week (NCAA rules allow that) and a regular student on Saturdays.

"I went to the first game," he said, "but it was so tough just sitting in the stands that I didn't go to any more home games."

Raji came to an academic and athletic crossroads.

"The first week or two, I said to myself, 'Man, this is going to be tough,' " he said. "But then I decided that I could use this for better or worse, depending on what I did. I made the decision to make things better by turning my attention to my schoolwork and trying to make the best of it."

Before last season, he was projected as a third- or fourth-round NFL draft choice.

"The latest ones have me as a first-round pick," said Raji. "It's amazing since I haven't played for a year, but that would be great."

First, however, there is the business of finishing his final season at BC. Academically, Raji needs one course credit to graduate in December. He will also take a few electives to reach the minimum course load per semester.

Footballwise, he is nearly 20 pounds lighter than last season and, as he said, more focused.

"He's a force, no question about that," said Jagodzinski, who takes comfort in having Raji and senior Ron Brace as the anchors on the defensive line. Raji, who also had offseason shoulder surgery, says he is quicker and more intent on helping the Eagles improve their pass defense.

In the second scrimmage of the summer, Raji showed some of that quickness by dropping back in a defensive set, intercepting a Chris Crane pass, and returning it for a touchdown.

"If we can put more pressure on the passer, we can make it back to Tampa [for the Atlantic Coast Conference title game]," said Raji. "We've got to make it tougher on the quarterback, get a more consistent pass rush."

Raji said he has learned a lesson from last season.

"Coach Jags gave me the best advice," said Raji. "He said even though he knew it wasn't all my fault, you have to learn to take care of your own business and don't expect anyone else to take care of it for you.

"I had a problem and I was fortunate to catch it just in time. Now I'm ready to go."

Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com