It's rare when a first-year college football coach has an NFL-caliber left tackle with a Southeastern Conference pedigree just fall out of the sky and land in his lap.

But that's precisely what Boston College coach Steve Addazio has in Matt Patchan, whom Addazio initially recruited to the University of Florida in 2008. Patchan decided to transfer to BC to play for his old position coach after graduating over the winter from Florida, where Patchan played with Tim Tebow and, yes, Aaron Hernandez.

"Tebow, he's a hell of a player, a great guy,'' Patchan said. "I look forward to what he's going to do up here [with the Patriots]. He can't be in a better position for him. He's sitting there with Tom Brady in the room, and he's going to learn from that guy, and he's got a great coach in Bill Belichick, so it's going to be nothing but prosperous for him.''

Asked about Hernandez, the former Patriots tight end dismissed from the team after he was charged with murder, Patchan turned somber.

"Yup, played with Hernandez, too,'' he said. "Obviously, it's a whole different situation. It's terribly sad. You don't want to hear about anyone being murdered. It's not something you want to hear about previous teammates, for sure.

"It is what it is and he's going to have to deal with it. Like I said, I'm just very saddened by the tragedy.''

After sitting out Florida's 2012 season because of a torn pectoral muscle, Patchan was given a reprieve on his college career when he was granted a sixth year of eligibility. He opted to transfer to BC to be reunited with Addazio, who recruited Patchan out of Armwood High in Seffner, Fla., where he was a blue-chip prospect and a USA Today first-team All-American.

"He came in [to Florida] as an offensive lineman — the highest-rated offensive lineman in the country,'' Addazio recalled Wednesday after wrapping up the third day of BC's preseason camp at Shea Field. "We had a void on defense and he was so fast and so athletic that we put him on defense. He got hurt there and the next year we brought him back to offense.

"He played [defensive] end, and back in the day he could really go. He was a 4.7 guy and about 275 pounds or so. He was a big, tall guy and he could really run.''

Now, the 6-foot 7-inch, 300-pounder from Tampa will be counted on to blunt speed pass-rushers while protecting quarterback Chase Rettig's blind side at left tackle.

"I know I belong on the field,'' said Patchan, whose redshirt sophomore and senior seasons with the Gators were pockmarked by season-ending wrist and pectoral injuries. "I'm good enough to play football at a high level as long as I'm on the field. But it's been a blessing to be able to come here and continue chasing my dream of playing in the NFL. It's something I've been looking forward to for a long time.''

That dream was shared by Patchan's father, David, who played at the University of Miami from 1983-87 and was a third-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1988.

"He's endured a lot of ups and downs and it's matured him and he's really resilient,'' Addazio said of Patchan. "I think he can give that experience to this group.''

It didn't take Patchan long to get himself acclimated with the personnel on BC's offensive line. Among the first to reach out to him was senior right tackle Ian White, of Conway, N.H., who is Patchan's roommate in camp.

"He's stepped in like he's been here for five years,'' said White. "There haven't been any issues. He's a great kid. He's a lot of fun to be around. So the transition was easy. It wasn't difficult at all. Right now, he's playing well and hopefully he can keep it going and really have a solid year.''

White said he and Patchan have often compared notes about their experiences playing college football.

"Oh yeah, I've heard all the stories about what he's gone through and he's heard mine,'' White said. "When it comes to the playbook and stuff, every night we're sitting down going over everything, making sure we're both on the same page and both have an understanding about what we're supposed to be doing.''

While it would seem awkward for a newcomer to try to assert himself as a leader of a group he's never played with before, Patchan was more than willing to share his experiences playing at Florida with his new BC teammates.

"The first thing you've got to do as a leader is lead by example,'' he said. "You can't just be a guy who's going to open your mouth because people won't respect you. You've got to lead by example, do the things the way they're supposed to be done, and then if you do see something, you call the guys out.

"There's going to be enough screaming, especially with this staff, they're very aggressive. And that's great, I wouldn't want it any other way. Coach Adazzio is like my father. He could say or do anything to me, but I know it'd be in my best interest. You don't have to rip people 24/7. You can be the guy who says, 'Hey, this is the way we're going to do it.' ''

At Florida, Patchan saw the same approach from Mike and Maurkice Pouncey, twins now playing in the NFL.

"When they were on the field, you knew it was 100 percent ball with them,'' Patchan said. "When it mattered most, those guys turned it on and were able to drive the team and lead the guys and influence everybody to come along with them.''

Patchan hopes to be a driving force at BC.

"Maybe I'm not going to be screaming at everyone in practice, but I'm going to try to pull everyone together to get the most out of them to have the best practice we can have as a team,'' he said. "But if it's second half at [Florida State], and we're down by a touchdown, and we need a spark, then that's what I'll try to provide.

"That's part of being a veteran player. Seeing how those leaders led, I feel like you always want to make sure you're cultivating and fostering a winning attitude on the sideline, no matter what the situation is.''