Boston College football has a rising star in quarterbacks coach Jonathan DiBiaso

As a kid in Everett, Jonathan DiBiaso wouldn’t leave the gym until he threw a Pop Warner football into each basketball hoop. It had to be a swish, had to be from half-court, and had to go in all six baskets.

He wouldn’t leave the football field until he hit the crossbar and each of the uprights from 10 yards, 20 yards, and 30 yards. His mother, Maureen, would implore her perfectionist son and his father, then-Everett football coach John DiBiaso, to come home, but he wouldn’t budge until the task was complete.

Now, at age 30, and as meticulous as ever as Boston College’s quarterbacks coach, DiBiaso doesn’t leave the office until he feels satisfied with the day’s work — if he leaves at all. DiBiaso spends five to six nights a week sleeping on the couch in his office.

When he does go home, he’s typically back at 10 p.m. or later and out the door by 4:30 or 5 a.m.

“It’s a long, long day,” John DiBiaso said. “But if you like doing something, the hours don’t bother you.”

Jonathan DiBiaso, a 2012 Everett High graduate who set Massachusetts records with 103 touchdown passes and 7,052 passing yards, is a rising-star coach for the surging Eagles (3-1), who welcome Western Kentucky (3-1) to town Saturday at noon.

DiBiaso consistently met quarterback Thomas Castellanos at Fish Field House at 5:30 a.m. in the offseason to fine-tune Castellanos’s mechanics and habits. Castellanos has sharpened his accuracy and decision-making, throwing 10 touchdown passes to two interceptions after totaling 14 picks a season ago.

DiBiaso has helped Castellanos learn that often, less is more. His passing efficiency is eighth in the nation through four games. Castellanos, BC head coach Bill O’Brien, and offensive coordinator Will Lawing have found perfect harmony, with DiBiaso at the crux of it.

“He’s been like a father figure to me,” Castellanos said. “He helps me out with more than football, on and off the field. I’ve just been following in his footsteps.”

Those footsteps began on a football field, where DiBiaso shadowed his father around the state.

One trip in 1995 took him to Chestnut Hill, where a 2-year-old DiBiaso joined his father, Everett star and future NFL player Omar Easy, and then-BC head coach Dan Henning at midfield as they talked recruiting.

DiBiaso broke his leg at a practice at age 3. He grew up throwing passes to Everett receivers, doing his homework in the locker room, and sneaking to Richie’s Slush with his father before dinner.

Jonathan and John took a photo every year, from age 3 through 17, culminating with a 25-0 record, two state titles, and a national ranking when Jonathan was an upperclassman. From his father, he learned the importance of treating everyone with respect, and allowing star players, role players, and managers with special needs to all feel valued.

“That’s the biggest thing I saw, is the relationships he built,” Jonathan DiBiaso said. “If you build a relationship with players the right way, then you can coach them hard.”

DiBiaso spent time at Phillips Exeter, Dartmouth, and his father’s alma mater, Tufts, before injuries derailed a promising career. He had two elbow surgeries, shoulder surgery, biceps surgery, and also battled a concussion.

DiBiaso had entered college contemplating working on Wall Street, but the injuries led him to volunteer for his father at Catholic Memorial, where he fell in love with coaching.

“He overcame a lot of adversity. A lot,” John DiBiaso said. “You wouldn’t want to see your child go through what he went through. I think it’s definitely made him resilient.”

After graduating from Tufts in 2018, DiBiaso proved himself as an offensive graduate assistant at BC through 2020. He made stops at Vanderbilt as an offensive analyst, Pittsburgh as an offensive graduate assistant, then returned to BC under then-head coach Jeff Hafley as an offensive analyst.

When O’Brien took over in early February, DiBiaso was unsure what his future held. Shortly after his 30th birthday, he learned that not only would he have a spot at BC, he was getting a promotion.

John DiBiaso called it a “pinch me” moment that his son is “living a dream” coaching quarterbacks at BC, where Maureen and her father attended school.

“I’m very young in my coaching career,” DiBiaso said. “[O’Brien] gave me a break, and I’m doing everything I can to make him proud and achieve everything we want to achieve.”

Running backs coach Savon Huggins highlighted DiBiaso’s work developing Castellanos as a pocket passer. Lawing praised him for going “above and beyond” as a teacher. O’Brien called him one of the “better younger coaches” he’s ever been around.

“He’s very detail-oriented,” O’Brien said. “I think that has a lot to do with how he was brought up around the game. He understands the nuances of the game and coaches very hard.”

DiBiaso appreciates O’Brien’s honesty and tries to adopt a sponge mentality. O’Brien frequently sends him articles or videos, from a Tom Brady message about leadership to a Drew Brees clip on mechanics.

He feels as though he’s already made major strides thanks to O’Brien, but he knows he’s far from a finished product. Having O’Brien’s journey as a blueprint shows it can be done as a local guy.

While DiBiaso has learned plenty from O’Brien, he has returned the favor with new schematic concepts, drills, and more. DiBiaso has rewarded him through his recruiting chops, inquisitiveness, and enthusiasm.

“He’s a tireless worker,” O’Brien said. “I’m glad we have him on the staff.”