We’ve already broken down the roster turnover of all the teams in the Coastal division. Today, we go through the ACC Atlantic division. In recent years, the Atlantic has been viewed by many as the big brother to the weaker Coastal division. Will that continue in 2015? Let’s find out.
Boston College Eagles
Boston College returns 11 starters; four on offense, seven on defense.
Offense
Boston College’s offense will be as close to an absolute rebuild as you can have in college football without a coaching change. BC will have four new starters on the offensive line next season. That is a scenario no team wants to face, but what makes this especially challenging for BC, is the fact that they will also be breaking in a new starting QB. Do-everything QB Tyler Murphy is gone and leaves massive shoes to fill for whoever wins the starting job. While Murphy threw for 1,600 yards and 13 TD’s, he was even more valuable in the run game rushing for 1,184 yards and 11 TD’s. After losing that kind of production, conventional wisdom would say, ease your new QB into the starting role, and rely heavily on the run game. However, while there is talent at the running back position, in particular Jon Hilliman who accounted for 860 yards and 13 TD’s, having four new starters on the O-line could limit the production of the running game, until the line gains experience and cohesion. The Boston College offense may struggle next season.
Defense
Defensively, the outlook is much brighter. With seven returning starters from a unit that finished 12th nationally, the defense will once again be in a position to carry the team next season. The defensive line will only bring in one new starter and attempt to duplicate their #4 rush defense in 2014. BC has to replace Josh Keyes at LB, but I’ve learned over the years to never worry about the name of a BC linebacker, they tend to be a talented breed. The only unit on defense with any real question marks is the secondary. Manny Asprilla is gone at CB as well as Dominique Williams at Safety. As of now, it looks as though the battle to replace these two will be among three freshmen. At CB, Freshmen Isaac Yiadom and Kamrin Moore finished the season in the two-deep. One of those two will emerge as the heir to Asprilla’s spot, and for what it’s worth, Yiadom was the guy backing up Asprilla to end the season. Freshman Kevin Bletzer will have a shot at winning Dominique Williams’ vacated safety spot.
Special Teams
Alex Howell will be back to handle all kicking duties. The duo of Alston Sherman and Myles Willis are back for the return game.
Overall
Tyler Murphy carried Boston College to a 4th place finish in the Atlantic division and a tough loss in the Pinstripe Bowl. He will be difficult to replace when you take into account that over 75% of the offense came from Murphy. Throw in almost an entirely new offensive line, and that is a recipe for offensive struggles. Defensively, BC looks to be in solid position, but in order for the Eagles to win games, the defense will have to play lights out every week. I don’t see anyway BC is able to match this season’s win total and if NC State, Syracuse, and Wake Forest improve, BC may not even make a bowl game. How quickly the offense gels, will determine BC’s postseason fate.
Clemson Tigers
According to my research, Clemson brings back nine starters. According to Phil Steele, they bring back 11. We’ll use my numbers, because I spent too much time researching them not to. Offensively, Clemson returns six, and three on defense.
Offense
This is the first time I wanted to use half starters, thanks to the movement on Clemson’s roster. We know Artavis Scott and Mike Williams will return at WR, as well Tyshon Dye and Wayne Gallman at RB. The question for Clemson is who will fill the three vacancies on the O-line, and will half-starter, Deshaun Watson, start a full season next year. On second thought, the most important loss is O-Coordinator Chad Morris, who left for the SMU head coaching job. Morris has had his hand in making the Clemson offense one of the more explosive groups in the country for the past few years. ESPN has gotten the hype machine rolling for Clemson already, with several analysts picking Clemson to make the College Football Playoff next season, and many of those same analysts are picking Deshaun Watson as a Heisman Trophy candidate. Getting ESPN on board is half the battle to being chosen for the Playoff. Being a good team is the other half. Clemson is one of the most interesting teams to watch this offseason.
Defense
The Clemson defense has a lot of holes to fill moving forward, especially in the front seven. The defensive line has been gutted losing six of the eight players in the two-deep. At linebacker, Stephone Anthony and Tony Steward must be replaced, as well as half the secondary with CB Garry Peters and safety Robert Smith also leaving. On paper, Clemson has had successful recruiting classes for several years, but until those players see the field, you never really know what you have. Clemson’s current class is rated #4 overall with less than a month until signing day. The class includes 4 star DL Albert Huggins and 4-star LB Chad Smith, so help may be on the way. We’ll find out for certain come signing day.
Special Teams
Much to the surprise of… everyone, JR Punter Bradley Pinion decided to declare for the draft, leaving Ammon Lakip to handle the bulk of the kicking and punting duties, unless a replacement is found in the Spring. Artavis Scott and TJ green will most likely handle the return duties.
Overall
With such an overhaul taking place, it’s hard to imagine Clemson fielding a dominant defense, but if the so-called experts are right about Watson, the defense just needs to slow teams down ever so slightly, and Clemson will win a lot of games. Personally, I don’t agree with the experts, and I think Chad Morris bolting for SMU of all places raises a lot of red flags.
Florida State Seminoles
If Clemson had a lot to replace, then Florida State might as well be an expansion team. With a small army leaving early for the NFL Draft, FSU has two starters back on offense, three if you count the fullback, and six back on defense for a grand total of 8/9.
Offense
Famous Jameis is gone. Most people choose to take a parting shot here by mentioning crab legs or other situations that Jameis has faced during his time at FSU. You’ve heard them all, and there is no need to beat a dead horse. Soon enough he’ll be making enough money to buy a chain of seafood restaurants and he’ll have the last laugh.
The more pertinent question for this article is “Who will be FSU’s QB in 2015?”. As of now, the leading options are r-SO Sean Maguire and FR J.J. Cosentino. FSU also has a pair of 4-star QB’s in the class of 2015. Not only does FSU have to find a QB, they have to figure out who will protect him as the only offensive lineman returning is freshman LT Roderick Johnson. The receiving corps looks to be made up of returning starter Travis Rudolph and some combination of Jesus Wilson, Ermon Lane, and Kermit Whitfield. Running back candidates include Dalvin Cook, Mario Pender, and Ryan Green. All of this is subject to change when you recruit the way FSU does. There could be true freshman in next year’s lineup, that aren’t even commitments at this point.
Defense
If players weren’t allowed to leave school until after their Senior year, FSU would have one of the best defenses in recent memory. No such rule exists, however, and FSU is losing four starters early. Mario Edwards Jr. and Eddie Goldman are jumping to the NFL leaving two massive holes to fill. I’m sure Derrick Nnadi will slip into the starting lineup at DT without missing a beat. The defensive end spot will be up for grabs this spring but DeMarcus Walker seems to have the inside track for now. All LB’s return and they are a deep group, as terrific prospect E.J. Levenberry finds himself in a backup role. Both of FSU’s CB’s P.J. Williams and Ronald Darby are foregoing their last year of eligibility and entering the NFL Draft. Ready to take their places, currently, are r-JR Keelin Smith and SO Marquez White. Tyler Hunter and Jalen Ramsey return at safety.
Special Teams
FSU has the best kicker in the country as Roberto Aguayo comes back entering his junior year. Punter Cason Beatty is also back, Kermit Whitfield should once again handle returns.
Overall
The Winston Era has come to an end at FSU. Now Jimbo Fisher has to regroup this off-season and figure out who he gives the keys to the car next season. FSU is losing a ton of talent, but make no mistake, they are still a luxury car. Do the ‘Noles need to do some soul-searching this offseason? Yes. But at the same time, a massive dark cloud is being lifted from Florida State, and they can start focusing on football again. Regardless of what the experts think, I’m not ready to hand the Atlantic division crown to Clemson just yet. Until someone proves they can beat FSU, they’re still the ACC Champs.
Louisville Cardinals
In case you missed our East-West Shrine Game article, half the Louisville roster is playing at Tropicana field today. By my count, Louisville is returning seven starters, three on offense, four on defense.
Offense
Just about everyone who has ever caught a pass for Louisville is gone. Devante Parker is a first round lock. They have to replace three on the O-line, as only Center Tobijah Hughley and RT Aaron Epps return. One member of their 3-back rotation returns in the form of Brandon Radcliffe. The best news for Louisville is their freshman phenom QB Reggie Bonnafon returns. Louisville would be well served to build around Bonnafon over the next three seasons. Currently, their 2015 recruiting class is #28, but there is still time to climb up the list.
Defense
The defense brings back four players from the #6 defense in the country, though none of them in the secondary. Three out of the four members of the secondary this season left early to enter the NFL Draft, including safeties Gerod Holliman and James Sample, and corner Charles Gaines. Linebackers Kelsey and Burgess return next year, leaving one open spot at LB. On the defensive line, two guys return, but there are a pile of r-FR and r-SO ready to fill in. Options include, Kyle Shortridge and De’Asian Richardson.
Special Teams
The Cardinals even lose their Punter as Ryan Johnson graduates, leaving Joshua Appleby to take over next season. Kicker John Wallace returns. James Quick and Brandon Radcliffe will be they keys to the return game.
Overall
Louisville has so much work to do in the Spring, that it’s hard to see all their position battles being settled in just a few Spring practices. Some of these battles will linger into August. Whether you believe the key to Louisville’s past success was Charlie Strong or if it was because of the supreme talent of Teddy Bridgewater, neither guy is on the sidelines of Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium any longer. Bobby Petrino has got his work cut out for him, if he wants to keep Louisville from falling back to the middle of the ACC.
North Carolina State Wolfpack
I have the Wolfpack bringing back 16 starters; eight offense, eight defense.
Offense
The North Carolina State offense will go as far as Jacoby Brissett will take it next season. Fortunately for Wolfpack fans, that has the potential to be a long way. Talent returns at receiver, as Brissett will be throwing the ball to Bo Hines and Johnathan Alston. Shad Thornton is also back at RB. As long as NC State can find a way to replace both OT’s, Brissett should have all he needs to lead the Wolfpack to a much more successful season in 2015, particularly in conference, than NC State has seen the past few years.
Defense
The entire secondary returns for the Wolfpack, part of a defense that finished 49th in the nation. Two out of three LB’s return, and two out of four D-Linemen return. Kenton Gibbs will likely step in as a DT next season, while the vacant DE spot will be up for grabs between Kentavious Street and Drew Davis.
Special Teams
The kicking game will have a new face as William Stephenson is slated to step in for both K Niklas Sade and P Wil Baumann. Bo Hines and Matt Dayes are back for the return game next season.
Overall
NC State should be a much improved team next season. If BC and Louisville take a step back, I believe the Wolfpack could finish as high as 3rd in the Atlantic division, especially if Jacoby Brissett plays to his potential.
Syracuse Orange
The Orange return 10 starters; seven offensive, three defensive.
Offense
The good news for Syracuse is they return seven starters on offense. The bad news is that offense finished 112th out of 130 teams this year. Their passing offense was 102nd and their rush offense was 88th. Running backs Gulley and Ameen-Moore must be replaced as well as FB Clay Cleveland. George Morris and Devante MacFarlane are in line to be the starting RB’s next year, and they should benefit from an offensive line bringing back four starters. Steve Ishmael and Ben Lewis should be the guys at receiver. The biggest problem for Syracuse is they don’t have a QB. I’m not sure the answer is even on the roster. ‘Cuse finished 112th in the country in interceptions, throwing 17 on the year. No matter how good the surrounding cast may turn out to be, bad QB play will destroy an offense.
Defense
The Syracuse defense battled all season long and finished a respectable 27th in the country. Had the offense helped out at all, the defense would have easily been in the top 25. Kiss those pretty statistics goodbye for next year, because now that Durell Eskridge declared for the NFL Draft, the Orange only have three guys returning next year, one on each level of the defense. There’s not an abundance of former blue-chip recruits stepping in either. I’m sure the guys filling in will play hard but I doubt the ‘Cuse defense will stay in the top 50 next year.
Special Teams
Punter Riley Dixon exits, and in steps Antwan Cordy to take his place. Cole Murphy returns to handle place kicking. Ervin Phillips and Brisly Estime look to be the return men.
Overall
Someone has to finish last in the Atlantic, and that team will be the Syracuse Orange. When you don’t have a QB, you better have a stellar defense. Syracuse’s defense this year played as well as you could have asked for and ‘Cuse went 3-9. Next year’s unit won’t be as good, and there still seems to be no answer at QB.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Wake Forest returns… we’ll call it 15 starters, eight offensive and seven defensive.
Offense
Wake Forest was bad on offense last year. Some would even say terrible. Others would go with atrocious. They were 125th in the country in total offense. For perspective, Wake Forest averaged 216.3 yards per game, while the #1 ranked offense Baylor averaged 581.3 yards per game. Baylor averaged 365 yards per game more than Wake, or 2.687 times what Wake produced. “Yards are one thing, but what about scoring offense?” Im glad you cared enough to ask. Wake was actually better in scoring offense at 124th in the country, and 14.8 ppg. Again for perspective, Baylor led the country with 48.8 ppg. You get the picture.
One of the problems that Wake Forest faced this season was the tremendous amount of youth they put on the field. Give those young players another Spring and more time in the weight room, and next season they’ll be much improved. One player to keep an eye on in 2015 is TE Cam Serigne. I’m a big fan of his game and when all is said and done he should be a 4-year starter.
Defense
Wake’s defense was actually very solid, especially when you take into account the kind of pressure the offense put on the defense. They finished 41st in the nation and have a good amount talent coming back for next season. I expect Wake to improve, so long as they can find replacements at corner. Replacing Merrill Noel and Kevin Johnson won’t be easy. SO Brad Watson and r-FR Josh Okonye will need a good Spring, but if they can develop and hold their own, the Wake Forest defense will be tough to move the ball on.
Special Teams
Mike Weaver and Alexander Kinal return for the kicking game, while Jared Crump, Tyler Henderson, and John Armstrong will be available for return duty.
Overall
Wake is a long way away from the top of the Atlantic. However, with some player growth and a little luck Wake could find themselves in the middle of the pack. Their goal should be to make a bowl game and get some positive momentum for the program. I like how hard the players play for Dave Clawson and I think he is the right guy to get Wake turned around.
Wrap Up
The Atlantic has been the premiere division of the ACC lately. Clemson has a strong national profile, and FSU is a year removed from a National Championship. Most experts feel that this will continue into 2015, but to steal a line from Lee Corso … Not so fast my friend. FSU and Clemson may be top dogs in the Atlantic next year, but I don’t think they’ll be that much better than Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech if they can get healthy, or even UNC with their high-powered offense. The middle of the ACC will be a battle between NC State, Louisville, Miami, Pitt, Duke, and BC. The bottom three will likely be Wake Forest, Syracuse, and UVA.
All of this is subject to change as we have Spring ball and a new recruiting class coming in, not to mention all of summer.
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