2015 ACC Atlantic Division Preview

MIKE NOWOSWIAT
August 1st, 2015

1. FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES

MIKE NOWOSWIAT
Co-Owner

Florida State? Who is Florida State? It is one of the most storied programs in football, but without Jameis Winston, it seems to be an amorphous group of highly rated recruits with no identity. Winston—love him or hate him—was one of the all-time great players in college football with a big personality that attracted the spotlight. He was the face of Florida State since his opening game against Pitt in which he completed 25 of 27 passes for four touchdowns. He brought the school back to the pinnacle of the sport and kept us all entertained along the way. The 2013 Seminoles were a historic unit and last year’s team is now being underrated due to the final game against Oregon in which the final score was a bit misleading given Florida State’s string of turnovers. In reality, neither offense could be stopped (besides turnovers) and Oregon played magnificently. Now, with many key contributors gone, some are pointing at the highly-rated replacements as a basis for why Florida State will keep on winning. Some are pointing to last year’s underwhelming season that still featured former blue-chippers as the reason for Florida State’s decadence from the top.

OFFENSE
Sure Winston, Erving, Jackson, Green, O’leary, and many other impact players will be gone in 2015, but there is still indeed a high ceiling on offense. Two other roster moves were made this offseason with the announcement that Everett Golson would be transferring to Tallahassee from Notre Dame, and Dalvin Cook was suspended indefinitely. If Florida State was going to have a face on offense, it would have been Cook as he became one of the premier running backs in all of football last year in his true freshman season. I typically underrate running backs and focus on the offensive line production when analyzing a running game, but I must admit: Cook was special. His potential loss will have a huge impact this season, as will Everett Golson’s transfer. One of the toughest parts of my job is analyzing new faces and while we haven’t seen QB Sean Maguire on film too much, Golson’s presence at least gives us a baseline of what to expect out of the QB position. Maguire didn’t look great against Clemson, nor did he look great in the spring game. However, he shows flashes and possesses a strong arm (i.e. he has upside). Golson, too, has upside, but in a much different way given his athleticism and streakiness as a passer. But at least we know exactly what we have in Golson, and if Maguire is able to beat him out, then we know Maguire’s floor is. All that said, I do expect Golson to win the job and to be a bit more improved than he was last year given Jimbo Fisher’s pedigree in grooming quarterbacks. Golson’s athleticism will allow him to extend some plays—an important quality given that all five starters along the offensive line are gone. And now that we know the QB position will not be awful, we can point to the talent at wide receiver as a big reason why this offense should be just fine. Travis Rudolph and Ermon Lane return after solid true freshman seasons and will be joined by 5-star recruit George Campbell, who looks like a slightly less coordinated Randy Moss (that is a complement, by the way). While the FSU offense may not be quite as explosive as it was last year, there is no reason why it can’t be one of the best units in the conference.

DEFENSE
It starts to get a bit murkier on the other side of the ball. This goes back to what I said before—optimists point to the highly rated recruits and pessimists point to the 2013 results, which also featured highly rated recruits. Last year, Charles Kelly was in his first year as defensive coordinator and did not have the luxury of having the defensive line talent the Seminoles possessed the prior four years. From 2010 to 2013, the defense tallied 48, 41, 36, and 35 sacks; they had just 17 last year. They also had to replace key cogs like Lamarcus Joyner at cornerback and Christian Jones and Telvin Smith at linebacker, but the biggest loss ended up being Timmy Jernigan for his on-field production and disruption. Eddie Goldman was one of the nation’s best run-stoppers, but he wasn’t an elite pass rusher. Against the run, the ‘Noles were good. Actually, only allowing 3.26 yards per carry is outstanding, but because of the inconsistency against the run, I’ll still say “good.” The back seven returns a lot of talent, including linebackers Terrance Smith and Reggie Northrup and All-American DB Jalen Ramsey. Recruiting rankings are often a crapshoot if you look at them on an individual basis. Last year’s Super Bowl didn’t feature a single former five star recruit. But if you take a big enough sample size, the law of statistics will usually win out. I’m going to assume that with another crop of talented freshmen, another year of development for returning players, and another year under Charles Kelly, this defense will bounce back. Not to the level of 2013, but better than last year.

BOTTOM LINE
Fortunately for the rest of the Atlantic, FSU is “rebuilding” this year. Fortunately for Florida State, all the other teams in the Atlantic have issues to work out themselves. For example, Clemson must rebuild both trenches. Louisville must rebuild its offensive line and find a QB. The one thing going against Florida State and Clemson is the schedule. Both teams draw Georgia Tech (as Clemson does every year) and Miami. The ‘Canes might be good; they might be bad. But on paper, they are always one of the most talented rosters in the Coastal. So while FSU is fortunate fellow heavyweight Clemson doesn’t have an advantage in its cross-schedule, the rest of the Atlantic does. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Louisville come out of nowhere and take the Atlantic, but I can’t fully commit to their offense. I’m going safe here and picking Florida State once again.

2. LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

MIKE NOWOSWIAT
Co-Owner

Link. Yup that’s pretty scary. And if you are an opposing fan that knows anything about college football, you’d know why. Bobby Petrino is probably one of the top six or seven coaches in college football. He nearly guided Louisville—before Louisville was really Louisville—to an undefeated season while in the Big East. If only it wasn’t for Jeremy freakin’ Ito. Then, Petrino heads to the Atlanta Falcons and it didn’t really go that well (but the NFL didn’t really go well for Nick Saban, either). After pissing off the entire city of Atlanta, Petrino heads to Arkansas. At Arkansas, the Razorbacks become a power with a flourishing passing attack. And finally, after that infamous neck-brace press conference, Petrino lands back where he started right after Charlie Strong leaves. The Cardinals lost a great coach and replaced him with a great coach.

OFFENSE
Still, the 2014 version of Louisville was really a Charlie Strong team. Actually, it was more of a Charlie Strong team than Charlie Strong ever had here. Last year’s team won with a physical, fast defense, and not much of an offense after Teddy Bridgewater’s departure. Honestly, the offense wasn’t too bad, it was just inconsistent. How many teams average about 60 yards per game less against non-winning teams than winning teams? And it was expected, without Devante Parker to be Will Gardner’s safety blanket, the offense was a work in progress for most of the year. And despite not having a bonafide number one QB to start the year, I expect better production than last year. The Petrino effect. But while the offense’s most important position should improve, the supporting cast might suffer initially. Talent-wise, the receivers could be one of the ACC’s best. With players like James Quick returning and some talented newcomers like Devante Peete and Ja’Quay Savage, the Cardinals could be potentially lethal on the outside. However, the offensive line also loses some key cogs, and somehow they weren’t even that good last year, averaging only 3.63 yards per carry. Jamon Brown was an All-ACC performer and John Miller was a 3rd round pick, who was praised for his instincts and strength. Yet, I kind of expect similar production even though there isn’t an All-American transfer or 5 star sophomore waiting in the wings (like most other positions). While the offense is why I’m not picking Louisville to win the ACC, I have to admit, there is an awful lot of potential.

DEFENSE
On defense, Louisville is stacked. Somehow they lose Lorenzo Mauldin and potentially upgrade at OLB with TCU transfer Devonte Fields. Fields was the Big XII Defensive Player of the Year as a freshman in 2012 and now joins a loaded front unit. What intrigues me the most about this defense is that they all seemingly fit well together and complement each other in Sheldon Rankins and DeAngelo Brown. Inside these two space eaters, along with Pio Vatuvei, will not only command double teams based on their size, but also on their pass-rushing ability. Fields wasn’t playing next to scrubs at TCU, but their interior defense was not this strong in 2012. Now, Fields and Keith Kelsey should have one-on-one matchups and I'm shaking in my feet just thinking about it. Oh yeah, and Josh Harvey-Clemons (cyborg) transfers over from Georgia, along with CB Shaq Wiggins. Harvey-Clemons may not be quite the ballhawk that Gerod Holliman was, but This defense is loaded.

BOTTOM LINE
Unfortunately, Louisville plays in the Atlantic with Florida State and Clemson. Fortunately, both schools lose a lot from last year and are vulnerable. One day I would have Louisville on top. The next FSU. The next DeShaun Watson. Louisville's schedule is certainly an advantage that the Cardinals hold. Florida State and Clemson both have to play reigning Coastal Division champion Georgia Tech and a talented Miami team. Louisville dodges Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, and Miami. However, if Louisville’s offensive line can gel and produce better than last year, and the QB position grows like I think it can, there is no reason why the fighting Petrinos can’t win the conference.

3. CLEMSON TIGERS

MIKE NOWOSWIAT
Co-Owner

Sure, Clemson returns star QB Deshaun Watson, but it loses more than it returns. Vic Beasley? Gone. Grady Jarrett? Gone. Stephone Anthony? Gone. Yes, there is talent in the stable, but overall, this roster will take a step back in 2015. Those three players I mentioned were three of the most dominant players in college football last year. And the talent isn’t only lost on the defensive side of the ball. Not to mention, offensive coordinator Chad Morris is gone to head up SMU (it seems like the Mustangs are determined to have a high-powered aerial attack doesn’t it?). Morris’ first big job was Clemson, so we don’t really know too much about him other than the tremendous success he had in Orange and White. Morris might have walked into an abundance of talent including Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins, but he also turned Clemson into an offensive juggernaut. Remember when Gene Chizik was Auburn’s coach, but everyone really knew the only reason they were good was OC Gus Malzahn? I’m not saying Swinney is as incompetent as Chizik, or Morris is as impactful as Malzahn, but nobody has disproved this comparison yet, right?

OFFENSE
One theory that will never be proved is that Deshaun Watson is a system quarterback. He was the best QB in high school, and he was the best freshman QB in college football. Just turn on the tape and you can see what type of talent he is. Unfortunately, he’s a five star recruit to the hospital. Clemson fans are worried about this, and so am I for the sake of my ACC preview. He may have the single greatest impact to his team than any player in the nation. With an inexperienced line and a much weaker defense, Watson must stay healthy for the Tigers to make a run at the ACC title. His skill position players are littered with talent as 2014 star freshmen Artavis Scott and Wayne Gallman will be joined by two five star recruits Deon Cain and Ray Ray McCloud. Not to mention, Charone Peake and Mike Williams return to provide size and ball skills at receiver. If only Watson wasn’t injury prone and the current linemen were born two years earlier—this could have been an all-time great unit. Still, with Watson, I believe this offense will be very good as long as new offensive coordinators Jeff Scott and Tony Elliott make the right adjustments.

DEFENSE
It’s the complete opposite on the other side of the ball. Not too many players return and the coordinator is rock solid. The defensive line loses two All-Americans and the linebackers lose two draft picks, but Brent Venables returned who has been leading a defensive renaissance in Clemson over the last three years. The Tigers allowed only 16.7 points per game, 2.97 yards per carry, and picked off as many passes as passing touchdowns allowed. The unit was just about as good as it gets, so yeah, it’s going to get worse. The recruiting has been very good, but not quite at the same clip as the offense. A lot is riding on the production of Shaq Lawson, Ben Boulware, and Mackensie Alexander at each level of defense to step up and be an impact player. We’ve seen flashes from each man, but neither was a true star. However, given Clemson’s lineage at DE, I’d put pretty good odds on Lawson stepping up.

BOTTOM LINE
Clemson is going to be good. How good? The generic answer “it depends” could not apply more in this situation. The defense will take a step back. The offense might take a step forward. Deshaun Watson might stay healthy. When the Tigers were on last year, they were truly a great team. However, injuries and offensive inconsistencies derailed—if you can even call a 10-3 that—their season. This team doesn’t have quite the ceiling the 2014 roster did, but the ceiling is still pretty high. High enough to eclipse 10 wins. But if Watson gets injured…

4. NORTH CAROLINA STATE WOLFPACK

MIKE NOWOSWIAT
Co-Owner

The Wolfpack have two big things poppin’ right now: Dave Doeren and Jacoby Brissett. Doeren showed a lot of promise in year two. That is just about the best thing next to winning a national championship; there is nothing worse than realizing you have a lame duck at coach, or waiting/hoping/praying your guy finally turns it around. And it’s especially fun to be a fan when your new coach starts his upward trajectory because then, especially in the offseason, you can’t help but dream that he keeps ascending infinitely. You couldn’t have more hope than Andy Dufresne on the night of his prison escape.

And second, similar to the NFL, if you’ve got a QB, you’ve got a chance. The former four-star recruit and Florida transfer, Jacoby Brissett brings a unique skillset that, if refined this offseason, has the potential to carry the Wolfpack to a 10-win season.

OFFENSE
The offense has the potential to be great. A top 25 rushing offense a year ago averaging 5.23 yards per carry, this offense is well balanced and adds in three 4-star running backs. The offensive line loses both tackles but returns the inner nucleus of Schooley, Thuney, and Adams, with the versatile Alex Barr also returning. The line really gelled last season and was a major strength. When the line went, so did the offense. Against arguably the best defensive line in football, Clemson limited the Wolfpack to only 3.3 yards per carry and sacked Brissett three times. The result…41-0 loss. The defense fed off the offense’s success, the offense’s success was dependent on the passing game, and the passing game was entirely set up by the running game. Only one time—against one of the best teams in the nation, Florida State—did Brissett complete over 60% of his throws and the Pack lost. There is essentially only one hole on this offensive roster and that is at receiver. It was such a surprising and meaningful loss when Bo Hines decided to transfer to Yale. His production cannot simply be replaced. A great route-runner, a willing blocker, and someone who didn’t mind taking a hit, he is not a “plug-and-play” receiver. Attributes aside, Brissett also lost his comfort blanket. However, if the running game can continue to improve and open up one-on-one matchups on the outside, I’m confident someone can come close to Hines’ production.

DEFENSE
While I have few doubts about the offense other than consistency, I think everyone has questions about the Wolfpack defense. An average unit last year that loses a few impact players in the front seven, this unit does not provide much hope for improvement. Well, actually there may be one hope. Although the line lost its best pass rusher in Art Norman, as well as some streaky, but talented defensive tackles, the heir apparents are two former blue chip recruits. DE Darian Roseboro is a true freshman who was in for spring and impressed while he was there. He is officially listed second on the depth chart, but played with the 1’s a lot during the spring and will probably be there during the season. He is physically ready for the college game and could make an immediate impact. His running mate should be true sophomore Kentavius Street, who was originally a five star defensive end now making the transition to defensive tackle. I always like when coaches move quick-twitch athletes capable of adding weight into the defensive interior. You also get that Andy Dufresne effect when you just envision a Madden created player as the end result. A couple other breakout players to look out for are linebacker Airius Moore and defensive end Bradley Chubb. Chubb, the former linebacker, moves to defensive end and should provide more flexibility to the front as well as offering a better third down option on the edge. And while I like the potential here along the defensive front, I do believe it is too tall of a task for these young players, half experiencing a position change. With what should be a very good secondary, I can’t expect too much from this front seven, which is the sole reason I have the Wolfpack behind Louisville and Clemson.

BOTTOM LINE
Okay maybe two reasons. While NC State does not draw Georgia Tech, the Pack draw Virginia Tech, who probably has the best defense in the conference. Louisville draws arguably the two worst Coastal Division teams in Virginia and Pittsburgh. The one schedule advantage NC State has is the head-to-head matchup with the Cardinals, which will be played in Raleigh. It will be a test of two unproven lines going head to head with NC State’s talented, but unproven, defensive line going against Louisville’s unproven offensive line. That matchup will probably be one of the biggest storylines in the ACC because it will play a huge part in determining the crucial matchup. And since it is early in the season, the winner could be the true darkhorse ACC candidate while the loser may just settle for fourth place.

5. BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES

MIKE NOWOSWIAT
Co-Owner

I really wasn’t sold on the Steve Addazio hire in 2013, but he has certainly proved me wrong. The former offensive line coach looked like Will Muschamp at Florida before Will Muschamp took over after him. And at Temple, he didn’t do a bad job, but he was not Al Golden. Okay, so I should have been thinking that Addazio was only an interim head coach at Florida and Golden performed a modern day miracle at Temple—Addazio doesn’t deserve to be written off. Now that would have been a spot on preview…I would have made the site proud. The Eagles have had a strong offensive line and a tough team. They have played okay-to-mediocre offense (ranked 83rd/91st in 2014/2013), but have taken care of the ball (ranked 8th/21st in lost turnovers), finished in the top 20 in rushing yards both years, and played exceptional defense last year, finishing 11th in the nation in total defense. This is prototypical ground-and-pound football. Smash mouth. In your face. Whatever you want to call it, Boston College lives it. And the best part about that is how the Eagles have an identity under their head coach, and it’s an identity that is tried and proven. This isn’t defensive guru Gene Chizik “leading” Auburn to a national title behind a high-powered spread offense.

OFFENSE
Offensively, it will be interesting to see how Darius Wade steps in under center for Tyler Murphy. You might think that Justin Thomas led the ACC in rushing yards by a quarterback, but no—that was Tyler Murphy and his 1,179 yards. Of course, that big of a playmaker will be difficult to replace. Wade will be eased in to the starting lineup by being able to hand the ball off to Jon Hilliman, an All-ACC performer in his freshman year who actually sort of runs like Andre Williams. And while Hilliman had a very good offensive line this year that loses four starters, I’m expecting Addazio to put together another solid unit led by 2013 starting RG Harris Williams who only played in one game last year before an injury ended his season. Addazio’s teams have carried the ball for 5.21, 5.28, 4.73, and 5.24 yards per carry in the last four years. Those are all very good numbers, at different schools, and with many different players so I don’t expect much less this year, especially with Hilliman back.

DEFENSE
After allowing only 324.2 yards per game (4 yards fewer than Alabama’s defense allowed), the Eagles really have nowhere to go but down. However, the front four only loses one player and returns DT Connor Wujciak who was 3rd team All-ACC and Mehdi Abdesmad returns from injury. While I can attribute the reloading of offensive lines to Addazio, I can’t really attribute the linebacker pipeline that has been healthy over the past few years. Mark Herzlich, Luke Kuechly, Kevin Pierre-Louis, Steele Divitto, Sean Duggan, and Josh Keyes have been remarkable performers recently and while only Steven Daniels returns to man the middle of the field, I’ll have to trust that the Eagles will capture more black magic and find some new studs. Connor Strachan and Jimmy Martin both had good spring practices and could be the answer on the edge, one particular weakness last year. Until Boston College proves me wrong, I’m going to expect another strong front seven. What worries me is the back end of the defense. Manny Asprilla was a playmaker on the back end that allowed this defense to play aggressive. Justin Simmons is the lone returner, but he should be a very good DB. I don’t expect the Eagles to be quite as good of a unit as they were last year, but a top-30 finish is certainly possible given the talent that returns.

BOTTOM LINE
Boston College seems entrenched as the fifth team in the ACC Atlantic Division. I always love previewing this division because there is a very obvious class of teams. Florida State, Clemson, and Bobby Petrino’s Louisville teams will consistently be the most talented teams and make up a top tier. With Florida State’s exodus, there isn’t a very clear pecking order at the top, but there are certainly tiers. North Carolina State and Boston College make up the second tier this year. Jacoby Brissett’s presence is the only reason I picked the Wolfpack to finish ahead of the Eagles this year, but it wouldn’t surprise me if BC jumped to 4th. And then there are the cellar dwellers, Syracuse and Wake Forest, who would probably be the cellar dwellers in any power 5 division this year. So there you have it Boston College fans: I like your coach, I like your style, and I like your future.

6. SYRACUSE ORANGE

MIKE NOWOSWIAT
Co-Owner

Scott Shafer, it is zero dark thirty and if you have a rabbit you better pull it out of your hat this season. The ACC Atlantic is about as open as it realistically will be for some time. Florida State is in mass transit. Clemson is relying heavily on Deshaun Watson and is one injury away from becoming very vulnerable. Louisville has a top 10 head coach and will not be down-trending any time soon. Dave Clawson is in the midst of one of his patented slow rebuilds at Wake Forest (and rock bottom was last year). And NC State and Boston College haven’t achieved much yet, but they don’t seem likely to regress. Scott Shafer is the one guy who has led his program on a downward trend, albeit the Orange has not been awful. For a team that prides itself on defense, and for a coach whose seat is getting warmer, 2015 is a scary year.

OFFENSE
Offensive coordinator Tim Lester took over in the middle of last season and the offense got worse. Okay that might be a little harsh, and George McDonald’s scheme didn’t seem like a good fit with Shafer’s grind-it-out, defensive-minded style of play, but Lester’s debut was lackluster. And to his credit, Terrel Hunt didn’t play in the second half of the season. The Orange offense will need to be more efficient through the air for it to take a step forward without running backs Prince-Tyson Gulley and Adonis Ameen-Moore. The offensive line was banged up last year, but is a solid unit and returns four starters. If the offensive line can allow success in the ground game, the Orange offense has a chance to be good. First, Hunt has proven he is a run-first threat under center. Similar to Georgia Tech’s spread option, the passing game is going to be a product of the running game. Next, Syracuse’s receivers are big and athletic, but not the most polished. In short, they are big plays waiting to happen, but they (along with Hunt) will struggle if teams can sit back and expect the pass. Now, back to the ground game. The Orange could be featuring a young backfield as the highest recruit in this year’s incoming class was running back Dontae Strickland, who qualified academically. Ervin Philips had a strong freshman season as H-back and looks to play a bigger part of the offense in 2014. So yes, the Orange offense has potential. But for a team that finished 116th in total offense last year, a small improvement isn’t going to cut it.

DEFENSE
After two years, Scott Shafer’s tenure at Syracuse is starting to feel a little bit like Will Muschamp’s at Florida. Very good defense, not so great offense. Muschamp had a very good year in 2012, but that is because his defense was truly elite. When his defenses dropped off, so did his teams. When his teams dropped off, Muschamp was gone. The Orange had an all-around solid, physical defense in 2014. The pass defense ranked 39th and the run defense ranked 31st. The front seven loses a lot, including All-ACC linebacker Cameron Lynch. However, you know you have a good coach/coordinator when you can just look at a stat sheet and see stats distributed among a number of players. The Orange tallied a respectable 27 sacks and only one player had more than 3 sacks. That player was Lynch who recorded 7, but that’s another 20 sacks distributed between nine players—this team plays well as a unit. The recruiting has been solid over the past few seasons along the front seven. Zaire Franklin, Parris Bennett, and Jonathan Thomas are a very good trio of true sophomore linebackers who could shape the identity of this team over the next three seasons. However, the secondary loses a lot including physical force Durell Eskridge. With a less experienced front seven to cover up some issues, this unit could get lit up by some of the better passing teams in 2015.

BOTTOM LINE
The Orange draw Virginia and Pittsburgh out of the Coastal, which is slightly more favorable than Wake Forest’s draw of Duke and North Carolina. I feel better about Syracuse’s chances this year because the offense has potential and Scott Shafer has put together a good defense every year despite my concerns for 2015. Still, it will be a struggle to get to .500 and get to a bowl game. I hope the Yankee Will Muschamp proves me wrong and helps me retire that nickname.

7. WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS

MIKE NOWOSWIAT
Co-Owner

It can only get better. It can only get better. Wake Forest fans need to keep saying this before they go to sleep every night. And if Dave Clawson’s track record is any success, it will. The former head coach at Fordham, Richmond, and Bowling Green, Clawson has been able to turn around programs at every stop. He is the young coach on social media and with his ability to relate to players, but he is also experienced—and not just experienced in coaching years or age, but rather in head coaching experience and program-building experience. The ACC has improved over the past couple years, due in large part to having a true national title contender in Florida State. But there is still plenty of room for growth in the ACC Atlantic; Syracuse, NC State, Boston College, and Wake Forest make up the bottom four teams. All with newer coaches, one program will be able to take advantage of the logjam in the cellar and build momentum.

OFFENSE
The Demon Deacons averaged 4.25 yards per rush last year on offense. While this number is unspectacular, it still is an effective rate. No, wait, sorry—that was a typo. The Demon Deacons averaged 1.25 yards per rush last year. My mind must have subconsciously dismissed that as a possible number. The offensive struggles begin and end with that statistic. Honestly, QB John Wolford was moderately impressive considering he played behind the worst offensive line in the FBS and was a true freshman. Against Duke and Boston College, both games on the latter half of the schedule, Wolford went a combined 69.7% for three touchdowns and one interception. On the season he recorded 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. If we put him behind a better offensive line that didn’t give up 48 sacks (4 sacks per game, 1 sack per quarter, 1 automatic drive-killer per quarter), you could probably safely adjust those numbers to 20 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. That is a very solid freshman season. For perspective, Brad Kaaya threw 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions; and that was with a first round wide receiver, a first round offensive lineman, and Duke Johnson. I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to assume that the Demon Deacon offensive line will be improved. The most experienced lineman RT Dylan Intemann returns along with three other offensive starters. At the very least, the cohesiveness of this unit should improve. Nate Gilliam and TJ Haney are solid 3 star freshmen who could certainly see some times this season.

Rocky Reid and Matt Colburn are two very talented freshmen running backs who could see significant playing time. I am a firm believer that yards per carry is a much larger reflection on the offensive line than it is the running backs. When I statistically analyze running backs, I often look at different explosiveness metrics to determine how talented and effective that player is. But when an offense posts an abominable 1.25 yards per carry, every single person is accountable. Isaiah Robinson and Dezmond Wortham certainly have left the door open for these freshmen to come in and make an impact.

DEFENSE
Defensively, Wake wasn’t spectacular statistically. However, when you watched the games, you realized that this was more a product of the horrendous offense than it was a below average defense. Actually, I’d venture to say that this defense was good. And even better, it looks to be on an upward trend. Zachary Allen is the only blow this front seven will take as he led the team in sacks and played a vital role on the edge. The linebackers do not lose a single player from last year and Brandon Chubb and Marquel Lee are legitimate stars. Duke Ejiofor had two sacks in the spring game and could be poised for a breakout sophomore season. The secondary loses perhaps the best cornerback in the country last year in Kevin Johnson, but a strong front seven should carry the back end through growing pains early in the season.

BOTTOM LINE
No, Wake Forest will not be mistaken as a good offense this year. And the defense should be good again, but there simply isn’t a whole lot of talent on this team yet. It’s young talent. It’s better talent. But it’s also not elite, blue-chip talent so Clawson will need to develop it. And develop it he will. But as far as this year goes, it looks to be another long, tough season. But just remember Wake Forest fans: it will get better.