Area of need: Defensive line
Current situation: Stanford has undergone much turnover recently. Aziz Shittu and Brennan Scarlett both exhausted their eligibility following the 2015 campaign, making this Solomon Thomas’ unit in 2016.
Thomas fully embraced that role as he matured into a dominant player this past season. Nowhere was that more evident than in the Sun Bowl, where Thomas manhandled double teams up front and saved the Cardinal's win over North Carolina with a lightning-quick blast to the quarterback on the game's decisive play.