A lot gets made of returning experience in college football, but that can be a mixed bag. All teams are forced to transition, and given that the best players stick around for just three years, the only constant for elite teams is change. But even returning starters aren’t a guarantee of production. Another year of below-average talent certainly isn’t better than an inexperienced phenom.
But the confluence of returning, productive talent all on the same side of the ball? That’s easy to get excited about, and for two ACC teams, that’s exactly what 2016 brings.
Phil Steele released his annual ranking of returning offensive line starts earlier this week, with a number of ACC teams faring well.