There is no denying the importance of experience when it comes to building a legitimate contender in any Power Five conference. Early projections for the season depend a lot on the returning talent for every college football team. So which teams suffered the biggest losses following the largest class of declared underclassmen in NFL Draft history? Here is a look at the four college football offenses that were most impacted by the 2016 NFL Draft departures.
Ohio State Buckeyes
No offense suffered more college football losses than the Buckeyes following the departure of several key players, including their star running back. Ezekiel Elliott decided to leave early for the NFL after rushing for at least 1,800 yards in back-to-back seasons along with a combined 41 touchdowns over that span. He also beefed with the team and coaching staff at the end of the season, so that also sealed his fate. At any rate, the next-best running back on the roster had only 17 carries in 2015 and Elliott’s production will be extremely difficult to replace. Quarterback Cardale Jones also decided to leave early, but there are some that feel that could be a good thing since it leaves J.T. Barrett as the unquestioned starter following last year’s disaster at the position. But remember that Barrett failed to hold onto the job last year as he was only mediocre. Also, wide receivers Jalin Marshall and Michael Thomas both left as underclassmen and Braxton Miller graduated, so Ohio State will lose its top three receivers from this past season. Factor in the notable senior departures including three starting offensive linemen led by the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year in Taylor Decker and it’s clear the Buckeyes offense is bound for a major transition.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame will face the difficult decision of who to start at quarterback between Malik Zaire and DeShone Kizer, but the much bigger problem is finding capable players to produce alongside following a slew of college football losses. The Fighting Irish lost their top rusher in C.J. Prosise as well as their top wide receiver Will Fuller early to the NFL Draft. Notre Dame will feel the loss of both players and it certainly doesn’t help that fellow wide receivers Chris Brown and Amir Carlisle both left for the NFL as well. The Fighting Irish have some substantial depth across the board, but the key losses at the skill positions including most importantly wide receiver will certainly be felt next season. We’ll see if the quarterbacks can steady the ship until the supporting cast acclimates.
Ole Miss Rebels
The Rebels lost two of their most important players on offense in offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell. Tunsil will be impossible to replace as an absolute beast at left tackle and it doesn’t help that Ole Miss will not have a single starter from the group that started along the offensive line in last year’s Sugar Bowl win. Meanwhile, Treadwell is also expected to be a high NFL Draft pick after catching pretty much everything that was thrown his way last season. The Rebels did get some good news in that quarterback Chad Kelly will return for one more year and they did great on the recruiting trail, but with the key losses along the offensive line and at wide receiver, as well as the departure of senior running back Jaylen Walton, the Ole Miss offense could struggle out of the gate.
UCLA Bruins
The Bruins are excited about the potential of sophomore quarterback Josh Rosen, but the problem is that they lost so many key pieces around him from last year’s offense. UCLA will be without Paul Perkins after he decided to leave early for the NFL following back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. The protection will have a different look as well after losing three starters including early departures Caleb Benenoch and Alex Redmond, as well as four-year starting center Jake Brendel. The Bruins also lost three of their top four receivers from last year’s team including underclassmen Thomas Duarte. With so many college football losses, the Bruins’ offense could be in tough early on even with Rosen under center.
