Clemson stole the spotlight both in the ACC and on the national stage last season, posting an 8-0 record in conference play en route to a championship and then finishing as the national runner-up after they lost to Alabama in the national title game. The Tigers have reloaded with an eye on taking care of unfinished business but they will have a tough road if they want to repeat in the ACC with a handful of legitimate contenders poised to challenge them for conference supremacy. There is still a lot of work to do before the season finally rolls around and we have identified the biggest area of concern for each of the top teams to deal with before the fall. Here is a look at the top summer goal for each of the top four projected ACC teams.
Clemson: Improve The Defensive Line
The Tigers have been forced to reload on the defensive side of the football and if they are going to remain a formidable unit it will have to begin up front on the defensive line. Clemson is lacking in experience up front but they do have some considerable talent up front and will need to cultivate that talent in order to improve their defensive line before the season gets underway. Carlos Watkins is the veteran of the group but Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence are intriguing young talents while Clelin Ferrell, Austin Bryant, Albert Huggins and summer arrival Xavier Kelly will all factor in to the mix. Clemson should have a competent defense but they need to make sure the defensive line is ready to play to its potential by the time the regular season rolls around.
Florida State: Prepare The Starting Quarterback
Florida State is ready to challenge Clemson for ACC supremacy but if the Seminoles are going to win a conference title they will need better play from the quarterback position. Head coach Jimbo Fisher called Sean Maguire the No. 1 quarterback heading in to the fall camp but there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding the position right now. Maquire didn’t take a single snap during the spring workouts after having ankle surgery and some FSU fans believe that redshirt freshman Deondre Francois is already the better option at the position. It appears as though Fisher believes Maguire is the right fit right now so it will be on he and the Seminoles’ coaching staff to prepare the starting quarterback and make sure he is in the best possible form by the end of the summer.
Louisville: Maximize Recruiting Potential
The Cardinals aren’t ready to take down Clemson and Florida State in the ACC just yet. However, they have received a ton of attention throughout this offseason and all of the positive publicity has to be good for their recruiting efforts. Only four prospects have verbally pledged to Louisville at this point but with Lamar Jackson poised to start at quarterback for the next three years and some intriguing talent locked in at the skill positions the Cardinals have to force the issue and take advantage of the situation. The time is right for Louisville to make a strong push on the recruiting trail and that should be their primary focus for the remainder of the summer. Bobby Petrino has Louisville running with a lot of momentum these days.
Miami: Establish A Winning Culture
There has been a lot of talk this offseaon about the impact new head coach Mark Richt will have on the program. The Hurricanes will enter this season with some considerable talent but they don’t have enough weapons to contend with the top teams in the ACC just yet so their focus for the rest of the offseason should be on setting the proper foundation for the future. Richt will preach fundamentals and a strong work ethic as he looks to establish a winning culture at Miami and while the Hurricanes won’t contend for an ACC title in 2016 they could lay the foundation for future success at the “U”.
