The offseason is the one time of the year where every college football fan base has reason to feel optimistic as their team’s incoming talent inspires confidence that they will be better than they were the year before. We broke down the rosters to determine which teams have the highest upside heading in to this season based on the programs that have done the best on the recruiting trail, which is the best indicator of future championship contention. Here is a look at the five college football teams with the highest upside on their roster.
Florida State Seminoles
The Seminoles overcame what was supposed to be a down year following a mass exodus of talent in 2015 and still finished with 10 wins. That means there is even more room for optimism about their potential for this year now that they are projected to contend for an ACC championship. Florida State had 17 contributing freshman a year ago and will have 23 underclassmen in their projected two-deep for 2016 including at quarterback regardless of whether they decide to go with Deondre Francois or Malik Henry. Their best defensive player is sophomore safety Derwin James and their secondary is loaded with former top-15 recruits in Tarvaris McFadden and Levonta Taylor. Alabama is the lone team that has recruited better than the Seminoles over the last two years and now Florida State’s young stars are poised to lead the charge for an ACC title this season.
Alabama Crimson Tide
The Crimson Tide has taken home three titles in the last five seasons thanks in big part on their elite recruiting ability. The only reason they aren’t No. 1 on this list is because they will carry 20 underclassmen in their projected two-deep for 2016 after 14 freshman contributed in 2015. Alabama will need a number of young players to step up after suffering some tough losses across the board but they are loaded with young talent that will help ease the transition. The Tide will rely on former five-star running back prospects Bo Scarborough and Damien Harris to carry the load on offense as they break in a new quarterback while their elite defense has some intriguing young stars on their way up including five-star prospects in defensive tackle Daaron Payne and cornerback Kendall Sheffield. Alabama will be in tough to successfully defend its national title but with so much talent it’s impossible to completely write them off.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State was hit hard by the amount of underclassmen it lost to the NFL Draft and while it won’t be easy to replace that talent they have a strong cast of young players poised to step in. Redshirt freshman running back has the look of the next big thing to replace Ezekiel Elliott this year while sophomore Noah Brown is poised for a big season as the Buckeyes’ No. 1 wide receiver. Ohio State will have 19 underclassmen in its projected 2016 two-deep and there is plenty of reason to be optimistic about their potential for both this season and looking forward to next year.
Georgia Bulldogs
Kirby Smart walks in to the ideal situation at Georgia where his roster is loaded with young talent and his schedule is very manageable. The Bulldogs had 20 contributing freshman a year ago and will line up 20 underclassmen in their projected two-deep for 2016. That includes their top receiver from a year ago in Terry Godwin and five-star prospect and true freshman Jacob Eason at quarterback. Georgia has enough talent on both sides of the football and an easy enough schedule to contend for an SEC East title this season and the Bulldogs could be a smart sleeper pick to contend for an SEC championship.
USC Trojans
The Trojans will have 15 returning starters for 2015 with 19 underclassmen in their projected two-deep for 2016. Seven of USC’s 11 projected defensive starters for this year are sophomores including linebacker Cameron Smith and Porter Gustin, who tied for the team lead in sacks. Meanwhile, the Trojans’ defense is loaded with veterans that will compliment a young defense as the perfect mix of experience and promise for this season. A tough schedule will make things difficult for USC but there is no doubt about the team’s potential upside heading in to the 2016 season.
