Nearly every single season it seems there are a number of FBS and NCAA records threatened or broken as offenses continues to evolve. The top talent across the nation needs to be put in a position to succeed and when the perfect marriage exists between talent, scheme and situation, it often leads to some big numbers. Several teams have undergone offensive makeovers this offseason, though. That’s important to note for fantasy and betting purposes. Here is a look at the schools making the biggest offensive makeovers in college football this offseason.
Missouri Tigers
The Tigers’ offense was one of the worst of any Power Five conference team a year ago, so it only makes sense that Barry Odom will shake things up. Odom hired Josh Heupel as his offensive coordinator and it will be interesting to see how they turn things around. Huepel’s biggest focus will be on developing Drew Lock at the quarterback position after he showed flashes of his potential as a freshman last season. Lock’s development will be the biggest key to Missouri turning things around next year, but Huepel will also alter the scheme in hopes of finding a better fit. The focus will be establishing a strong rushing attack with some options at fullback and H-back like Heupel did at Oklahoma in order to open up room to go over the top with the play-action pass. The Tigers’ offense can only go up after a disastrous 2015 season, but the hope is that the new scheme and some fresh faces can really make a dramatic difference in 2016.
South Carolina Gamecocks
Will Muschamp was given another opportunity to be a head coach by South Carolina and it’s no surprise that he has put an emphasis on offense after his unit struggles throughout his time at Florida. Muschamp brought in Kurt Roper as his offensive coordinator and the expectation is that the two can put together a quality offense for the Gamecocks next season. Roper prefers to have a mobile quarterback who is able to operate the zone-read out of the spread, and it will be interesting to see whether he runs with Lorenzo Nunez, Connor Mitch or freshman Brandon McIlwain. Balance will be among the biggest keys to success and it will be on Roper to get the most out of his passing game in order to compliment the run game.
Texas Longhorns
The Longhorns will undergo a complete shift on the offensive side of the football as they move on from the spread offense and try to institute a new system based on the principles of what Art Briles has done at Baylor. The idea is to build a strong rushing attack that operates out of spread formations in order to take advantage of mismatches while also instituting a quick passing game. D’Onta Foreman and Chris Warren III have the potential to run the ball down the throats of opponents and it will be very interesting to see how they are used. The biggest question mark will be at quarterback where head coach Charlie Strong will have to decide between incumbent starter Jerrod Heard and incoming freshman Shane Buechele. Heard has the experience, but Buechele might be the better fit for a new offense that appears to be tailored to his dual-threat ability.
Maryland Terrapins
New head coach D.J. Durkin wasted little time revamping the staff at Maryland, including the addition of new offensive coordinator Walt Bell. The two of them will work together to try to revive the Terrapins’ offense. Durkin wants to run an offense that operates mostly out of the shotgun and tries to spread things out in order to get the ball in the hands of playmakers. Perhaps just as important will be the pace that Durkin wants to run as he looks to keep opponents off guard by increasing the tempo. Maryland has some impressive offensive weapons in place and it will be on Durkin and Bell to maximize their potential next season.
Virginia Tech Hokies
The Hokies will hope that new head coach Justin Fuente can help turn things around with a new system to maximize their quality players on the offensive side of the football. Virginia Tech’s new head coach built a Rose Bowl-winning offense at TCU and then used it at Memphis to rise to prominence. Fuente’s biggest strength is developing quarterbacks and the expectation is that he will get the most out of either Branden Motley or Dwayne Lawson. The Hokies have some impressive pieces in running back Travon McMillian and wide receiver Isaiah Ford. Look for Fuente to get the most out of those players and revive Virginia Tech’s anemic offense.
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