The best offensive lines in college football don’t get nearly close to the amount of credit they deserve in the majority of situations. After all, the highlight reels are filled with big throws by quarterbacks, incredible grabs by wide receivers and incredible runs by star running backs. Offensive line play is crucial to the success of any offense but we took a closer look at the quarterback, wide receiver and running back trios on each team to determine which groups are the best in the entire nation. Here is a look at the top five offensive triple threats in college football.
5. North Carolina Tar Heels
QB Mitch Trubisky, RB Elijah Hood, WR Mack Hollins
Larry Fedora’s offensive system is starting to take shape at North Carolina and the high level of play he has received from his stars on that side of the football has been a big part of it. Hood averaged 6.7 yards per carry while rushing for 1,463 yards a year ago while Hollins has averaged more than 30 catches and eight scores over the last two college football seasons with the Tar Heels. The coaching staff has a ton of faith in Trubisky to take over for the veteran Marquise Williams at quarterback and he should thrive as a member of the offensive big three at North Carolina.
4. USC Trojans
QB Max Browne, RB Ronald Jones II, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
Smith-Schuster is capable of stepping on to an NFL field and being a No. 1 wide receiver so the fact that he will return to USC for one more season makes him an elite threat and a dangerous playmaker at the position. Jones led the team in rushing yards a year ago despite not having as many carries as Justin Davis and that tandem should be just as potent in 2016. Meanwhile, Browne will have to hold off Sam Darnold after the latter impressed throughout the spring but he is more than capable of thriving in the Trojans’ offense alongside Smith-Schuster and Jones this coming college football season as long as he maintains the starting job.
3. Baylor Bears
QB Seth Russell, RB Shock Linwood, WR K.D. Cannon
The Bears are so deep on offense that they have two capable triple threats with Russell, Linwood and Cannon filling out the first group and quarterback Jarrett Stidham, running back Johnny Jefferson and wide receiver Lynx Hawthorne filing out the second. Stidham is more than capable to step in again should Russell get injured but right now it appears as though Russell will return as the No. 1. Meanwhile, Linwood and Jefferson is an elite 1-2 tandem while Cannon and Hawthorne should have no problem tearing apart opposing Big 12 defenses.
2. Oklahoma Sooners
QB Baker Mayfield, RB Samaje Perine, RB Joe Mixon
Mayfield returns as one of the most talented quarterbacks in the entire nation and a potential first-overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft and he will be surrounded with elite talent once again. He won’t have his leading wide receiver from a year ago in Sterling Shepard but he does have a talented cast of receivers and two elite running backs that make up this unique triple threat in Perine and Mixon. Perine averaged 6.3 yards per carry and scored 37 rushing touchdowns over the last two seasons while Mixon is coming off a year in which he ran for 753 yards with an additional 356 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns. The Sooners have the talent to repeat as Big 12 champions and their triple threat on offense will lead the way.
1. Clemson Tigers
QB Deshaun Watson, RB Wayne Gallman, WR Mike Williams
It isn’t often that the defending national runner-ups actually get better on paper the following year but that is the case with Clemson. The Tigers return the majority of their starters on offense from a year ago including the star quarterback Watson and an elite running back in Gallman, but it’s the return of Williams that helped vault this group to the top of the list. Williams is a prototypical No. 1 receiver with all of the tools to become an elite NFL player and he will look to showcase his skill set this coming year at Clemson where he can prove that he was the missing link that can help vault them to a national title. Watson, Gallman and Williams are clearly the top triple threat in the country and should have no problem proving it in 2016.
