ACC's offensive line depth takes another hit

David M. Hale

Jun 26, 2015, 01:00 PM ET

It wasn’t a great week for several ACC teams hoping to contend for a conference title. Clemson lost two starters with the suspension of kicker Ammon Lakip and the departure of left tackle Isaiah Battle. Miami dismissed left tackle Taylor Gadbois. Florida State suspended QB De'Andre Johnson.

The latter of those is likely to have the least impact. Johnson wasn’t likely to compete for immediate playing time anyway, so his suspension — and potential departure — will have little to do with Florida State's chances in 2015.

Lakip’s loss is problematic for Clemson, but he could be back this season, and the Tigers can turn to Alex Spence in the meantime.

Inexperience on the line

Phil Steele posted his offensive line experience chart earlier this month, but here's the revised rankings from the bottom up for Power 5 teams, based on number of career starts for returning players.

Team	Career starts returning
65. Florida State	9
64. Florida	10
63. Boston College	15
62. Louisville	19
61. Miami	22
60. Kansas	27
59. Oklahoma	28
58. Clemson	29

But the two offensive linemen? That’s a problem, and it further underscores the league’s lack of experience in that area.

As shown in the accompanying chart, five of the eight least-experienced offensive lines in the Power 5 reside in the ACC. It might be the year of the quarterback in the league, but there are certainly some real concerns about who’s going to protect them.

We looked into how much that lack of offensive line experience is likely to matter, and the big takeaway is this: Some teams can overcome, but most teams that are rebuilding an offensive line are likely to struggle. Miami and Clemson are both prime candidates.

Deshaun Watson dealt with several serious injuries last season, while the running game (4.10 yards per carry on non-sack plays, 112th nationally) struggled last season. Our Andrea Adelson examined what the host of personnel losses for Clemson might mean in 2015.

Brad Kaaya isn't particularly mobile, and while Miami does have talent in the backfield, it also won't have Duke Johnson. Kc McDermott likely will start at left tackle, but the Hurricanes' biggest issue is virtually all of its depth now will be made up of newcomers to the program.

The flip side of that argument in the ACC, however, is North Carolina. The Tar Heels return 105 career starts, fifth-most in the nation, along with one of the ACC’s most productive quarterbacks. If that doesn’t portend a great season from Marquise Williams, it at least gives him a real advantage that Everett Golson, Kaaya and Watson won’t have.

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