Georgia Tech Team Breakdown

Returning starters Offense: 7, Defense: 8, Punter/Kicker: 2

Quarterback – Joshua Nesbitt (right, courtesy of SMI) will once again lead Tech’s hi-powered triple option offense and this time could see less success. With this being the third year of GT running the offense, the ACC has had yet another year to gear up and learn the tricks. Add in some new defensive coaches that will be hell bent on stopping the option along with Tech losing itstop receiver (Demaryius Thomas) and top running back (Jonathan Dwyer) and I predict they will struggle to find the success that they had last year. Losing Thomas is probably the bigger blow. The first-round draft pick accounted for more than 66 percent of the team’s receiving yards. If Nesbitt (who missed the spring due to ankle surgery) goes down, Georgia Tech will have turn to Tevin Washington. If you look at his stat line, you will see he has thrown one career pass.

Running Back – Georgia Tech lost Jonathan Dwyer (1,395 yards), but returns Anthony Allen, who led the team with a gaudy 9.7 yards per carry average. Juniors Marcus Wright (5.8 per carry) and Roddy White (6.5 per carry) also figure to be in the mix. Any starting or second RB in GT’s offense is going to put up great figures, so draft away.

Wide Receiver – Losing Demaryius Thomas is a tremendous blow for the Yellow Jackets. For all practical purposes, Thomas was Georgia Tech’s receiving game last season. A running back, Embry Pebbles, was second on the team with eight receptions. The good news is that coach Paul Johnson believes sophomore receiver Stephen Hill (6-4, 195) has the physical tools to be a star and will step into the large hole left behind. Look for the Jackets to make an effort to throw more to the A-backs, or slot backs, this year.

Tight End – Tech employs no Tight Ends in their offense. Expect more of the same out of this position as Paul Johnson plans to use more run-and-shoot elements, geared towards his wide receivers, to his triple option offense.

Defense – Georgia Tech hired former Virginia head coach, Al Groh, to help this defense turn a new page. They transition to a 3-4 defense but not all of the positions are completely sorted out as they lack all of the talent needed. This defense will struggle, especially early on and I just cannot see them being at the top of the league. Draft low if you have to as I consider this a mid-pack defense.

Kicker/Special Teams – Senior Scott Blair has the kicking job down, but watch for a small competition in the fall camps just to try and spark a little more productivity out of him. He returns from a junior campaign that yielded a 97% extra point accuracy but only a 70% field goal accuracy. I would expect most of Blair’s points to come from extra points versus field goals, just like it was last year.

Schedule – Georgia Tech has a pretty solid schedule. They play some easier non-conference games against South Carolina State and Middle Tennessee State, but they also have to play at Kansas and at Georgia as the last game of the season. Their conference schedule is going to be brutal as they play at UNC and at Virginia Tech, but at least they host Miami. A split schedule of six home games and six away games should make for a very interesting season for this team.

Maryland Team Breakdown

Returning starters: Offense: 7, Defense: 5, Punter/Kicker: 2

Quarterback – Starter Chris Turner has graduated which left behind untested youngsters at the position. Maryland wrapped up spring with Jamarr Robinson as its new quarterback, Danny O’Brien his backup and C.J. Brown No. 3. Robinson made good decisions, threw the ball pretty well and limited his turnovers despite two picks in the spring game. He has a quiet confidence and started to become more of a leader, taking control of the huddle. Expect meager stats for a new QB in an already struggling offense with a leaky O Line.

Running Back – Da’Rel Scott returns for one last crack at it. He fared much better in 2008 than he did in 2009, but he should see some solid carries this year. I expect a mediocre season fantasy wise, so I wouldn’t draft him. Watch him on the waivers or free agency as the season progresses as the offense may pick up a little more steam as their new QB gets broken in.

Wide Receiver – Torrey Smith is a playmaker and should be a star this year. He was one of the top 5 WR in the ACC last year and should be again this year. He’s a threat with the ball in hands and has even taken a couple of kick/punt returns for a score which could be bonus points. I would take Torrey in the mid rounds of your draft and use him as a flex player.

Tight End – Tommy Galt looks like the starter at TE. He had an okay year with 14 grabs last season. Expect the tight end position to be more of an additional blocker as the offensive line has struggled throughout the spring.

Defense – The explosion of LB Alex Wujciak shows that Friedgen still knows how to recruit some elite level talent for this team. He was a force that many didn’t see coming. The overall defense will change somewhat as some new coaching has been brought in to try and reinvigorate a stagnant team. Like Georgia Tech, I consider this defense to be a middle of the pack.

Kicker/Special Teams – Maryland found their kicker in Nick Ferrara who was 100% on PATS and 72% accurate on Field Goals. The problem is that this offense does not move the ball well enough on a consistent basis for him to be much of a factor. I think Ferrara will end up around the # 6 or #7 spot in the ACC by season’s end, not because of talent or ability, but because of opportunity.

Schedule – Like last year, Maryland gets all of their non-conference games out of the way first. They host some should-be-easy games against Morgan State and FIU, but start off with a tough game against Navy and then West Virginia two weeks later. They escaped having to play UNC, Virginia Tech, or Georgia Tech which will help. I expect this team to be .500 by season’s end.

Miami Team Breakdown

Returning starters: Offense: 6, Defense: 8, Punter/Kicker: 2

Quarterback – Jacory Harris returns with a full year of experience under Mark Whipple’s offense. He may the biggest enigma in the league. The junior has a penchant for making big plays and also poor decisions. He is the first Miami quarterback to throw for 3,000 yards since Ken Dorsey but also had 17 interceptions last season, which ranked second most in the FBS. This just shows that even with success, he still has a ways to go. The smack down by Wisconsin in the bowl game just proves that this team is good, but not great. I expect another year of similar stats for Harris, with a few less INTs.

Running Back – Like FSU, this will end up being a RB-by-committee situation for Miami as they had arguably the best spring of any position group and proved they’re still deep, despite the loss of James and not having Cooper, who is recovering from a torn ACL. Lamar Miller, a redshirt freshman, was tough to bring down in the open field, and had good speed. Storm Johnson, a true freshman who enrolled early, picked up the offense quickly and ran hard. Damien Berry showed the same form he had at the end of the season when he finished strong, and Mike James returned to running back from fullback. Watch for some impressive numbers, but not by any one particular RB. Damien Berry, who posted a team-high 6.6 yards per carry in ’09, should be the starter and will have the most chance to be the star.

Wide Receiver – The Hurricanes boast perhaps the best receiver in the league in Leonard Hankerson (17.8 yards per catch) and two other proven receivers in Travis Benjamin (17.3 yards per catch) and LaRon Byrd (13.9 yards per catch). With one full year in Whipple’s offense, each of these players will see improvement. Couple that with no clear star TE, and the WR group looks like they may see some more action their way.

Tight End – They lost their top three tight ends, including Dedrick Epps and Jimmy Graham, who combined for eight touchdown catches. Senior Richard Gordon stands out to me as the next viable TE for the U, but if it’s not him then I’m looking to Chase Ford who is a JUCO transfer. He led the Southwest Junior College Football Conference with 32 receptions and 545 receiving yards last year. I don’t expect many teams will respect this yeas TE crop for Miami which could land them some good numbers at the beginning of the season.

Defense – Miami’s D will be good as always as they did not lose a whole lot of the skill positions on defense. Miami played a ton of underclassmen last year and will look to do the same as they incorporate Rey Rey Armstrong at Safety. The biggest weakness last year on this team was in the secondary as they still weren’t able to generate a whole lot of turnovers. Randy Shannon knew what needed to be tweaked and he recruited for it. DE Allen Bailey will be an unstoppable freight train on the edge that will be looking to raise his draft stock during his senior season.

Kicker/Special Teams – Kick Matt Bosher is returning which provides a great boost to Miami’s special teams. He was 50 for 50 on PATS and 87% with field goals. He didn’t have as many field goal opportunities as some of the other kickers in 2009, but I would expect his attempts to jump quite a bit as Miami should be able to move the ball well as everyone has a year under their belt in Mark Whipple’s scheme.

Schedule – After their first cupcake, Miami probably has the single worst opening to a season out of any team this year. They play at Ohio State, at Pittsburgh, at Clemson and then host FSU. They do get to host UNC and Virginia Tech mid season which should give them a slight advantage, but an away game at Georgia Tech could be troublesome.

North Carolina Team Breakdown

Returning starters: Offense: 10, Defense: 9, Punter/Kicker: 2

Quarterback – Three-year starter T.J. Yates was outplayed in the spring game by redshirt freshman Bryn Renner, which opens the door for possible controversy. Watch for Yates to be held on a short leash here. If WR Greg Little ends up having some sort of suspension due to the Miami party, then Yates is going to lose his top WR threat.  This leaves an underwhelming group of receivers to catch the balls. I don’t expect this team to fare all that well fantasy wise. Look for a passing TD total in the low teens to match the number of INTs that will be thrown.

Running Back – North Carolina had a backfield that most in the league underestimated. Despite an offensive line that suffered a multitude of injuries, Ryan Houston managed to gain 713 rushing yards last season and Shaun Draughn had 596 despite missing four games with a wrist injury. Both return and if the O-line can get healthy, UNC’s production should improve sharply. Draughn reasserted himself as the main man this spring with Houston out to concentrate on his academics, so he appears to be the likely starter heading into the fall. I expect both backs to eclipse 650 yards and about 5-7 TDs each.

Wide Receiver – Tar Heels return every key receiver, including the dynamic Greg Little, who became just the fifth player in school history to have at least 60 catches in a season. Let it be said here that I predicted Greg Little to be one of the leading WR in the ACC last year, and he was! I expect this team to be about as productive offensively as it was last year as not much has changed. If Little avoids any suspensions, he’s the guy I would draft late for fantasy.

Tight End – Zack Pianalto who is the school’s all-time receptions leader among tight ends is back after a season-ending injury. Look for him to be a big red-zone target and one of TJ Yates’ favorite.

Defense – The good news for North Carolina is that all of the scandals really focused on just one player from the defensive side, Marvin Austin. The problem with that is if, and it’s still an if, they lose Austin for any time, it leaves a huge hole.  He is one of the biggest playmakers on that side of the ball. They do, however, return linebacker Quan Sturdivant, and defensive end Robert Quinn who look to make their senior years a memorable one. The defense should be able to keep this team in games early on while the offense continues to work out the kinks. They are the best defense in the ACC and probably in the whole NCAA.

Kicker/Special Teams – Casey Barth stepped in from the start last year and had a very solid year. He only missed one of his 35 PATs and 21 for 25 on his field goals. With another year to mature, he should be even better as the offense will not be as stagnant as they were last year. Look for him to have more opportunities this fall to score some points.

Schedule – North Carolina has a rough opening schedule as they start against LSU and then Georgia Tech. They face Clemson midseason and have away games at Miami and FSU. At least they get Virginia Tech home. Tough schedule for a team going through some turmoil at the moment.