ESPN ACC Blog:
Our Top Five
1. Florida State.
2. Pittsburgh.
3. Georgia Tech
4. Miami.
5. Clemson
Runner-up: Pittsburgh. Like Florida State, the Panthers lose their workhorse and team leader in James Conner, whose inspirational story was impossible to ignore. But Pitt has talent, depth and experienced players returning at the position: 2015 ACC Rookie of the Year Qadree Ollison, Chawntez Moss and Darrin Hall. Add in two ESPN 300 running backs in A.J. Davis and Todd Sibley, and there’s every reason to believe the Panthers will excel at running the ball again.
Mission for new ACC coordinators: Enhancing schemes, not scrapping them
Watson also has plenty to work with at Pittsburgh, which is deep at running back and should be solid once again on the offensive line. What made the Panthers so good on offense last season was their ability to play power football and keep teams guessing with creativity, misdirection and unpredictability. (It would be a shame if Piesman winner Brian O'Neill doesn’t get an opportunity to defend his title). Watson, like the other new coordinators, has no plans to scrap what Canada did previously. Indeed, the coordinators might be new, but their tasks are similar in one respect: they each plan to build on what is already there.
ACC position rankings: Linebacker
Achilles’ heel: Pitt Panthers
The Panthers’ defense already was a bit of a mess last year, so some fans might argue the turnover at linebacker -- where longtime starters Matt Galambos and Mike Caprara both depart -- might be a blessing in disguise. Pitt likes what it has in youngsters Chase Pine and Kaezon Pugh, but while there likely is more athleticism waiting in the wings, there’s a lot of work to do to get them ready for the big stage.
LINK:
http://www.espn.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/98418/acc-position-rankings-running-backs-2
Our Top Five
1. Florida State.
2. Pittsburgh.
3. Georgia Tech
4. Miami.
5. Clemson
Runner-up: Pittsburgh. Like Florida State, the Panthers lose their workhorse and team leader in James Conner, whose inspirational story was impossible to ignore. But Pitt has talent, depth and experienced players returning at the position: 2015 ACC Rookie of the Year Qadree Ollison, Chawntez Moss and Darrin Hall. Add in two ESPN 300 running backs in A.J. Davis and Todd Sibley, and there’s every reason to believe the Panthers will excel at running the ball again.
Mission for new ACC coordinators: Enhancing schemes, not scrapping them
Watson also has plenty to work with at Pittsburgh, which is deep at running back and should be solid once again on the offensive line. What made the Panthers so good on offense last season was their ability to play power football and keep teams guessing with creativity, misdirection and unpredictability. (It would be a shame if Piesman winner Brian O'Neill doesn’t get an opportunity to defend his title). Watson, like the other new coordinators, has no plans to scrap what Canada did previously. Indeed, the coordinators might be new, but their tasks are similar in one respect: they each plan to build on what is already there.
ACC position rankings: Linebacker
Achilles’ heel: Pitt Panthers
The Panthers’ defense already was a bit of a mess last year, so some fans might argue the turnover at linebacker -- where longtime starters Matt Galambos and Mike Caprara both depart -- might be a blessing in disguise. Pitt likes what it has in youngsters Chase Pine and Kaezon Pugh, but while there likely is more athleticism waiting in the wings, there’s a lot of work to do to get them ready for the big stage.
LINK:
http://www.espn.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/98418/acc-position-rankings-running-backs-2
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