ESPN College Football

The Rimington Trophy, which is awarded to the nation's top center, released its watch list and the ACC was well-represented:

• Russell Bodine, North Carolina
• Jay Finch, Georgia Tech
• Macky MacPherson, Syracuse
• Shane McDermott, Miami
• Bryan Stork, Florida State

Two of the five players include a pair of repeaters from the 2012 Watch List in Finch and MacPherson.

From the ACC's release:

Finch led a Georgia Tech offense which finished 4th nationally in rushing yardage in 2012 and has rushed for more yards in the past three years than any other school in the nation. MacPherson, is the hub of a Syracuse offensive line that set school records in 2012 for total offense, passing yards and touchdown passes. He is the grandson of Syracuse Hall of Fame head coach Dick MacPherson.

Stork keyed a 10th-ranked Florida State team which finished ranked 10th nationally in scoring offense and 19th nationally in total offense. McDermott blocked for a Miami team which averaged 31.4 points per game and 440 yards of total offense per game. Bodine helped lead a UNC offense which set school records in total points (487) and points per game (40.8), as the Tar Heels finished 8th nationally in scoring offense.

The ACC was one of three conferences with five nominees, including the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain West Conference. Only the Southeastern Conference (9) had more selected to the 2013 Spring Watch List.

The winner of the Rimington Trophy will be selected by determining the consensus All-American center pick from four existing All-America Teams: American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Walter Camp Foundation (WCF), Sporting News (SN), and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).

As of today, there are 100 days until the start of the college football season.

You bet we’re counting.

If you’re Scot Loeffler, Virginia Tech's new offensive coordinator, 100 days must feel like a nanosecond. The Hokies aren’t the only ones, though, with plenty of work to do before the season begins. Here’s a checklist of five things the ACC and its teams must accomplish before the opening kickoff:

1. Name starting quarterbacks. Syracuse can’t even talk about Oklahoma transfer Drew Allen yet because he’s not on campus and won’t enroll until next month, but the Orange are just one of several teams in the ACC that still have an ongoing quarterback competition. Virginia’s quarterback controversy has seemingly gone on for years, and Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher has yet to officially anoint Jameis Winston as EJ Manuel’s successor. Pitt is also still searching for a dependable leader, along with NC State.

2. Find an offense in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech has become one of the ACC’s brand-name programs, a consistent winner and a representative in the Top 25 and BCS standings. That changed last season when the Hokies bumbled their way through their most disappointing season in 20 years. Coach Frank Beamer made sweeping changes to his offensive staff, but little improvement was seen in the spring game. Loeffler said it wasn’t a true indication of the progress that was made in the other 13 practices, but also conceded there is still a lot of work to be done. With Alabama looming in the season opener, all eyes will be on the ACC in Week 1. When the Hokies are good, the ACC is better.

3. Improve defensively. With the exception of Florida State, which finished the season ranked No. 6 in the country in scoring defense, 2012 wasn’t a banner year for ACC defenses. The conference usually has some of the nation’s best defenses -- including Boston College -- but there was no Luke Kuechly and no identity for the Eagles last fall. Miami beat Duke 52-45. Georgia Tech beat North Carolina 68-50. Clemson beat NC State 62-48. Clemson took a major step forward defensively with its bowl win against LSU, but the defense must become elite in its second season under coordinator Brent Venables if Clemson is going to be a national-title contender.

4. Minimize the turnovers. Virginia Tech was No. 86 in turnover margin last year, and quarterback Logan Thomas threw three picks in the spring game. Boston College was No. 88 in the country in turnover margin, FSU No. 93, NC State No. 99, Maryland No. 104, Virginia No. 110. That’s almost half the league ranked among the worst in the country in turnover margin. The Hokies play Alabama. Virginia plays Oregon. BC plays at USC. FSU is at Florida, and the Seminoles turned it over five times versus the Gators in FSU's 37-26 loss last year. The Gators scored 10 points off turnovers in that game. If the ACC is going to stand a chance, it can’t give away freebies.

5. Stay out of the trainer’s room. Virginia Tech standout corner Antone Exum is still rehabbing from the torn ACL he suffered in a pickup basketball game. The bulk of Wake Forest’s offensive line was walking wounded all spring, and that group will make or break the Deacons' season. Clemson backup quarterback Chad Kelly and starting tight end Sam Cooper both tore their ACLs this spring. If the ACC is going to beat the best this fall, it needs its best players on the field. For some programs, like Boston College, the depth isn’t there to afford injuries.

ESPN expert Mel Kiper wraps up his look at the top prospects for the 2014 draft today with offensive linemen and defensive tackles.

Here is a look at where some ACC players rank:

Offensive line

No. 5 Cameron Erving, Florida State

Next up

Tackles: James Hurst, North Carolina

Centers: Bryan Stork, Florida State

Kiper says of Erving: "The Florida State coaching staff is really excited about Erving, and when I took more time to watch him specifically, I can see why. In spring of last year, they converted Erving to tackle after years spent as a good but not great defensive tackle. At 6-6, 310 pounds, Erving is extremely athletic for his size, and he moves his feet to deal with rushers easily."

Defensive tackles

No. 2 Timmy Jernigan, Florida State

Kiper says of Jernigan: "At a hair under 300 pounds, Jernigan now carries the size of a 4-3 3-tech defensive tackle, but he still has the quickness you'd associate with a defensive end. He can penetrate and not merely disrupt plays, but actually chase down runners and quarterbacks in pursuit."

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- Commissioner John Swofford has floated the idea of potentially playing some games overseas, but that was not a large topic of discussion during the ACC spring meetings.

Still, coaches and athletic directors weighed in on the idea. On the surface, it sounds like a game in Ireland or England could be intriguing.

"Or a nightmare," one coach said.

Depends on your point of view.

But Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick gave his enthusiastic recommendation to playing overseas after his team opened last season against Navy in Ireland.

"I think it ranks at the very top of the experiences I've had at the university," Swarbrick said. "It was remarkable. Our student athletes had a great time. It was interesting because I would tell you they were probably reluctant when we boarded the plane. Not sure they wanted to be there. To a person, they just loved it. There's a lot of magic in what happened over there in those days. It's a great thing for American universities to do. So many of them have overseas campuses. It's really great for football."

A handful of coaches who discussed the topic said they would be interested, but they needed more information about logistics.

"I think it’d be kind of exciting," North Carolina coach Larry Fedora said. "I don’t know how it would work or how it would fit into your schedule. I’d have to know how it’s all going to work around it. It’s not necessarily that game or preparing for that game, but it’s the next one or the one before it."

Interestingly enough, Notre Dame did not have a bye after opening in Ireland. The Irish returned home and played Purdue the following week. Navy, on the other hand, did have a bye the following week.

"I think as long as nobody has a home-field advantage, it would be OK," Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. "When we went out to play Stanford, that was a nightmare for us. Time wise, the trip and playing late was crazy for us, but I think if both teams are traveling, it would be great. The trick is in scheduling, finding a way to recover when you get back. But I think it would be really cool."

Time to check in with ESPN expert Mel Kiper Jr. to see where the top ACC prospects for the 2014 draft rank at quarterback, linebacker and tight end.

Quarterback

No. 2 Tajh Boyd, Clemson

Next up: Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech

Of Boyd, Kiper Jr. writes, "People who would question Boyd because he was throwing to a great arsenal of pass-catchers last year should watch what he did against LSU in the Chik-fil-A Bowl. Boyd might as well have gone 12 rounds with Rocky in that game. Not only did he take hits on a lot of designed runs, the LSU defense battered him. But he played through it. The kid is tough."

And yes, you knew Thomas would make this list, considering how high Kiper Jr. has been on the senior-to-be in the past. Kiper calls him a "must-watch prospect" for 2014. Boyd and Thomas are featured on ESPN Insider Travis Haney's "make-or-break scenarios" for top quarterback prospects.

Kiper also gives a shout out to Bryn Renner of North Carolina, Stephen Morris of Miami and Pete Thomas of NC State in a "more I like" category.

Tight end

No. 3 Eric Ebron, North Carolina

Kiper Jr. writes: "He has the athleticism to be split out at the next level a la an Aaron Hernandez, but I like that Ebron displays a willingness, and even a bit of a nasty streak, when called on to block."

Outside linebacker

No. 5 Jeremiah Attaochu, Georgia Tech

Next up: Christian Jones, Florida State

Kiper Jr. says of Attaochu: "Tall, rangy and with good closing speed, he could play either outside linebacker or defensive end, but projects better at OLB for the NFL."

Want more? Haney ranks the Top 10 most talented teams in America . Florida State checks in at No. 4, and Miami is at No. 8. Clemson just misses the cut at No. 12. Of those three teams, only Miami is not projected to start the season in the Top 25. But don't be surprised if the Canes end the season there.

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- No, North Carolina coach Larry Fedora was not wearing his Coastal Division championship ring during the ACC spring meetings.

Yes, he did expect the backlash that followed after it was revealed his players got those rings despite being ineligible for the postseason.

"I knew there would be but that’s not why it was done," Fedora said. "I didn’t do it for the backlash. It was done for those seniors and those kids that accomplished everything they could accomplish. They had nothing to do with what happened so they were paying the price. I felt like they deserved it."

North Carolina would have played for an ACC title last year had it not been serving a postseason ban for NCAA violations committed well before Fedora and his players arrived on campus. The way Fedora explains it, he was looking for any source of motivation to give his players, who had no championship or bowl game to play for last season.

"I was searching for any reward that I could give them because I was proud of what they did," he said.

When it was revealed a few weeks ago that the players received rings, a firestorm erupted, and a great debate ensued. Was it right to hand out rings proclaiming yourselves champions when Georgia Tech ended up representing the Coastal Division in the ACC title game against Florida State?

None of that much mattered to Fedora, who was only looking out for his players. Fedora actually was not in town when the rings were handed out shortly before players finished up the semester. He does have his ring, but as is his custom, Fedora never wears any of the championship rings he has won.

And for the record, the ACC does not officially recognize North Carolina as Coastal Division champions.

Heather Dinich talks about UNC's top performer from spring practices.

The current bowl math doesn’t favor the expanded version of the ACC.

With eight bowls and 14 teams in the conference, that means only 57 percent of the ACC will make the postseason this year, at most.

3682361With 14 teams in the conference, including Pittsburgh and Syracuse, there has to be more than the current eight guaranteed bowl slots moving forward, but what number will constitute the “sweet spot” ACC commissioner John Swofford said he is looking for? Especially considering how Notre Dame will soon be elbowing its way into the league’s bowl lineup and taking one of those coveted spots? (If Notre Dame is ranked higher than or equal to an ACC bowl-eligible team, or is within one victory of a bowl eligible team, the Irish can be selected for that bowl spot.) Swofford recently told ESPN.com that the league could increase its bowl tie-ins to nine or 10 games. Will that be enough? Too many?

Last year, when the SEC went to 14 teams, it added the Independence Bowl as its 10th bowl tie in, but only nine teams qualified, and one -- Alabama -- was playing in the national championship. With the new College Football Playoff system to start in 2014, the ACC will have to replace the Chick-fil-A Bowl in its lineup, as that bowl will be one of the host bowls in the playoff. The ACC also has to consider the possibility of having a team in the playoff. It also has to acknowledge the reality of having only eight bowl-eligible teams on average:

ACC’s bowl eligible teams during 12-team era

2012: 6 (not including UNC and Miami, which were ineligible)

2011: 9

2010: 9

2009: 7

2008: 10 (ACC record)

2007: 8

2006: 8

2005: 8

The number of bowl games is currently up for debate. Cast your votes now.

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- ACC coaches are in favor of having the coaches' poll be a part of the criteria used by the selection committee to determine the four teams in the College Football Playoff.

Duke coach David Cutcliffe, serving as league coaches' chair, told ESPN.com on Wednesday during the league's spring meetings that his group also is in favor of having every single coach have a vote in the poll and complete transparency in the voting. They also favor doing away with a preseason poll, and releasing their first poll at some point during the season -- much in the way the BCS standings are released.

League coaches also favor the model used by the NCAA basketball selection committee, with either current athletic directors or conference representatives serving on the committee, as opposed to retired coaches.

"For the most part, we wanted to see conference representation and institutional representation rotated to some degree but the biggest item for us is the criteria of selecting those four teams. We want our coaches’ poll to matter," Cutcliffe said. "In another sense, all the coaches have a vote on the committee, and we think that’s good for the game, for the coaches to be good stewards of who’s in that national championship picture.

"All of us having a vote, the vote becoming transparent and the vote being conscientiously done. We think we’re qualified. We’re not watching every game on the East Coast, on the West Coast, but no one else is, either. We see a lot of film of a lot of people. We know who’s good, and who’s best -- maybe moreso than anybody else is looking at the game."

The one key piece to the College Football Playoff puzzle that remains unresolved is how the selection committee will look, and how they will go about selecting the four teams to make the playoff. Conference commissioners left meetings last month without any clear consensus, though it appears unlikely the committee will feature a representative from all 10 FBS leagues.

Cutliffe said there was no consensus from the coaches on who should serve on the committee, only that they favored having various leagues represented.

The coaches' poll is currently used in the BCS formula, but those with a vote have come under some heavy criticism in the past for their final votes. Some have shown bias in favoring their own conference in their final rankings. Others have pointed out that some coaches do not even do their own voting.

The BCS standings are being eliminated this year.

"Part of our concern was when you start naming individual coaches, it’s so hard to not have bias by coaches that have coached in certain leagues so the way we looked at it is if we allowed all the coaches to vote in the coaches poll and the coaches poll was looked at as a major contributing factor to the selection process, then all college coaches would have some input into the selection process," Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. "We’re just throwing things out right now because I don’t think anybody has a firm grasp of things.

"Will you have some bias from each coach? Absolutely you will, but through the country if it got balanced out, you’d probably still have a pretty legitimate idea of at least who the coaches thought the top four teams were."

Coaches agree bias cannot be completely eliminated in this process. That is why they are hopeful football adopts the basketball committee model. Ten members serve on the NCAA Division I basketball committee, and the group is balanced geographically. Georgia Tech athletic director Mike Bobinski served as committee chair for the last two tournaments.

"There is a model because basketball’s had a committee for a long time," North Carolina coach Larry Fedora said. "You’re going to have some of that. There’s nobody going to be out there that’s an expert on football that doesn’t have some affiliation somewhere in the past with a league or a team or anything so I don’t think you can do away with that."

Ingrained biases or perceptions do not concern at least one league coach.

"With the schedule that Clemson plays every year, if we take care of our business, all that stuff takes care of itself," Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said. "All I can tell you is Clemson worries about Clemson. We go and handle our business on the field, if we’re a one-loss team or no-loss team, Clemson with the brand we have, we’re right there."

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. weighs in Tuesday with his top prospects for 2014 at running back and safety.

Here are the ACC players who made his lists:

Running back

Nobody from the league was listed as a Top 5 prospect, though Florida State running back James Wilder Jr. made the "up next" category. Kiper said of Wilder: "Has the bloodlines, and shows off good power, bouncing off tacklers." Note: Wilder is a junior.

Safety

No. 5 Tre Boston, North Carolina. Kiper says of Boston, "I might be a little higher on Boston than some others, but I really like his ability to cover. Like a lot of college safeties, he spent time at cornerback and wide receiver in high school. But the thing about Boston is he could have stayed at corner for the Heels and been pretty good, but he has the size and range to be really good at safety."

Florida State safety Lamarcus Joyner is listed in the "up next" category.

Today, Mel Kiper begins a weeklong series looking at the top players at their respective positions for the 2014 NFL draft.

This is obviously an incredibly early look at where some of these prospects rank, but gives a good sense of who stands where with nearly a year to go before the draft rolls around again.

First up: receivers and defensive ends . Here is a look at the top ACC prospects at each spot:

Receiver

• No. 2 Sammy Watkins, Clemson. Kiper says: "Watkins has good size at 6-2, strong hands and is a big threat once he catches the ball. I'd be surprised if he didn't come back with a good season, but he needs to have a good August, too."
• Next up: Devin Street, Pitt.

Headed to the ACC spring meetings in Amelia Island, Fla.

• Quarterback Deshaun Watson is committed to Clemson, but that hasn't stopped a long line of schools from keeping up their sales pitches.
• Duke receiver Blair Holliday honored the woman who saved his life.
• The AJC catches up with Georgia Tech signee Travis Custis.
• Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald has an item on Miami's pursuit of a few quarterbacks in his notes column.
• Former Maryland defensive end A.J. Francis wrote a farewell guest column in the student newspaper.
• Larry Fedora talks about his vision for the future, playing South Carolina and facing Jadeveon Clowney.
• Three players from the class of 2012 are leaving the Pitt football team.
• Former Syracuse great Donovan McNabb tweets that the school will retire his jersey this season.
• Former Virginia lineman Oday Aboushi blazes a new trail as one of a handful of Palestinian-Americans in the NFL.
• Here is a quick recap of the Virginia Tech offensive line after spring practice.

Inspired by Florida's "#ComePlayWRFortheJoker" campaign, our recruiting writers looked at other ways schools can sell themselves on the trail. Here's a look at recruiting pitches for the ACC:

Boston College Eagles
What they're selling: B.C. has a metropolitan area to sell prospects. There are several top professional sports teams to enhance the college atmosphere.
What they're missing: Other than Matt Ryan, B.C. hasn't had great success and they were only marginally successful when he was there. Also, the professional sports teams in the area limit exposure for B.C.

Clemson Tigers
What they're selling: Clemson sports a beautiful campus in a picturesque area of the country. Head coach Dabo Swinney's public demeanor must appeal to prospects as well.
What they're missing: Other than enjoying college life, there's not a lot to do nearby. Despite high expectations, Clemson still hasn't produced championship results.

Duke Blue Devils
What they're selling: Education, first and foremost. Quarterbacks should also appreciate the chance to be tutored by head coach David Cutcliffe, who has coached Peyton and Eli Manning.
What they're missing: Because of academic requirements, there will always be a ceiling of success at Duke. Also Duke football will always play second fiddle to Duke basketball.

Florida State Seminoles
What they're selling: Florida State has a brand that is known nationally. They also have the ability to win at a high level thanks to nearby talent.
What they're missing: Other than a refurbished stadium, facilities at Florida State aren't great. The Seminoles also have the tough challenge of recruiting against nearby SEC schools.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
What they're selling: Tech prospects often laud Atlanta and its big-city feel. With a campus downtown, there's plenty to do. Sports-wise, there are plenty of professional teams to enjoy.
What they're missing: Exposure is the toughest challenge for Tech. Georgia Tech is overshadowed by local pro teams and nearby Georgia.

Maryland Terrapins
What they're selling: Since Randy Edsall took over as head coach, the Terrapins have had good success wooing local prospects. Under Armour has helped. Following the Oregon model, Maryland has won prospects over with flashy uniforms.
What they're missing: Winning is the biggest knock on Edsall's regime at Maryland. Despite all the hype, he has posted two losing seasons.

Miami Hurricanes
What they're selling: Coral Gables isn't a bad place to live. Miami's educational offerings are a plus too. Miami's greatest advantage is the local talent who grows up rooting for the Canes.
What they're missing: The continued wrangling between Miami and the NCAA about possible improper benefits to players has to scare some prospects. Miami also has struggled recently. They're not the high-flying team that was once so dominant.

North Carolina Tar Heels
What they're selling: Coach Larry Fedora's offense has excited prospects. It seems to sell well to skill-position players. Yet offensive linemen have also been enticed since they can perfect pass-blocking while still being physical.
What they're missing: Fedora will have to prove he can win at a high level to convince nearby prospects to stay close to home. North Carolina basketball will always overshadow North Carolina football.

North Carolina State Wolfpack
What they're selling: The Wolfpack have been selling early playing time to prospects recently. That always resonates with high school players.
What they're missing: The Wolfpack have so much nearby competition that it's tough to see them recruiting at an elite level. North Carolina is the state school. Duke and Wake Forest can offer elite educations. Where does N.C. State fit in?

Pittsburgh Panthers
What they're selling: Pitt has a metropolitan city with several professional team to sell. Coach Paul Chryst also relates to prospects well.
What they're missing: Competition for media coverage in Pittsburgh can be tough.

Syracuse Orange
What they're selling: Syracuse offers prospects from a talent-rich area the opportunity to stay close to home. There's also the Syracuse basketball team that keeps the school on a national sports stage.
What they're missing: Just when it seemed like Syracuse was up and coming, it lost coach Doug Marrone to the Buffalo Bills.

Virginia Cavaliers
What they're selling: Virginia coach Mike London has done an incredible job of relating to prospects. He's tapped into several talent-rich areas in Virginia and nabbed top prospects.
What they're missing: Winning. At some point, London and company will have to prove they can win on Saturdays to continue to nab top prospects in February. If he can do that, watch out.

Virginia Tech Hokies
What they're selling: As always, Tech sells a kind of toughness that appeals to some prospects. It may not be for all but it tends to resonate with some. Tech has built a successful program on that. Coach Frank Beamer's stability helps the Hokies recruit as well.
What they're missing: Tech has slid recently. It once was playing for national championships. That time seems to have passed. Tech needs to land a star player to achieve a higher level.

North Carolina is a team folks are not sleeping on in the Coastal this year, thanks to immediate results in Year 1 under Larry Fedora.

But there certainly are some questions that have to be addressed on offense, with players like Giovani Bernard, Jonathan Cooper and Brennan Williams gone. I had a chance to check in with North Carolina offensive coordinator Blake Anderson to see how his offense has progressed in filling those spots and addressing other key areas. Here is a little of what he had to say.

Where do you feel you guys stand after the spring?

Blake Anderson: We’re a long ways away from where we’ve got to be. We lost some really good players, and it’s not going to be easy but in terms of this spring, one of the things we focused on was we wanted to increase our transition speed -- play faster. The first year of a tempo offense from a pro-style team to a tempo-style team was good but we felt like we can improve and I thought we did that. We focused on being faster between plays, the ability to get the next play off quicker, to communicate. I thought we took a step forward in that.

We simplified things offensively to try to be better technically and better positionally and allow guys to maybe fine-tune their craft. We did a better job as a staff of being more streamlined and narrowing a few things down and that allowed guys to get better at a few things. We have so many new faces on offense, we wanted some young guys to step in and play early so it’s a combination of a couple different things.

And really, the rest of it is a work in progress. How many of our tailbacks take over the load that Gio’s leaving and then with three offensive linemen getting drafted we have to find who our starting five is and even more importantly who Nos. 6 and 7 are. We’ve started on that process, but we’re not near finished with it.

In terms of playing faster, how many plays did you end up running per game?

BA: It was somewhere around 74, 74.5 last year, a good bit lower than what we would like it to be.

Where do you want it to be?

BA: Well, we’d love to average 80 a game. That’s always been a ballpark number. Some of that is outside of our control. Some of that is how the opponent plays offensively in terms of the clock they run, what are they doing -- are they trying to milk the clock? Some of it had to do with games we had the lead in and we consciously slowed the game down in the second half. I look at it in a game-by-game basis but I felt like overall our transition tempo can improve and it should and it is. Now I don’t know if our average play per game will be a whole lot different or not. But 80 is a good marker for us. It gives us a good average number. If we’re around that number we’re moving in the right direction.

How does the transition up front impact Bryn Renner?

BA: I’d be lying if I said he doesn’t think about it but I don’t want him worried about what’s happening up front. I think he has some comfort in knowing he’s going to have one of the best left tackles in the country with James Hurst on one side, and for a right-handed quarterback that obviously is a good amount of comfort. There’s not a guy that’s going to outwork Hurst. Russell Bodine at center has come a long way. He’s become one of the best at that position in the country as well so he has a tremendous amount of confidence in those guys. We’re fortunate that Landon Turner played as many snaps as he did last year with Brennan Williams being injured. Even though three guys went in the draft, there’s three guys coming back that played basically the entire season for us. I don’t think Bryn’s that concerned or I hope he’s not that concerned about those other two spots. We took big steps with Kiaro Holts and Caleb Peterson this spring at getting them to be functional up there. Are we going to be as talented as we were last year? Probably not. Maybe in the long run we’ll be just as good. Initially, there’s going to be some growing pains but that’s not something Bryn’s got a lot of time to be worried about. I think he’s aware he has to get the ball out quickly at times, he’s aware of where some pressures might come from. His biggest role is communicating well and feeling poised so those guys aren’t rattled, so Bodine and Hurst and Landon Turner can bring those other two guys along. It’s going to be a team effort. I don’t want him to worry. His job is already tough enough as it is.

Coach Larry Fedora mentioned if the season started today, A.J. Blue would get the starting nod at running back over Romar Morris because of his experience. How do you envision the rotation working out?

BA: It’s going to be running back by committee to some degree. Even as good as Gio was and as good a year as he had, it took all those guys to get through the season. So it’s going to take them all. They’re all a little bit different, and injury at some point is going to keep somebody out for a game or a quarter or a half and we’re going to need everybody, all hands on deck. I would say the walk-on Charles Brunson that went through the spring or T.J. Logan, the freshman coming in, I would say those guys would end up touching the ball as well. It’s just the nature of college football.

How do you think Khris Francis fits into the mix?

BA: Really surprised at how quickly Khris Francis picked up things. He put the ball on the ground early but got better as the spring went on. For a freshman coming in, it’s always an eye-opening experience. Defenses at this level attack the football and try to take the football away. He’s got the skill level to be good. I think it’s going to be a one-two punch, you may see A.J.-Romar one week and maybe Romar-Khris or maybe Khris and A.J. depending on who’s healthy, who’s got the hot hand, who’s having a great day and how the season is going. I can see a one-two punch with three or four guys.

Quinshad Davis emerged for you at receiver last year but maybe you didn’t have the depth you wanted. Where does that group stand now?

BA: Just the transition from the old style to what we do, that’s the position where it takes the longest to get your numbers built the way you want to get them built. You’re getting a lot more plays than you’ve gotten. We’re asking more guys to be on the field than they have in the past. So we’re still seeing some growing pains. We are thin, we were beat up. We’ve been unfortunate with a few guys who have ability but haven’t been physically able to get out there. T.J. Thorpe is one of those guys we have to get on the field. I thought Quinshad had a great freshman year, better than expected. He had a really good spring. I saw him step up, his personality, he became even more competitive on a daily basis whereas in the fall he was playing well, but you didn’t see him step up and try to lead in any way. He was just following the group. I thought this spring he stepped up his competitive nature and led some drills, led the group, and that will make him a better player.

And then Kendrick Singleton and Sean Tapley both played several different positions during the spring. We bounced them around and utilized them different ways, which is going to benefit us in the fall. It’s going to make us more versatile. We’re trying to find out what role they can play. The way we operate you have to talk about the tight end at the same time. Without Eric Ebron this spring, I thought Jack Tabb had a very, very good spring. He trimmed down a little bit, got a step faster and became more versatile. Once you throw Ebron back in the mix with Tabb and those guys I mentioned and hopefully we can infuse a couple young guys coming in, I think we’re going to be still inexperienced but I think we have a chance to be a step better.

Don't forget your mamas ...

• Gotta love UNC vs. South Carolina in Charlotte.
• Clemson will rearrange its day so it can play on Thursday night.
• Joe Hamilton is back at Georgia Tech.
• The Hokies will need a big year from Logan Thomas to get the offense going.
• FSU AD Randy Spetman denies any reports that he is a candidate for a job at Rutgers.
• Former UVa star Ronde Barber will retire.
• Here's a look at Virginia Tech's running backs following spring ball.
• Former Cuse coach Doug Marrone was living the good life.