ESPN College Football

MIAMI

2009 overall record: 9-4

2009 conference record: 5-3

Returning starters

Offense: 6, defense: 8, punter/kicker: 2

Top returners

QB Jacory Harris, T Orlando Franklin, WR Leonard Hankerson, WR LaRon Byrd, DE Allen Bailey, LB Sean Spence, LB Colin McCarthy, P/PK Matt Bosher, CB Brandon Harris, RB Graig Cooper (injured)

Key losses

OT Jason Fox, C A.J. Trump, TE Dedrick Epps, RB Javarris James, S Randy Phillips, CB Sam Shields, LB Darryl Sharpton, DT Joe Joseph

2009 statistical leaders (* returners)

Rushing: Cooper* (695 yards)

Passing: Harris* (3,352 yds)

Receiving: Hankerson* (801 yds)

Tackles: Sharpton (106)

Sacks: Bailey* (7)

Interceptions: Harris, Phillips, Micanor Regis* (2)

Spring answers

1. Depth at running back. The running backs 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.

2. Deeper at QB. What a difference a year can make. After both backup quarterbacks transferred a year ago, this position has the best depth it’s seen under coach Randy Shannon. A.J. Highsmith, Spencer Whipple and Stephen Morris all moved the ball this spring. Highsmith seemed to be the front-runner for the No. 2 job behind Jacory Harris, as he took most of the first-team reps with Harris out.

3. Defensive line shines. First-year defensive line coach Rick Petri’s group was one of the Canes’ bright spots this spring. The defensive ends go about three deep on each side. Adewale Ojomo, who missed all of last season with a broken jaw, is back, and the tackles were solid.

Fall questions

1. Wanted: tight ends. Miami only had two tight ends this spring, but the Canes will add four in the fall, including Chase Ford, a junior college transfer. Richard Gordon and Billy Sanders will finally get some competition. Gordon has the most experience and he’s a senior, but he only played in one game last year. He was granted an extra year of eligibility and should have a bigger role this season. Sanders, a redshirt freshman, was on the scout team.

2. Transition at center. Tyler Horn isn’t a rookie, but it's unclear how he'll adjust to his new role in taking over for A.J. Trump. Horn was the top option at center this spring with true freshman Shane McDermott, an early enrollee, behind him. Horn has been there for three years, and it’s his job to lose.

3. Stuck in the middle. Who will take over at middle linebacker? Miami is still working out its depth issue here. Kylan Robinson started to emerge there in the spring, and Shayon Green was another option. At the end of spring, Colin McCarthy was still at strong side and Sean Spence was at weak side, but Shannon could make some moves to get the best group of linebackers in there. That could mean McCarthy moves to the middle. In the past two years, Shannon liked to put an older player there (Glenn Cook, Darryl Sharpton), but McCarthy played the majority of the spring at his usual spot. The return of Spence and Jordan Futch from injuries should help Shannon figure out the right combination.

Spring games and the NFL draft made for a busy weekend in the ACC ...

• Full disclosure: I'm from Pennsylvania. Born on the Western side. That makes me a Steelers fan. Welcome to the club, Jonathan Dwyer. The surprising news, though, was how long Dwyer had to wait to get there.
• Former Maryland offensive tackle Bruce Campbell also went later than many expected, falling to the fourth round.
• It took until the final day for a trio of Miami players to hear their names called -- not that Jason Fox minded.
• Former Wake Forest offensive lineman Chris DeGeare was surprised he wound up with Minnesota.
• There are a few remaining concerns for the Carolina schools heading into the summer.
• Virginia Tech and FSU have been deemed the ACC's early front-runners by at least one media outlet already.
• Here are seven storylines worth watching in the conference this year.
• Former FSU safety Myron Rolle convinced the Tennessee Titans he was worthy of a pick, even if it didn't come until the sixth round.
• FSU coach Jimbo Fisher answered a few of the media's questions on this week's ACC teleconference.
• Michael Vick received a mostly warm welcome back to Virginia Tech this past weekend.
• Former Georgia Tech receiver Demaryius Thomas' success has inspired Stephen Hill to aim for the same.

Good morning, ACC fans, hope you guys had a good NFL draft weekend. The ACC put together a good wrap-up of this past weekend's draft activity for the conference. The ACC ranked third this year among conferences with 31 players chosen. The SEC led with 49, followed by the Big Ten (34). The Big 12 had 30, the Pac-10 29, the Big East 18 and the Mountain West 13.

Here are a few notes to tie it all together for you:

• For the sixth straight year, the ACC had more than 30 players selected.
• Since 2005, the ACC and the SEC are the only two leagues in the nation to have had 30 players selected in each of the past six years.
• Atlantic Division champion Clemson (C.J. Spiller, Jacoby Ford, Ricky Sapp, Crezdon Butler, Kavell Connor) and Coastal Division runner-up Virginia Tech (Jason Worilds, Kam Chancellor, Ed Wang, Brent Bowden, Cody Grimm) led all ACC schools each with five players chosen in the draft.
• ACC champion Georgia Tech (Derrick Morgan, Demaryius Thomas, Morgan Burnett, Jonathan Dwyer) and Miami (Jimmy Graham, Darryl Sharpton, Jason Fox, Dedrick Epps) were next, each with four players chosen.
• The ACC maintained its streak of having at least one top-10 selection in each of the past five years. Since 2006, the ACC is the only conference in the country to have had a top-10 selection in each year.
• In all, 18 NFL teams selected players from the ACC.

Hello, ACC world.

• Some interesting comments from Virginia Tech secondary coach Torrian Gray in this piece from the Virginian-Pilot's Kyle Tucker.
• Georgia Tech's Jordan Luallen makes a strong case for the backup quarterback job, Jeff Haws writes in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Tech running back Lucas Cox is a marked man this spring, Coley Harvey writes in the Macon Telegraph.
• Florida State's Christian Ponder is almost fully healed from his devastating injury, Andrew Carter writes in the Orlando Sentinel. Noles coach Jimbo Fisher fires up the boosters, Ira Schoffel writes in the Tallahassee Democrat.
• Virginia needs to get serious about its power run game, Jerry Ratcliffe writes in the Charlottesville Daily Progress.
• Wide receiver recruit Marcus Leak talks about his commitment to Maryland with Baltimoresun.com's Matt Bracken.
• Miami's hard-luck offensive tackle Jason Fox thinks he'll be a mid- to late-round selection in the NFL draft, Jorge Milian writes in The Palm Beach Post.
• The 49ers are the best fit for Clemson running back C.J. Spiller, Vinnie Iyer writes in The Sporting News.

• Miami offensive lineman Jason Fox had the most to gain of the Miami players scheduled to work out at Friday's pro day.

A knee injury kept him out of Miami's final two games in 2009, and prevented him from working out for scouts at the NFL scouting combine almost a month ago. But Fox tweaked his hamstring while running the 40 for scouts earlier today and struggled in position-specific workouts after the injury.

Tight end Jimmy Graham didn't run the 40 after posting a 4.56 40 time at the combine, second fastest among tight ends, but did participate in pass-catching drills.

• North Carolina's nonconference showdown with LSU in Atlanta is set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Sept. 4. The matchup is the first of three difficult nonconference matchups for the Tar Heels, who also face East Carolina and Rutgers next season.

It wasn’t intended to be a trick question, but it was one that Miami senior left tackle Orlando Franklin struggled to answer: Who is the leader of this year’s offensive line?

“I don’t know,” Franklin said. “I guess you could say it’s me.”

He might not have much of a choice.

After two years in a starting role, Franklin said he’s ready to take on more responsibility, and with new faces in new places, the offensive line could use a veteran to depend upon. The Canes have to replace three starters up front, including both tackles and center A.J. Trump. Franklin said he watched graduated veteran Jason Fox anchor the group the past two years, and learned what it takes to be a leader.

“I’m ready for that role, and I’m ready to get it done,” Franklin said. “You’re going to always have challenges going into spring, but I’m not really worried about it. I’m confident in these guys coming in. … We’ve got guys who have played already or haven’t played but have been around and know a lot of football. It’s exciting to see what they’re going to do.”

Coach Randy Shannon is equally as interested, especially in the center position, where Tyler Horn is expected to take over. Horn has been taking snaps at center for the past three years, but he lacks game experience.

“We’ve got some guys who are big, athletic, and we feel really good about who can keep us going on the offensive line,” Shannon said. “But like anything, you’re always worried about the quarterback and the guy who snaps the ball to the quarterback. Those are the two most key positions probably on the football team. It will be interesting to see. They’re going to be tough, physical practices this spring.”

Shannon said that part of the problem last year was depth, and that freshmen were the backups at every position. This year, Miami should have 15 offensive linemen on its roster by summer camp. The Canes can turn to Franklin, Harland Gunn, Brandon Washington and Joel Figueroa, who is out this spring while recovering from shoulder surgery, for some experience. Shane McDermott is a true freshman who enrolled in January and is competing with Horn for the starting job at center.

Franklin said the offensive line takes a lot of pride in keeping quarterback Jacory Harris healthy, but as a team, they failed to do that consistently last year. Miami ranked No. 100 in the country, allowing 2.69 sacks per game, but Franklin pointed out that the linemen aren’t the only ones doing the blocking, and the entire offense has to be clicking in order for everything to work.

“When that kid’s healthy and he has time,” Franklin said of Harris, “we sure did see the results.”

“A lot of things did go wrong at times because we didn’t do as good as we should’ve done. With pass plays, if a receiver runs a wrong route, too far or too short, or Jacory takes the wrong step, or a running back misses a block, it’s a sack. We all have to be on the same page, or it’s going to be a bad situation.”

Communication shouldn’t be a problem up front.

For years, the offensive linemen have always met on Thursdays to eat together, changing places each week. This past season the starters added Wednesday meals to their routine. Recently, Horn sent Franklin a text message about “pool day” at his house. They planned to “throw some food on the grill.”

They’ve gotten to know each other pretty well as they waited in the wings for their turn in the spotlight, which is now.

“We have a lot of guys who have been in the system for a couple of years now,” Franklin said. “They’ve been waiting to get in. I’m quite confident they’re going to do a good job.”

Here's a look at what the Coastal Division coaches need to address in this year's signing class:

DUKE

Defensive linemen: Redshirt juniors and seniors comprised the bulk of the two-deep depth chart in 2009, and the recent dismissal of backup John Drew plus the graduation of Vince Oghobaase makes it a position of concern. The interior line needs the most help.

Running back: The Blue Devils never quite got their running game going in 2009 and will have to start to make a push at this position to help break in new starting quarterback Sean Renfree. Re’quan Boyette will have to be replaced.

Offensive line: In looking ahead, the Blue Devils will have six redshirt juniors or seniors up front in 2010. While that’s good news for the immediate future, Duke needs to work ahead for what it will lose in 2011.

GEORGIA TECH

Defensive backs: The biggest loss is obviously safety Morgan Burnett to the NFL draft, but the Jackets need to look ahead. Safeties Mario Edwards and Dominique Reese will be redshirt seniors this year, and cornerback Mario Butler will be a senior.

Defensive linemen: For the second year in a row it’s a concern, and thanks in large part to the NFL draft. Derrick Morgan will be missed, but overall this group needs an upgrade.

MIAMI

Offensive line: Three starters will have to be replaced, including the Canes’ top veteran, Jason Fox. Both guard positions are also short-timers, as Orlando Franklin and Joel Figueroa will both be seniors this fall.

Linebacker: Darryl Sharpton is the lone senior departing, but this unit could use more depth. It’s been a problem since Randy Shannon took over. And while the staff has made progress, injuries have continuously depleted the group.

Secondary: The Canes will have to replace Chavez Grant and Randy Phillips, and DeMarcus VanDyke will be a senior. Miami improved its interceptions in 2009, but not by much, ranking No. 87 in the country with nine. Of course, it helps to get pressure up front to force quarterbacks into those mistakes.

NORTH CAROLINA

Offensive line: This is where the Tar Heels’ offensive improvement needs to start, and it didn’t help that this year’s unit was battered and bruised most of the season. Two starters will have to be replaced this year and five more of the top players in the rotation will be seniors in 2010.

Linebacker: UNC needs to reload at this position, and it's taking the right steps in that direction with this class. Although Quan Sturdivant and Bruce Carter elected to return, it’s only a matter of time before the talented seniors have to be replaced.

VIRGINIA

Quarterback: The Cavs have a lot of questions about this position heading into 2010 and beyond. The good news is that Michael Strauss has already enrolled this semester, so he’ll get an early start with spring ball.

Playmakers: Vague, yes, but it’s exactly what this program needs. Part of the reason Gregg Brandon’s spread offense didn’t work was because he didn’t have the personnel to execute it. Virginia will lose its most versatile player in Vic Hall, will have to replace fullback Rashawn Jackson, and needs more than just Mikell Simpson.

VIRGINIA TECH

Linemen: The Hokies will need help on both sides of the ball, particularly interior defensive linemen. Six of the eight players on the 2009 two-deep defensive line were either juniors or seniors. Starters Ed Wang and Sergio Render will have to be replaced on the offensive line this year.

Defensive backs: This unit will be hit hard with departures in the next two seasons, as starters Kam Chancellor and Stephan Virgil have to be replaced in 2010, and Rashad Carmichael and Davon Morgan will be seniors.

Quarterback. With Tyrod Taylor being a senior next year, the staff will have to look ahead. There’s a lot of inexperience and question marks behind him. The one thing they don’t need in Blacksburg? Running backs.

The Sporting News published a list of seniors invited to participate in the 2010 NFL scouting combine, Feb. 24 to March 2 at Indianapolis. Here are the ACC's representatives, but keep in mind it's not an official -- or final -- list.

Boston College: LB Mike McLaughlin, C Matt Tennant.

Clemson: OLB Kavell Conner, WR Jacoby Ford, DE Ricky Sapp, RB C.J. Spiller.

Duke: QB Thaddeus Lewis, Vince Oghobaase.

Florida State: CB Patrick Robinson, S Myron Rolle, OLB Dekoda Watson.

Maryland: CB Nolan Carroll.

Miami: TE Dedrick Epps, OT Jason Fox, TE Jimmy Graham, RB Javarris James, LB Darryl Sharpton.

North Carolina: OT Kyle Jolly, DT Cam Thomas.

NC State: C Ted Larsen, DE Willie Young.

Virginia: CB Chris Cook, FB Rashawn Jackson.

Virginia Tech: P Brent Bowden, S Kam Chancellor, CB Stephan Virgil, OT Ed Wang.

Wake Forest: OT Chris DeGeare, CB Brandon Ghee.

It's not easy being an ACC coach in a bowl game. Conference history says so. But these guys get paid -- an absurd amount -- to win, and so far the majority of the league's rookies have failed to do that. More than half of the conference was led this year by coaches in their third season or less. And most of them faced postseason struggles. Dabo Swinney and David Cutcliffe get passes on this one. Swinney got Clemson to its first title-game appearance and won his bowl game, and Cutcliffe is coaching Duke. Give the man some time. Here are the ACC coaches who are currently struggling the most in the postseason:

1. Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson -- He's had the two biggest bowl flops of the bunch with a 38-3 loss to LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, and the 24-14 loss to Iowa in the Orange Bowl. The first loss was a disaster on special teams. The second showed what can happen when a defense figures out the triple option and the passing game is ineffective.

2. UNC coach Butch Davis -- For two years in a row he lost right down the road in his home state to a Big East team in front of a UNC-partisan crowd. And this year he did it with the best defense the ACC had to offer.

3. Miami coach Randy Shannon -- Back-to-back bowl losses don't get you a lot of pats on the back at Miami, but this year the Hurricanes were defeated by a better team and would have struggled even with injured offensive lineman Jason Fox in the lineup. Wisconsin was more physical up front, and quarterback Jacory Harris didn't play well.

4. NC State coach Tom O'Brien -- It's hard to pick on this guy considering all the Pack have been through. If O'Brien had Russell Wilson healthy for four quarters two years ago, NC State would have won the Papajohns.com Bowl. This year, the Pack couldn't even make the cut for the postseason. But a bowl win should be expected in Year 4.

5. BC coach Frank Spaziani -- It wasn't his fault the Eagles lost to USC. The players were put in position to win, but they all didn't execute. The glaring weakness was at quarterback, where Dave Shinskie will improve next year. They couldn't consistently establish the run, but played well enough on defense to win.

Here's a quick breakdown of Tuesday night's matchup between Miami and Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl:

WHO TO WATCH: Miami left tackle Orlando Franklin vs. Wisconsin defensive end O’Brien Schofield. Without injured veteran starter Jason Fox, Miami will turn to Franklin to help contain Schofield, who is leading the Badgers in sacks (10.0), tackles for a loss (22.5 for 116 yards) and quarterback hurries (8). Franklin, who moved from guard to tackle, played well in the season finale against South Florida, when he took over for Fox who was out with an illness.

WHAT TO WATCH: Miami’s run defense. The key to the Canes’ chances at a win will be slowing down Wisconsin’s top option, John Clay, whose 1,396 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground this year led the Big Ten. The Badgers are committed to the run, so it will be up to Miami’s leading linebackers, Colin McCarthy and Darryl Sharpton, to shed their blocks and make the stops. Miami is allowing 118.33 rushing yards per game, while Wisconsin averages 206.67 rushing yards.

WHY WATCH: A win over Wisconsin would give Miami its first double-digit win season since finishing 11-2 in 2003, and solidify a three-win improvement from last year under coach Randy Shannon. Earlier this season, Miami was in a position to earn an at-large BCS bid, and the Canes were able to defeat all of their nonconference opponents. This could be an important stepping stone for a young program looking to work its way back into national title contention.

PREDICTION: Miami’s speed, athleticism and multiple offensive options will be too much for Wisconsin to overcome. Clay will get his yards, and Wisconsin’s defense will force Jacory Harris to hang on to the ball longer than he would like at times, but Harris will have one of his calm-under-pressure fourth-quarter performances and lead Miami to a 31-28 win.

'Tis the season for lunchtime links ...

• Georgia Tech center Sean Bedford is on a different level when it comes to academics, and it's amazing the aerospace engineering major made it through the whole season juggling football and school.
• It's Bud Foster's defense, though, that Kam Chancellor had to seriously study this year.
• It will be a tough finish to an outstanding career for Miami left tackle Jason Fox, so it will be up to Orlando Franklin to protect Jacory Harris.
• UNC's Ryan Houston is looking to be the next player from Charlotte to have an impressive performance in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
• Clemson will be going against a freshman quarterback when it faces Kentucky in the Music City Bowl.
• The break has done FSU quarterback E.J. Manuel -- and his shoulder -- some good.

Miami senior left tackle Jason Fox will miss the Champs Sports Bowl game against Wisconsin with what Miami is calling "a lower extremity that required surgery." Fox didn't play in the regular-season finale at South Florida due to an illness, but he will still finish his career as one of the Canes' most tenured veterans.

He started 11 games for Miami this season and now has 47 career starts, which is the third most all-time by a Miami player. Fox was one of five UM football players that received a degree during commencement ceremonies this past Thursday.

“We’ve really appreciated all of Jason’s efforts this season as well as throughout his career,” coach Randy Shannon said in a prepared statement. “He’s had some nagging injuries this season and has played through the pain to the point where we as a coaching staff and athletic training staff feel like it would be best for him to not play in the bowl game. Jason has a bright future ahead in football and he needs to be 100 percent going forward.”

Through 11 games, Fox graded out at 96 percent with 20 pancake blocks and 15 lumberjacks and allowed just one sack on the season. He helped Miami rack up more than 4,500 yards, which is the most since the 2004 season (4,593 yards) as the Miami offense is in line to become just the eighth team in school history to gain 5,000 yards in a season. He graded out at 95 percent or higher in 10 of the 11 games.

There are a lot of All-America teams to keep track of, but here are the top nationally recognized ones that have included ACC players. Every school but Wake Forest, Virginia, NC State and Maryland is represented here. C.J. Spiller's name shows up repeatedly.

Hopefully this helps you keep them straight:

Associated Press

Clemson running back C.J. Spiller, all-purpose player, first-team

Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan, first-team

Florida State OL Rodney Hudson, second-team guard

Georgia Tech wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, third-team

Virginia Tech linebacker Cody Grimm, third-team

Miami cornerback Brandon Harris, third team

Sporting News

Spiller, first-team kick returner

Derrick Morgan, second-team

Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams, third team

Clemson OL Thomas Austin, third team

Duke DT Vince Oghobaase, third team

Clemson safety DeAndre McDaniel, third team

FSU PR Greg Reid, third team

Football Writers Association of America

FSU OL Rodney Hudson, first team

Clemson safety DeAndre McDaniel, first team

Clemson running back C.J. Spiller, first team return specialist

Walter Camp Football Foundation

Spiller, first team kick returner

Boston College center Matt Tennant, second team

Spiller, second-team running back

Derrick Morgan, second team DE

American Football Coaches Association

Derrick Morgan, first team DE

C.J. Spiller, first-team all-purpose

SI.com

FSU OL Rodney Hudson, first-team

Clemson running back C.J. Spiller, first-team returns, second-team all purpose

Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan, second team

Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, second team

Miami cornerback Brandon Harris, second team

Clemson safety DeAndre McDaniel, second team

Honorable mention: Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt, Georgia Tech B-Back Jonathan Dwyer, Boston College running back Montel Harris, Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams, Georgia Tech wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, BC OL Anthony Castonzo, Miami OL Jason Fox, Georgia Tech OL Cord Howard, UNC DL Robert Quinn, Virginia Tech LB Cody Grimm, UNC DB Kendric Burney, UNC K Casey Barth, FSU KR Greg Reid.

Phil Steele's All-freshman team

Ryan Williams, first team

Greg Reid, first team PR

BC LB Luke Kuechly, first team

I know, I know, we have the Army-Navy game, but ...

• Georgia Tech's defense has shut out its critics, but there are a few legitimate reasons for the group's struggles this year.
• North Carolina could have put itself in a better postseason position than going back to the Meineke Car Care Bowl for the second straight year, but it could have been worse, which is why no one is complaining.
• Maryland quarterback Chris Turner is ready to move on, but he'll do so leaving his name scattered about the record books.
• The State handed out a few awards to Clemson.
• Tennessee assistant Eddie Gran, who will join Jimbo Fisher's staff, has already received one rave review. Despite the succession plan, a staff overhaul was unavoidable for Fisher.
• Miami left tackle Jason Fox is expected to play in the Champs Sports Bowl after missing the season finale with an undisclosed illness.
• Virginia Tech expects to sell out its allotment of tickets for the Chick-fil-A Bowl by early next week.
• NC State coach Tom O'Brien sounds optimistic his star quarterback will return in 2010.

There were a lot of outstanding players in the ACC this year, but the following players rose above the rest and made ESPN.com’s All-ACC team:

Offense

QB -- Christian Ponder, Florida State

RB -- Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech

RB -- Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech

WR -- Demaryius Thomas, Georgia Tech

WR -- Donovan Varner, Duke

TE -- George Bryan, NC State

TE -- Michael Palmer, Clemson

OL -- Jason Fox, Miami

OL -- Anthony Castonzo, Boston College

OL -- Rodney Hudson, Florida State

OL – Sergio Render, Virginia Tech

OL -- Cord Howard, Georgia Tech

K -- Matt Bosher, Miami

Spc -- C.J. Spiller, Clemson

Defense

DL -- Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech

DL -- Robert Quinn, North Carolina

DL -- Nate Collins, Virginia

DL -- Ricky Sapp, Clemson

LB -- Cody Grimm, Virginia Tech

LB -- Luke Kuechly, Boston College

LB -- Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina

LB -- Alex Wujciak, Maryland

CB -- Kendric Burney, North Carolina

CB -- Brandon Harris, Miami

S -- DeAndre McDaniel, Clemson

S -- Deunta Williams, North Carolina

P -- Brent Bowden, Virginia Tech