College Football Rosters That Will Look Completely Different in 2016
Change is constant in college football, with a portion of every roster departing each season and making room for the newest class of recruits.
For some teams, though, the change will be much bigger heading into the 2016 season. Thanks to large senior classes, exoduses of draft-eligible underclassmen or big-name transfers, several of the more successful teams of 2015 will go through major roster changes in the coming month.
As fans gear up to watch certain groups of players take the field together for the final time during bowl season, let's take a look at 10 teams that will look quite different next year.
Of course, more than just these 10 teams will go through roster makeovers—either by design or complete surprise—this offseason. Tell us which new-look roster you think will have the most success next season in the comments below.
Alabama
1 of 10
It's been repeated so often that it's now a modern college football cliche, but the words are quite true—Alabama doesn't rebuild; it reloads.
The SEC champions will have another major reloading ahead of them in the offseason. Offensively, many expect Heisman running back Derrick Henry to blaze his trail of destruction into the NFL. Quarterback Jake Coker, reserve running back Kenyan Drake, and a few faces in the wide receiving corps and on the offensive line will wrap up their senior seasons at the College Football Playoff.
Alabama's elite defense will have a new coordinator and several new starters in 2016, too. The starting defensive line trio of Jonathan Allen, A'Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed all look like prospects who will go early in the upcoming draft, joining senior linebacker Reggie Ragland. Defensive backs Cyrus Jones and Geno Matias-Smith are both seniors, too.
The Tide have already been in similar situations several times under head coach Nick Saban, who has "processed" No. 1 recruiting classes into NFL-ready talent year after year. Get ready to see plenty of new starters in the rotation at Alabama for 2016.
Arizona State
2 of 10
Arizona State fell well below expectations this year, finishing with a 6-6 regular-season record after back-to-back 10-win campaigns. Head coach Todd Graham will look to turn things around in 2016 with a roster that is slated to return the fewest starters of anyone in the Pac-12, according to Ted Miller of ESPN.com.
According to Miller, Arizona State will bring back only four offensive starters and six defensive ones next season. Gone will be starting quarterback Mike Bercovici, three of his top four receivers—including the versatile D.J. Foster—and the majority of the starting offensive linemen.
"[Bercovici's starting job] falls to either Manny Wilkins, Bryce Perkins or Brady White," Kevin Gemmell of ESPN.com wrote. "And the winner will be working under a new offensive coordinator, with Mike Norvell taking the head coaching job at Memphis."
The team will feel the impact on defense with cornerback Lloyd Carrington, safety Jordan Simone and do-it-all linebacker Antonio Longino set to leave the Sun Devils after the Cactus Bowl. Longino led the Pac-12 in sacks and tackles for loss as a top playmaker for the blitz-heavy Arizona State defense. The Sun Devils will need new leaders all across the board in 2016.
Florida
3 of 10
Florida exceeded expectations in its first year under new head coach Jim McElwain by posting a 10-win regular season and taking home the SEC East division title. But several key Gators won't be staying in Gainesville for the second year of the McElwain era, leaving some key spots to fill for 2016.
McElwain announced Monday, per ESPN.com, that running back Kelvin Taylor, wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and defensive end Alex McCalister would leave school for the upcoming NFL draft. That trio joined All-American cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III as early entrants, and fellow defensive backs Marcus Maye and Keanu Neal could be next for Florida.
The Gators will also be without the senior group of defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard, linebacker Antonio Morrison and cornerback Brian Poole. Florida's quarterback situation also took a big hit when news broke that suspended redshirt freshman Will Grier will be transferring away from Gainesville.
Florida will need to reload at several important positions on its defense, add some new starting pieces on the offensive skill positions and settle what appears to be a wide-open quarterback battle for the upcoming season.
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Michigan State
4 of 10
The Big Ten champions were a veteran squad this season, and plenty of Michigan State's key players will have a chance to end their careers in a huge way at the College Football Playoff.
The Spartans will have a new starting quarterback in 2016 after three seasons of Connor Cook, who has thrown for 70 touchdowns and 19 interceptions in his time as a first-teamer. His top two receivers, Aaron Burbridge and Macgarrett Kings Jr., are both seniors, as well as offensive linemen Jack Allen and Donovan Clark. Offensive tackle Jack Conklin could be an early-round pick in next year's NFL draft.
Michigan State will also have to revamp its defense without the likes of defensive linemen Shilique Calhoun, Joel Heath and Lawrence Thomas. The same goes for linebacker Darien Harris, the team's No. 2 tackler, and cornerback Arjen Colquhoun.
Head coach Mark Dantonio will return several top playmakers for 2016, but other Spartans will have to help replace this hefty senior class—one of the best to ever suit up in East Lansing.
Navy
5 of 10
Navy is not going to lose head coach Ken Niumatalolo to BYU this offseason, but the Midshipmen's best-ever senior class will depart between now and the start of the 2016 campaign.
"Everyone was really excited [about Niumatalolo staying]," Navy co-captain Bernie Sarra said, per Gene Wang of the Washington Post. "It’s huge for our program, especially me, but even these young guys to continue to have exposure with Coach Ken."
Those young guys will have to rise to the occasion quickly under Niumatalolo. While college football fans everywhere should already know about record-breaking quarterback Keenan Reynolds, he's just one of a massive amount of outgoing talent on the Navy option offense. The team's top four rushers, two of its top three receivers and all five starting offensive linemen are seniors.
Navy will also lose three impact seniors on defense—Sarra, pass-rushing defensive end Will Anthony and sure-tackling defensive back Quincy Adams. Niumatalolo is staying put at the same program, and now he'll focus on getting to work with a new-look roster after the Military Bowl.
Ohio State
6 of 10
Ohio State was loaded with talent from last season's national championship team, and now the Buckeyes are set to face 2016 with a ton of new faces in the starting lineup.
Many expect all-world defensive end Joey Bosa to lead a mass exodus of Buckeyes talent into the NFL, one that could feature the likes of star running back Ezekiel Elliott, cornerback Eli Apple, wide receiver Michael Thomas and left tackle Taylor Decker. Safety Vonn Bell, defensive tackle Adolphus Washington, quarterback Cardale Jones, wide receiver Braxton Miller and linebackers Darron Lee and Joshua Perry are also solid prospects.
And what could be a record-setting NFL draft for Ohio State will mean a new-look list of Buckeyes for 2016. On Tuesday, Bleacher Report's Ben Axelrod projected 13 new Ohio State starters for the 2016 season—seven on offense and six on defense. Next season will be a great test of Ohio State's recruiting and depth development over the last couple of seasons.
"There's two ways to evaluate [recruiting]—winning games and the NFL draft," Meyer said last month, per Doug Lesmerises of Cleveland.com. "I evaluate our coaches very hard on our staff, and they're held accountable. As long as we're keeping score, we're trying to win. I think we've done great."
Ole Miss
7 of 10
Heading into the 2015 season, the talk surrounding future NFL talent inside the SEC wasn't centered on Alabama or Florida—the two teams that made it to the conference's title game. That went to Ole Miss, who is headed to its second straight New Year's Six bowl game with a loaded roster.
A lot of that talent will probably suit up for their final games as Rebels in the Sugar Bowl—minus elite defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche and linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche, who both have dealt with bizarre off-the-field issues in recent weeks. The Landshark defense is also set to lose seniors Trae Elston, Mike Hilton, C.J. Johnson and perhaps junior defensive back Tony Conner.
Star offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell both look like potential top-10 picks for the upcoming draft, and tight end Evan Engram may join them early in the NFL. Senior departures on offense include leading rusher Jaylen Walton, wide receiver Cody Core and three offensive linemen.
Many expect quarterback Chad Kelly to stay for his senior season, and he'll have some returning offensive weapons around him for 2016. But a large chunk of that first-string defense will be new after what will undoubtedly be an intriguing offseason in Oxford.
Oregon
8 of 10
Oregon will break in a new quarterback for the second straight season after the Heisman-winning campaign of Marcus Mariota, and the battle in Eugene will headline the Ducks' offseason.
But several areas other than signal-caller will look different for Oregon in the 2016 season. The Ducks will be without three starting offensive linemen from this season, including potential NFL draft pick Tyler Johnstone at tackle. The team's top two receivers, Bralon Addison and Darren Carrington, could go pro early, per Andrew Greif of the Oregonian.
Oregon's defensive front will be hit the hardest from departures this offseason. The team's top four tacklers are all seniors, and defensive end DeForest Buckner looks like a potential top-10 pick in next year's NFL draft. Fortunately for the Ducks, they have returning experience in the secondary as they look to turn around their defensive performance from 2015.
As Oregon hopes some new blood on the first-team defense sparks improvement, it will have to find new leaders for its famed offensive attack at quarterback and play-caller in the wake of coordinator Scott Frost's departure to UCF.
TCU
9 of 10
One of the early-season favorites to win the Big 12 and snag a berth in the College Football Playoff, TCU overcame a ridiculous number of injuries to finish with a 10-2 record and a trip to the Alamo Bowl against Oregon.
"All the adversity, to be able to find 10 wins and have not as many starters as we started with during camp, it’s crazy," TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin said, per Carlos Mendez of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "The fight in this team is really just unbelievable."
In 2016, the Horned Frogs will have to overcome quite a bit of turnover on their depth chart. TCU's starting offense is filled with seniors, including star quarterback Trevone Boykin, top wide receiver Josh Doctson and four offensive linemen—with tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai and center Joey Hunt being the most notable of the crew. Leading rusher Aaron Green and No. 2 receiver Kolby Listenbee will be on their way out as well.
The drop-off on the defensive side of the ball is less pronounced, with Derrick Kindred, Terrell Lathan and Davion Pierson representing the top seniors there. But after two seasons of an outstanding Boykin-led offense, TCU will be in somewhat unfamiliar territory next year.
Western Kentucky
10 of 10
Western Kentucky ended one of the best 2015 campaigns for a Group of Five team earlier this week with a high-scoring Miami Beach Bowl win over former head coach Willie Taggart and USF. It was an especially sweet victory for WKU's senior class, which set the mark for most four-year wins in the school's FBS history.
The Hilltoppers will have some massive shoes to fill for 2016, starting with ace quarterback Brandon Doughty. According to Billy Rutledge of the WKU Herald, Doughty's 97 passing touchdowns in 2014 and 2015 were the most ever by a FBS quarterback in a two-year period. WKU's deadly efficient passing attack will also miss seniors Jared Dangerfield, Antwane Grant and top-notch tight end Tyler Higbee.
WKU's starting defense featured seven seniors, according to the updated depth charts at OurLads.com. The departures include top linebacker Nick Holt, interception leader Prince Charles Iworah, several defensive linemen and appropriately named defensive back Wonderful Terry.
The Hilltoppers' senior-laden roster paved the way for perhaps the best season in school history this year. Now Western Kentucky must reload quickly in order to stay on top of the Conference USA.
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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