The 25 Most Loaded College Football Rosters Heading into 2016 Season
Being the best in college football doesn't always mean having the best players, but it sure helps. And the more the merrier.
Though the sport continues to become more and more balanced, with top talent spread throughout the country, some schools always end up having more than others.
These are the ones that, no matter how much they lose each year to graduation or the NFL draft, never seem to be short of great players the following season. Rebuilding? More like reloading, thanks to strong recruiting as well as top-notch development of backups and underclassmen.
We've put together a list of the 25 most loaded rosters in FBS for 2016, using criteria such as the number of starters returning, projected 2017 first-round picks (per WalterFootball.com) in tow, players included in Bleacher Report's lists of the top freshmen and sophomores, and recent recruiting rankings.
Alabama
1 of 25
Top players: DE Jonathan Allen, WR Calvin Ridley, OT Cam Robinson, LB Tim Williams
Look no further than the first team on our list to see how the best teams in college football manage to stay that way year after year. Alabama is at risk of losing a ton of talent each season, yet there never seems to be a drop-off because another batch of stars is waiting in the wings.
The Crimson Tide said goodbye to a Heisman Trophy winner (Derrick Henry) who ran for more than 2,200 yards in 2015, yet likely successor Bo Scarbrough is just as well-regarded.
Jake Coker did wonders at quarterback, but despite a third straight offseason QB competition, there's not much worry that another strong option will emerge from the pack. The simple fact that Alabama has so many options at quarterback each year affirms the loaded status of its roster.
That ironclad defense continues to overflow with stars, and its top two sack men from 2015 have returned. One of them, senior linebacker Tim Williams, might actually start this year.
Throw in yet another top-ranked recruiting class—its sixth in a row—and it's no surprise that Alabama remains fully stocked yet again. Bleacher Report's Christopher Walsh believes it is "what might be the most loaded college football team in terms of talent that anyone has ever seen."
Auburn
2 of 25
Top players: DB Carlton Davis, DE Carl Lawson, RB Jovon Robinson
Auburn hasn't had the results that you'd expect in the last two seasons from a team with as talented a roster as it sports, though the Tigers fully expect that to change in 2016.
It's a matter of harnessing that talent and converting it into performance, not to mention finding the right pieces at key positions.
Head coach Gus Malzahn has landed a Top 10 recruiting class in each of his four years on The Plains, and this has led to some incredible depth on the defensive line. The Tigers' secondary is showing rapid improvement, buoyed by veteran Johnathan Ford and young stars such as Davis.
There's no denying talent exists on Auburn's offensive side—it just has to put it all together in order to churn out points and yards like in 2013.
Someone has to emerge from the three-man quarterback battle (Jeremy Johnson, John Franklin III, Sean White) to show they can lead the offense and pair well with a rising receiving corps and backfield with several potential playmakers.
Baylor
3 of 25
Top players: WR KD Cannon, RB Shock Linwood, QB Seth Russell
When a team can suffer through multiple quarterback injuries and then still put together one of the greatest bowl-game performances ever, you know there's a lot that Baylor has to work with.
That's why losing two strong wide receivers and big names on both sides of the line shouldn't lead to much of a backslide in 2016, since the Bears' roster isn't hurting.
Quarterbacks Russell and Jarrett Stidham are both healthy again, and either could start for most teams in the Big 12. The Bears had two 1,000-yard rushers (Linwood, Johnny Jefferson) a year ago, and both return. While the receiving unit might have said goodbye to Corey Coleman and Jay Lee, Art Briles has an assembly line going at that position.
There's no name-brand talent on defense, but that's not the side of the ball Baylor has become known for. Its defenders are there to make the occasional stop but otherwise defer to an offense that has averaged at least 44 points for five straight seasons.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Boise State
4 of 25
Top players: RB Jeremy McNichols, QB Brett Rypien, WR Thomas Sperbeck, LB Tanner Vallejo
Boise State has established itself as the little guy from the non-power conference who is able to take on the big boys, having won multiple BCS and New Year's Six bowl games against power schools.
The Broncos have done this by having the kind of roster that isn't what you'd expect from the mid-major ranks.
The offensive trio of McNichols, Rypien and Sperbeck can match up with any in the country, with McNichols being arguably the best pass-catching running back in the country. But it's not a one-man job on the ground or through the air, as a balanced attack has made it difficult for opponents to key on just one or two targets.
Boise State's top defensive playmakers from 2015 have moved on, but it has an incredibly deep linebacker corps, and many backups across the board contributed to its 31 forced turnovers from last season.
Clemson
5 of 25
Top players: RB Wayne Gallman, WR Artavis Scott, QB Deshaun Watson, DL Christian Wilkins
A great byproduct of constantly blowing out opponents is that it offers plenty of chances to get younger backups on the field prior to the final minutes of garbage time.
This experience might not pay off immediately, but with the kind of roster turnover that occurs in college football, the payoff can certainly happen down the line.
That's been the case with Clemson, which is again replacing numerous stars on defense in 2016 but will be doing so with players who were on the field quite a bit last fall. Freshmen Wilkins and Austin Bryant made regular appearances on the defensive line, where they'll now be asked to go from reserves to leaders. They can tap into their 2015 auditions to maintain performance.
Clemson has managed to stay replenished on offense as well, though it's much of the same from a year ago with a unit paced by the only quarterback in FBS history to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000.
It also boasts a receiving corps that didn't skip a beat when top pass-catcher Mike Williams missed nearly all of 2015 with a neck injury.
"Everyone is on the same page and working on getting better at their position of what they can do to help the team," Watson said on April 6, per Aaron Brenner of the Post and Courier.
Florida State
6 of 25
Top players: RB Dalvin Cook, S Derwin James, OL Roderick Johnson, DE Josh Sweat
Being loaded every now and then is one thing. Maintaining such a roster status even after unprecedented NFL draft success (as Florida State recently did) puts a program on another level.
The Seminoles had 11 players taken in the 2015 NFL draft (setting a modern record of 29 players drafted over a three-year span) and yet still won 10 games last season, the result of making sure the cupboard wasn't going to be bare. Through top-notch recruiting and constant development of reserves, any future holes get addressed long before they pop up.
It's why FSU was able to throw out a pair of freshman quarterbacks (Deondre Francois, Malik Henry) in the spring game and have them each throw for 200 yards while likely starter Sean Maguire recovers from a broken ankle.
The same goes for a run game that might have been a bit too reliant on Cook last season but has others it can turn to this fall.
And the 'Noles defense won't lack big-play effort in 2016—not when James and Sweat are pacing the next youth movement as sophomore superstars.
Georgia
7 of 25
Top players: RB Nick Chubb, WR Terry Godwin, S Dominick Sanders
Kirby Smart is making plenty of changes in his first year at Georgia, but one place he didn't have to do any tinkering was with the roster.
The seventh-ranked recruiting class he signed features some prospects who could play right away—most notably quarterback Jacob Eason—but otherwise he can defer to a crop of returnees who are spread out equally on offense and defense.
The Bulldogs have never been hurting in the backfield, and with the return of Chubb from a knee injury, they'll again be stacked on the ground. He and Sony Michel give Georgia two 1,000-yard rushers, which takes the pressure off Eason to carry the offense—as will an underrated receiver group led by all-purpose threats Godwin and Isaiah McKenzie.
A year after sporting arguably the best linebacker corps in the country, Georgia's strength on defense moves up to the line. Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee noted that it "has a boatload of talent" which it hopes will overcome a lack of experience.
Houston
8 of 25
Top players: DL Ed Oliver, LB Steven Taylor, QB Greg Ward Jr.
Tom Herman inherited a pretty loaded roster—at least from a mid-major standpoint—when he arrived in Houston last winter, and he parlayed that into a 13-1 record and Peach Bowl win.
Half of the Cougars' starters are gone, but the depth developed in 2015 combined with a jaw-dropping recruiting class will keep them stocked for quite a while.
First, the returning talent.
Ward is possibly the best pure dual-threat quarterback in the country, having rushed for 21 touchdowns while throwing 17 scores on 67.2 percent passing a year ago. Taylor had 10 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss in 2015, and he is one of several holdovers from a defense that led FBS in takeaways with 35.
And then come the reinforcements, paced by 5-star defensive lineman Oliver. He picked Houston over Big 12 and SEC programs to spearhead the #HTownTakeover that has made the Cougars a major player on the recruiting trail.
Louisville
9 of 25
Top players: LB Devonte Fields, QB Lamar Jackson, RB Brandon Radcliff, DB Trumaine Washington
With 18 returning starers from a team that won eight of its final 10 games in 2015, Louisville heads into this season with raised expectations. And without any notable areas of weakness across the lineup, the Cardinals should be considered a major player in both the ACC and on a national stage.
Louisville managed to retain several defensive stars who could have turned pro such as Fields, a former Big 12 player of the year at TCU who had 22.5 tackles for loss last year. Coordinator Todd Grantham also returns his entire secondary.
An offense that was a work-in-progress for much of last season is almost entirely intact, with rising sophomore Jackson the main focus. His ability to run has offset inconsistency throwing the ball, and if that part of his game continues to develop than Louisville's production will take a major uptick from the 28.7 points per game it averaged in 2015.
LSU
10 of 25
Top players: S Jamal Adams, LB Kendell Beckwith, WR Malachi Dupre, RB Leonard Fournette
LSU has been dependent on its ability to recruit well and develop early in order to stay ahead of the lure of the NFL. The Tigers tend to get ravaged by early draft entry more than most programs, but they only lost one draft-eligible player this winter, leaving behind an even more talent-rich roster than normal.
Even with its continued struggles at quarterback, almost every FBS coach in the country would take on LSU's roster because of what it has everywhere else.
There's that physical run game—paced by Fournette and anchored by a veteran offensive line—a defensive front that so far has only scratched the surface of its ability and a secondary that might be the best and deepest in the country.
And in the middle of the defense is Beckwith, a linebacker whose choice to return for his senior year helps solidify what would have been the Tigers' only area of potential weakness in 2016.
Miami (Florida)
11 of 25
Top players: WR Stacy Coley, DB Corn Elder, QB Brad Kaaya
This is nothing like the Miami teams of the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, which seemed like they had a future NFL starter at every position. But what Mark Richt has to work with in his first season at his alma mater has the potential to be the Hurricanes' best in quite some time.
Most of what Miami will hang its hat on this year is on the offensive side, where it has the luxury of turning to a third-year starting quarterback in Kaaya.
The junior has a mostly young receiving corps outside of Coley, a big-play threat who is primed for a big senior year, and that will complement an underrated run game.
The star power on defense isn't there yet, but what does exist is depth and consistency. Six of last season's top seven tacklers return.
Michigan
12 of 25
Top players: TE Jake Butt, DB Jourdan Lewis, LB Jabrill Peppers
The outspoken and constantly public nature of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh would make it seem like he's trying to draw attention to a team that otherwise wouldn't get paid attention to. That's far from the truth.
The Wolverines' roster wasn't highly regarded in 2015, yet it produced 10 wins, and most of its best players are back.
Michigan has the best tight end in the country in Butt, one of the most dynamic defensive players in Peppers—who is at his third different position since coming to Ann Arbor in 2014—and offensive and defensive lines that are as reliable as they come.
There's a big opening to fill at quarterback, but the fact that Michigan has several strong candidates for the starting job speaks to their overall depth and talent base. And we haven't even mentioned the fifth-ranked recruiting class led by No. 1 overall prospect Rashan Gary.
Michigan State
13 of 25
op players: LB Riley Bullough, DB Demetrious Cox, DL Malik McDowell, RB LJ Scott
Michigan State's rise over the last three seasons came thanks to a constant presence of veterans who were able to serve as both leaders on the field and mentors off the field. This trend must continue in 2016 for the Spartans to remain successful in light of losing more than half of their starters from last year's playoff team.
Multiyear starting quarterback Connor Cook has moved on, but in his place will be one of two upperclassmen (senior Tyler O'Connor or junior Damion Terry). What was a very young backfield in 2015 will remain as such, though Scott, Gerald Holmes and Madre London have experience to go with their talent.
The defense has to replace almost everyone on the defensive line other than McDowell, who has been cutting his teeth the past two years for this moment. He and Bullough, last year's leading tackler, will form the backbone of what will otherwise be a youthful unit.
Notre Dame
14 of 25
Top players: QB DeShone Kizer, DB Max Redfield, WR Corey Robinson, QB Malik Zaire
Notre Dame proved last year just how loaded its roster was by managing to overcome a steady stream of injuries to still win 10 games and remain in the playoff hunt. That same depth is going to help the Fighting Irish deal with the loss of more than half of the starting lineup from 2015.
If not for the injuries, players like Kizer, running back Josh Adams or linebacker Te'Von Coney wouldn't have had the opportunities to gain experience. The fact they were able to excel was a bonus, one that will pay off this year and beyond.
Kizer's play last year has set up one of the most intriguing quarterback battles between him and Zaire, one that Notre Dame should benefit from no matter who starts because it knows there's a very viable second option available.
Ohio State
15 of 25
Top players: QB J.T. Barrett, OL Pat Elflein, DL Tyquan Lewis, LB Raekwon McMillan
You'll need to scroll all the way to the bottom to find Ohio State on the list college football expert Phil Steele compiled that ranks FBS teams by their returning starters. By official count, the Buckeyes bring back just six starters from last year's 12-1 team, one that saw several juniors and redshirt sophomores turn pro.
With that in mind, then, why is OSU considered a team with a “loaded” roster? Because it's been here before, having had to start over with a young lineup devoid of many upperclassmen and managed to win a national title. That 2014 championship helped the Buckeyes pull in three consecutive top-seven recruiting classes since then, including the fourth-best class this February, per 247Sports, and those reinforcements often get a chance to play right away in preparation for future mass departures.
"The Buckeyes will once again need current unknowns to become household names over the course of the next year, much like Darron Lee, Jalin Marshall, Michael Thomas, Vonn Bell and Eli Apple did two years ago," Bleacher Report's Ben Axelrod wrote.
Guys like Jalyn Holmes and Sam Hubbard have been groomed for 2016, when they'll join Lewis on a rebuilt defensive line that has big shoes to fill but the right guys to do it with. Same goes for OSU's secondary, offensive line and receiving corps, while Barrett's third season starting games at quarterback provides great stability.
Oklahoma
16 of 25
Top players: QB Baker Mayfield, RB Samaje Perine, DB Jordan Thomas
Mayfield, Perine and running back Joe Mixon provide Oklahoma with name recognition, but the key to the Sooners this season will be tapping into other areas of a strong roster to find new stars at wide receiver and throughout the defense. There are plenty to choose from.
"Charles Walker was one of the defense’s best players last season and never started any games," Jason Kersey of the Oklahoman wrote of the 6'2”, 297-pound junior, who had six sacks and 10 tackles for loss. He's among a slew of players who have experience as backups and can move into starting roles in 2016.
Additionally, depth and versatility on the offensive line will make it easy to replace two starters.
Ole Miss
17 of 25
Top players: TE Evan Engram, DL Marquis Haynes, QB Chad Kelly
Though it has the fewest returning starters of any team in the SEC, don't expect the Rebels to slip much (if any) from the 10 wins it produced in 2015. Coach Hugh Freeze was prepared for the losses his team incurred this offseason, either through depth built last year or via a strong 2016 recruiting class.
He also has record-setting passer Kelly back for another year, thus allowing incoming freshman Shea Patterson a chance to get acclimated and set Ole Miss up well for 2017 and beyond.
Most teams wouldn't be able to brush off saying goodbye to the likes of wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche. For Ole Miss, it's next man up at those positions and elsewhere throughout the lineup.
Oregon
18 of 25
Top players: WR Darren Carrington, RB Royce Freeman, QB Dakota Prukop
A team that's likely turning to a graduate transfer quarterback for the second consecutive season isn't the kind you'd expect to get praise for its roster depth and strength. But if you consider such transfers part of recruiting—and you should—then there's no reason to knock the Ducks for plucking one of the best passers from the FCS ranks to fill its biggest position of need.
Everything else is well-stacked.
Oregon's backfield has an 1,800-yard rusher and several other ball-carriers who probably would put up similar numbers if given the touches, as well as a receiving unit that never seems to run out of options. New defensive coordinator Brady Hoke is switching to a 4-3 front, but the Ducks' previous tendency to constantly rotate in fresh bodies makes this change easy to adjust to.
San Diego State
19 of 25
Top players: DB Damontae Kazee, LB Calvin Munson, RB Donnel Pumphrey
Let's get this out of the way: We don't think San Diego State would be able to compete in most power conferences, but that doesn't take away from the fact it dominated at its own level. The Aztecs won all of their Mountain West games by at least 14 points thanks to a deep lineup, much of which returns for a chance at a repeat run.
The Aztecs bring back six starters from a defense that forced 34 turnovers, with Kazee and Malik Smith combining for 13 of their 23 interceptions. Munson led them in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks.
And while SDSU is a defense-leaning team, its run game can't be ignored for its overall value. Pumphrey is the FBS active rushing leader, with more than 4,200 yards, and he had less than half of the Aztecs' carries a year ago.
Stanford
20 of 25
Top players: RB Christian McCaffrey, DB Quenton Meeks, DL Solomon Thomas
McCaffrey is the FBS single-season leader in all-purpose yards after he spent 2015 as Stanford's leading rusher, top receiver and best return man. He's apt to be all of those things again, though look for the Cardinal to turn to a quality group of reserve skill players to provide offensive and special teams balance.
Bryce Love averaged 7.8 yards per carry and 16.7 yards per reception as a freshman, while Francis Owusu is capable of making all the catches and not just the jaw-dropping ones. And the new quarterback, replacing longtime starter Kevin Hogan, will be of the well-groomed veteran variety, as both Ryan Burns and Keller Chryst have had multiple years to learn the system.
Stanford's defense lost five starters but has big names coming back in the form of Thomas, who will play all over the front seven, Meeks and linebacker Peter Kalambayi. The open spots will get filled by former bit players who now get their chance to shine on a regular basis.
Tennessee
21 of 25
Top players: DE Derek Barnett, QB Joshua Dobbs, RB Jalen Hurd, LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Despite what the hype train might have indicated, Tennessee is right where it should be heading into Butch Jones' fourth season in charge. The Volunteers have filled their cupboard with tons of capable players at every position, including a handful of big-name stars. But overall, it's just a solid lineup of reliable contributors.
Dobbs will be starting games for the fourth straight year, working behind a veteran offensive line and with a potent duo of ball-carriers (Hurd and Alvin Kamara) to work with. The receiving corps hasn't produced to this point, but the potential is certainly there.
Tennessee's defense doesn't disappoint in terms of talent and experience. Barnett anchors a staunch front line, Reeves-Maybin oversees a young but rising linebacker group and Cameron Sutton leads one of the best secondaries in the SEC.
Texas A&M
22 of 25
Top players: DL Myles Garrett, WR Christian Kirk, QB Trevor Knight
Even after seeing three starting quarterbacks transfer from the program in the past two seasons, Texas A&M is in no danger of a talent shortage thanks to the strong recruiting work Kevin Sumlin has done during his tenure. Adding Knight as a graduate transfer from Oklahoma helped shore up the QB spot, while everywhere else the depth already exists and should be on full display this season.
Garrett, Daeshon Hall and Daylon Mack could make for the most imposing defensive line in the SEC, if not the country, with a healthy number of backups included in the rotation to maximize production. The Aggies secondary has similar depth and has gotten better by the year.
A mostly young backfield stood out during A&M's spring game on Saturday, which would pair nicely with Kirk, Josh Reynolds and an ultra-deep group of receivers.
UCLA
23 of 25
Top players: WR Ishmael Adams, LB Jayon Brown, QB Josh Rosen
The mark of a loaded roster is one that can turn to the next wave of players when the normal contributors struggle, get hurt or move on. UCLA managed to withstand bits of each of these to still win eight games in 2015, and the same formula will be in place this season.
For example: Adams missed the start of last season because of a suspension, but others stepped up to fill his void in the secondary. Because of this, Adams will be able to switch to receiver in 2016 to help the Bruins deal with a lack of experience at that position as they try to keep the offense balanced.
Rosen moves from newcomer to veteran despite being just a sophomore, but he's got talent around him to work with. That includes running back Soso Jamabo, who's ready to take over the primary role that Paul Perkins handled so well the previous two seasons.
USC
24 of 25
Top players: DB Adoree' Jackson, RB Ronald Jones II, LB Cameron Smith, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
Talent has never been the issue for USC, which again will have depth across the board and plenty of star power. Turning that into wins has proved more difficult, but if the Trojans are able to focus on football this year, then the players they have to work with will do the rest.
Likely starting quarterback Max Browne is one of many former 5-star signees on the roster, though he's just now getting his shot as a redshirt junior after backing up Cody Kessler. He gets to hand off to a pair of 900-yard rushers (Jones and Justin Davis), while protection from a versatile offensive line will give him time to find Smith-Schuster, two-way star Jackson and a laundry list of other targets.
USC's defensive line lacks experience but isn't short on promise. However, a solid linebacker group and deep secondary will help.
Washington
25 of 25
Top players: DB Budda Baker, QB Jake Browning, RB Myles Gaskin
Washington has the perfect recipe for a dark-horse contender in 2016: It finished last year strong with a very young lineup, one that's teeming with talent and only going to get better.
Browning and Gaskin were true freshmen who became the faces of the offense, and if someone emerges from the receiving corps to succeed departed senior Jaydon Mickens, that will be a fully complete unit. The defense is already at that level, with Baker (who could also be the answer at receiver) anchoring a underrated secondary that is the backbone of the Huskies' attack.
Last year's top two tacklers were sophomores—linebackers Azeem Victor and Keishawn Bierria—and they'll be joined by name-of-the-year candidate Psalm Wooching to solidify the middle.
Statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com or Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports, unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
