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15 college football teams losing the most talent in 2018

By Nicholas Ian Allen

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Lamont Gaillard #53 of the Georgia Bulldogs prepares to snap the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the College Football Playoff National Championship held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. Alabama defeated Georgia 26-23 for the national title. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Lamont Gaillard #53 of the Georgia Bulldogs prepares to snap the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the College Football Playoff National Championship held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. Alabama defeated Georgia 26-23 for the national title. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) /
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PALO ALTO, CA – NOVEMBER 10: Harrison Phillips #66 of the Stanford Cardinal plays in an NCAA Pac-12 football game against the University of Washington Huskies on November 10, 2017 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)
PALO ALTO, CA – NOVEMBER 10: Harrison Phillips #66 of the Stanford Cardinal plays in an NCAA Pac-12 football game against the University of Washington Huskies on November 10, 2017 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images) /
  • Early NFL Draft Entrants: 4 (TE Dalton Schultz, DT Harrison Phillips, S Justin Reid, CB Quenton Meeks)
  • Starters Lost: 13 (5 Offense, 8 Defense)
  • Two-Deep Lost: 16 (7 Offense, 9 Defense)
  • Passing Yards Returning: 1,573 (60.69 percent)
  • Rushing Yards Returning: 2,887 (97.34 percent)
  • Receiving Yards Returning: 2,346 (89.95 percent)
  • Tackles Returning: 195 (26.75 percent)

Had Heisman Trophy runner-up Bryce Love not decided to return to Stanford for his senior season, the Cardinal would have moved into the top three on our list – if not higher. However, the Cardinal still face a roster rebuild. Only seven FBS schools lost more starters from last year’s depth charts, and just four programs saw more players leave school early for the NFL. The defense was hit particularly hard on both fronts, having lost eight starters, including three players who left eligibility on the table. That’s bad news for a unit that posted its worst season of the David Shaw era, statistically speaking.

Harrison Phillips, a likely first round pick, headlines the group. Phillips amassed an incredible 98 total tackles (61 solo) as a defensive lineman. He also contributed 18 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, which ranked second and fourth in the Pac-12, respectively. Stanford must replace its top seven tacklers from, nine of the top 11 on the leaderboard, and 12 of the top 16 – leaving roughly one-quarter of the production from last season.

Love will have many new faces blocking for him in 2018 as three starting offensive linemen, fullback Daniel Marx and tight end Dalton Schultz (an early NFL Draft entrant), are gone.

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