College football teams with fewest returning starters for 2024 season, ranked (2024)

Returning Starters:9 |Offense:5 -Defense:4

Texas Tech finished 7-6 last season and needs to replace a ton of talent to make a third-straight bowl game under Joey McGuire. The Red Raiders return starting quarterback Behren Morton and star running back Tahj Brooks but have to replace three of their four leading receivers from last season. Stud linebacker Ben Roberts and defensive back CJ Baskerville are back to lead the defense, but there's not much talent returning behind them. Leading sackers Tony Bradford Jr. and Jaylon Hutchings graduated, while Myles Cole left for the NFL.

Returning Starters:9 |Offense:2 -Defense:7

Returning seven starters on defense is abignumber for Oklahoma as it enters SEC play in 2024. The Sooners' defense is veteran-led.All 11 of itsprojected startershave at least two years of college under theirbelt. Things are a little dicier on offense. Jackson Arnold replaces Dillon Gabriel at quarterback and Purdue transfer Deion Burks adds star power to a receivingcorpthat lost leading receiver Drake Stoops. The Sooners also lost all five ofits starting offensive lineman,itsbiggest concern exiting spring ball.

Returning Starters:9 |Offense:5 -Defense:4

Tennessee returns most of its impact players despite losing 13 starters this offseason. The Volunteers lost starting quarterback Joe Milton but may have gotten better at the position, with former five-star Nico Iamaleava taking his place. The team will miss leading rusher JaylenWright,but has a strong replacement, junior Dylan Sampson. Leading receiver Squirrel White is back, and Coastal Carolina transfer Chris Brazell II is likely an improvement over Ramel Keyton, who exhausted his eligibility. Tennessee will have upwards of five new starters in the secondary, but the staff is confident they have upgraded the athleticism and play-making ability on the back end.

Returning Starters:8 |Offense:5 -Defense:3

Houston fired head coach Dana Holgorsen after a 4-8 finish and tapped former Tulane boss Willie Fritz to take his place. A whopping 33 Cougars hit the transfer portal this offseason, including leading receiver Sam Brown and third-leading receiver Matthew Golden. Houston lost its two best pass-rushers, Nelson Caesar (NFL) and Jamaree Caldwell (transfer), and has to replace other defensive leaders, including top cornerback Isaiah Hamilton (transfer). Houston does welcome back starting quarterback Donovan Smith and leading rusher Parker Jenkins.

Returning Starters:8 |Offense:4 -Defense:4

Vanderbilt has finished last in the SEC East five-straight seasons and is coming off a 2-10 finish in 2023.The Commodores checked in at No. 16 in our SEC power rankings after losing 14starters fromlast season's team, including leading receivers Will Sheppard and London Humphreystothe transfer portal.Vanderbilt is also looking at sweeping changes on defense. The Commodores may have upwards of five new starters in the secondary and are shuffling in a few portal players after losing several starters at linebacker and along the defensive line.

Returning Starters:8 |Offense:5 -Defense:3

Duke finished 8-5 last season but lostaconsiderableamount oftalent after Mike Elko and his staff left for Texas A&M. Outside of quarterback Riley Leonard, Duke lost leaders on both sides of the ball in running back Jordan Waters and edge RJ Oben to the transfer portal.All-America center Graham Barton went to the NFL along with All-ACC offensive lineman Jacob Monk and defensive tackle DeWayne Carter. Texas quarterback transfer Maalik Murphy raises the Blue Devils' ceiling this year, but it is shapingupto be a rebuild in year one under Manny Diaz.

Returning Starters:8 |Offense:4 -Defense:4

Florida State leads our ACC power rankings but has plenty of questions on its roster after losing a load of talent to the NFL Draft. The Seminoles' notable losses include running back Trey Benson, wide receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilsonanddefensive linemen Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. However, Florida State'sbiggestdeparture is quarterback Jordan Travis. The Seminoles weren't the same team without him last season, andteam insiders have raised concernsover new quarterback DJ Uiagalelei in spring ball.

Returning Starters:7 |Offense:3 -Defense:4

It's a new era of USC football after star quarterback Caleb Williams left Los Angeles for the NFL. The Trojans hada bunchmore talent leave in the transfer portal, losing 29 players overall and 12 with four-star ratings. Lincoln Riley will have to replace his top passer, top two rushersandtwo leading receivers from last season's team. Defense held USC back last season. The Trojans return leading tackler Mason Cobb and top pass-rusher Jamil Muhammad but lost starter corners Domani Jackson and Christian Roland-Wallace and star safety Calen Bullock, among others.

Returning Starters:5 |Offense:1 -Defense:4

New head coach Sherrone Moore is starting from scratch in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines led all college football programs with 18 NFL Scouting Combine invites, and a program-record 13were drafted. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy, running back Blake Corumandwide receiver Roman Wilson are gone, along with several starters on the offensive line. It'll betoughfor the Wolverines to replace a handful of All-Big Ten performers on defense, including defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, cornerback Mike Sainristilandlinebacker Junior Colson. Losing safety Keon Sabb to Alabama in the portal was a tough blow, too.

Returning Starters:3 |Offense:1 -Defense:2

Mississippi State went 5-7 last season and parted ways with head coach Zach Arnett after a 4-6 start. Quarterback Will Rogers, the SEC's all-time leader in completions, left for Washington in the transfer portal along with 24 others. The Bulldogs lost leading rusher Woody Marks to USC and top receiver Lideatrick Griffin to the NFL. Mississippi State lost all five starters along the offensive line and two-thirds of its defensive line and linebacking corps.

Returning Starters:2 |Offense:0 -Defense:2

Offseason departures were expectedafter head coach Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama, but Washingtonis completely guttedheading into the Jedd Fisch era. Not only did Washington lose 20 of 22 starters, but it lost 29 players from its 2023 two-deep. The Huskies rank No. 130 of 134 FBS teams in total returning production. The team ranks dead-last in returning offensive production (19%) and No. 92 in returning defensive production (52%). Fisch will have his work cut out in 2024.