Five Miami football opponents have nine players opt-out for 2020

The Miami football program is scheduled to play five opponents in 2020 that have a total of nine players opting out this season.

Nine of the 15 ACC players that have opted-out for the 2020 season are from opponents the Miami football program is scheduled to play. One of the other six players is Miami redshirt sophomore defensive end, Greg Rousseau. Four of the other five ACC players opting out are from Duke who was removed from Miami’s schedule.

Redshirt juniors. defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman from Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley who were first-team All-ACC in 2019 are the two best players who have chosen to opt-out from 2020 Miami football opponents. Twyman had 41 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in 2019.

Farley finished 2019 with 20 tackles, four interceptions, one returned for a touchdown and 12 pass breakups in 10 games. As a redshirt freshman in 2018 after sitting out as a true freshman due to a knee injury in 2017, Farley had 36 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack and seven pass breakups.

Farley has already been removed from the official Hokies roster. Rousseau, Farley and Twyman were three of a handful of returning first-team All-ACC defensive players in 2020 and prominent stars in the conference that are now out. The Miami games against Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech will have each defense without their best player.

Florida State Opt-outs

Florida State will be without defensive linemen Jamarcus Chatman and Dennis Briggs, Jr. in 2020. Briggs who is a far more significant loss for FSU than Chatman, had 28 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, one sack, one pass breakup and one fumble recovery as a key reserve in 2019. Chatman played in four games as a redshirt freshman in 2019.

Georgia Tech losses graduate transfer offensive tackle

Offensive tackle Devin Cochran who started 33 games at Vanderbilt from 2017-19 decided to opt-out of this season for Georgia Tech after initially joining the Yellow Jackets as a graduate transfer during the offseason. The loss of the experienced OL is a big blow to Georgia Tech who switched from the triple option in 2019.

North Carolina secondary is decimated

North Carolina who was one of the favorites to play in the ACC Championship game in 2020 will have to do so without defensive backs D.J. Ford, Bryce Watts and Javon Terry and OL Triston Miller. Ford was a significant player for the Tar Heels in 2019 finishing sixth with 54 tackles and adding 2.5 TFLs, one sack and an interception.

Watts was expected to be a key addition for North Carolina after recording 24 tackles, an interception and six pass breakups as a redshirt sophomore for Virginia Tech in 2019. Terry had four tackles in 2019 and Miller redshirted last season as a true freshman. Both players added depth for UNC.

The four players Duke lost for the season are linebacker Brandon Hill, running back Myles Hudzick guard Jacob Rimmer and long snapper Ben Wyatt. Syracuse lost defensive lineman Cooper Dawson as the other ACC Player who are opting out this season. Pittsburgh, UNC and Virginia Tech are the most affected Miami opponents.