Happy 4th everyone, hope you're enjoying the day with friends and or family.

Taking a little time today to keep these preseason previews rolling and we wrap up the defense today with a look at the D-line. If you were at any of the practices this spring it's hard not to be giddy about what you saw at times. This unit has a chance to be special, but it's on all of them now. There's plenty of experience, size and skill, but will they finally take that step forward? If they do - much like we discussed with the linebackers - then this could be a really fun season.

The main guys need to play like elite ACC players

This is by far the deepest unit on the team (assuming health) and there should be AT LEAST three big impact guys up front with a few more slotting in as legitimate playmakers behind them. Donovan Ezeiruaku, Neto Okpala and Cam Horsely need to be a dominant unit. Those three guys are at the top of the food chain defensively and need to be elite ACC run stoppers and/or pass rushers if this team is going to have a big season. I genuinely believe Okpala could be in the running for ACC DPOTY, that's how good he looked in April.

Surprises/Guys that should have an impact

Behind those three, there's a lot of talent, but there's sort of a cluster when it comes to who's actually going to get the significant playing time based on performance. In spring ball, Quintayvious Hutchins, George Rooks, Edwin Kolenge, Kwan Williams and Josiah Griffin all showed an ability to make plays regularly, especially Hutchins. He stood out the most from that grouping. Obviously, we've seen a lot of Rooks and he can do some damage. BC would ideally like to rotate as many guys as possible, which was the same philosophy under Hafley. The only problem was, the depth guys never really made their presence known on the field, so the unit just always looked pretty thin. If these guys can roll six, seven or eight deep AND have a few others behind them, those LB's won't have to drop into coverage for very long and the DB's can suffocate receivers. There's almost too much talent in this room for them not to improve, otherwise it could be considered a pretty big failure.

Guys who could surprise us but we just don't know.

Clive Wilson, Ty Clemons, Owen Tongrongou, Nigel Tate, Regen Terry, Caleb Jones, Sedarious McDonnell and Owen Stoudmire.

There's a lot of unknown with this group, but Tongrongou and Rooks were very noticeable at times during spring ball. If even two or three of these guys prove they can have an impact for a handful of plays in a game, then it'll be a win (as long as the guys mentioned in the first two groupings pan out too.)

Can coaching be the difference?

New defensive line coach Jeff Comissiong is back for another stint with the program after coaching the D-line from 2007-2012. Comissiong replaces Vince Oghobaase who did a pretty good job while he was here, but the guys up front never really went into that 'elite' ACC tier while he was here. They were consistent, but no one ever really stood out as a game wrecker type of guy. Hopefully, a new voice, new ideas along with Tim Lewis and a nastier attitude when it comes to rushing the passer will all lead to more success.