Last season the Canes' offensive line was a mess, allowing a ridiculous 51 sacks and committing numerous penalties. A reason for hope this time around? There were two true freshman starters in 2019 - Zion Nelson and Jakai Clark - and all the starters return (although Navaughn Donaldson will redshirt off a knee injury) plus the Canes added a much-needed experienced tackle in Houston transfer Jarrid Williams.

Even with Williams, though, you just don't see a dominant tackle on the roster. And probably the best lineman, DJ Scaife, has been forced to play out of position at tackle in the past. This year new line coach Garin Justice is trying to keep Scaife inside, with John Campbell, Nelson and Williams the main tackles. But remember it was last season that Campbell started the opener at UF and was promptly benched in favor of Clark for Game 2 after a poor showing.

Keep in mind that our projected depth chart could change considerably, as in the spring the team never really got into full pads hitting to the point where Justice could make assessments on who needs to be moved where. So there may be a lot of moving parts when the team returns to the practice field.

Last year's primary starting lineup, as a refresher, was (from left to right) Nelson, Donaldson, Corey Gaynor, Clark and Scaife.

This spring Justice moved Nelson to RT, Donaldson was out with the aforementioned injury, Clark was primarily a backup center and Scaife was at guard. Using Scaife at guard is a must, and we think Nelson will fare much better at right tackle compared to the left side where he was torn up by top veteran ends ... and perhaps Nelson's best bet is to provide depth behind Campbell and Williams at both tackle spots. The big question, at least among the starting group, is whether these tackles can get the job done.

A worry is that there remains little quality depth. Should this group be better than last season? Of course, with a year under its belt and a new system that takes some of the pressure off having to hold pass blocks as long. It also will help the sack/TFL stats having an ultra-mobile QB like D'Eriq King behind center. But keep in mind that King was sacked 12 times in the four games he played last season. For Rhett Lashlee's offense to do well there has to be good protection and run blocking.

As for the aforementioned depth, guys like Zalon'tae Hillery and Kai-Leon Herbert have been around the block and need to step up. Neither showed they are anywhere ready to be an impact based on last year, but Herbert was mixing in for some first team reps at right tackle in the four spring practices. A nice addition is freshman Jalen Rivers, who really looked good even in limited chances to do "real" work in the four spring practices. He's got good quickness and power for his size. Don't be surprised if he finds his way onto the field right away - recruited as a tackle, he worked in a lot at guard in the spring sessions. Adam AlGammal remains a work in progress in Year 2, and freshman Chris Washington is probably headed for a redshirt. May addition Issiah Walker, who transferred from Florida as a freshman, is applying to try and play immediately but has a lot of work to do in the weight room.

The biggest question here entering the fall will be if the group can get a cohesive, solid starting five ready to play together and get the job done by Game 1. There have been so many issues here in the past, and losing spring practices and the chance to get in the weight room for weeks on end will not help. So this is a huge question mark spot and we really may not know what kind of line UM has until Game 1 or beyond ... much like last season when, despite pre-season optimism on how the line would fare, UF had 10 sacks in the opener.

A history lesson on the O line situation for the Canes the last decade-plus: the team allowed 21 sacks in 2014, 19 in 2015, 25 in 2016, 29 in 2017, 27 in 2018 and then the 51 last season.

A closer look at the pieces Justice has to cobble together into a cohesive starting five:

G/T JOHN CAMPBELL, RSO

Campbell began 2019 as the starter at right tackle vs. UF but fared poorly and was benched … he re-emerged as a starter, this time at left guard, in the Independence Bowl with Navaughn Donaldson out. Campbell isn’t a guy who will dominate, and he’s a bit slow, but he did show improvement as last season progressed. So maybe he can emerge with a new offensive scheme and new O line coach. His body type projects him at tackle, but his lack of quickness projects him at guard. This spring Justice used him as the first team left tackle, but it remains very much a question mark if Campbell can get the job done there. If not perhaps Zion Nelson wins out at LT with transfer Jarrid Williams the RT starter.

OG JAKAI CLARK, SO

It was a bit unfair when Clark was thrust into the starting role in Game 2 last season with Campbell benched. Clark started the final 12 games at left guard and - as you’d expect from a true freshman - was inconsistent. With Campbell at tackle and Scaife moving inside this spring it was Clark as the odd man out - he worked as a backup center behind Corey Gaynor and at guard. At worst he'll provide good interior depth, and with Donaldson redshirting don't be surprised if he starts at guard opposite Scaife.

OG NAVAUGHN DONALDSON, SR

Donaldson started 34 games in his Cane career, but he hasn’t really made big strides since his freshman year. That’s in part because of the OL coach turnover, and this spring he was out rehabbing a knee injury and appeared much heavier than last season. He will redshirt this year to get himself healthy and back in shape and could work into four games (and still redshirt) if he's ready.

G/T ADAM ELGAMMAL, RFR

ElGammal needs to continue gaining weight and strength and could factor in down the road, but he didn't show anything this spring to make you think he'll have much of a role.

C COREY GAYNOR, RJR

Gaynor fared well in his first starting role last season, but he was overshadowed by all the miscues across the line. He’ll be looked to as an emotional leader on the offensive line. He isn’t an outstanding center, but he’s solid.

G/T KAI-LEON HERBERT, RJR

Herbert is a former highly touted recruit who just hasn’t really shown he’s ready for a significant role at UM. He got work as the second-team right tackle this spring, and Miami definitely needs him to step up and show he’s ready to help out.

OT ZALON'TAE HILLERY, RJR

Hillery’s work habits haven’t been the best, and he’s working hard to show he’s a guy that Cane coaches can now count upon. He worked as the backup left tackle this spring, but both he and the first-teamer there in the spring, Campbell, have a lot of question marks.

OT ZION NELSON, SO

Nelson had some good moments and some not-so-good moments as a freshman starter at left tackle, which is to be expected. He put on a ton of muscle and weight after arriving at UM last January and this spring was moved to right tackle as the first-teamer. That's probably a better spot for him, and he certainly has a very high ceiling in terms of his potential. But with Jarrid Williams coming in as a grad transfer right tackle, Nelson could be the odd man out of the starting lineup unless he either beats out Williams or returns to left tackle and wins the job over Campbell.

OG CLEVELAND REED, RSO

It probably didn’t rub a lot of fans or teammates the right way when Reed quit the team during 2019 after he wasn’t getting an opportunity to play despite UM’s O line woes. A former four-star recruit, he has to work that much harder to show he’s invested in this team and its future regardless of what coaches do with his depth chart status. We think Reed winds up a second teamer at guard.

OG/OT JALEN RIVERS, FR

It’s a tall order for a freshman to start, although two of them did it last year at UM. Rivers worked as the second team left guard in the spring, but he could also provide depth at tackle. He's got a chance to have an immediate role given the OL issues the Canes are dealing with off the 51 sacks allowed in 2019. If he really steps up he can even push Traore, Reed and Clark for the starting guard job opposite Scaife.

G/T DJ SCAIFE, JR

Scaife is a solid lineman, but his progress has somewhat been stunted by playing mainly right tackle the last two years out of necessity when his more natural position is guard. With a new coordinator and line coach on board, he was back at his more natural guard spot in the spring. But if John Campbell flames out at LT the team may have to move Scaife outside again. This will be one of the more interesting story lines to watch when the team gets back to work.

G/C OUSMAN TRAORE, RSO

When Traore transferred in last season out of junior college the expectation was that he along with grad transfer Tommy Kennedy would be the boost the line needed. Instead both flamed out. Kennedy’s one year at UM was a waste as he came in with nowhere near the strength level needed. And Traore never cracked the two deep. But this spring he seemed to be working his way up the depth chart and he'll compete to start at guard with Donaldson redshirting.

OT ISSIAH WALKER, FR

Walker transferred in from Florida in May, and he's dropped down from 315 pounds his senior year to under 300 now. He needs to gain strength - Walker told us he was benching in the hight 200s and squatting in the 300s this spring at Florida - but there's no questioning his athleticism and tremendous potential. He's applying for a waiver to play right away, and if he can help out in 2020 he'll need to use his quickness and technique to make up for not-great strength numbers.

OT CHRIS WASHINGTON, FR

Maybe Washington’s a bit overlooked as a freshman compared to fellow newcomer Jalen Rivers, who was more highly touted. And yes, Washington needs to pack on some strength and weight to his 6-7 frame. He was mired down the depth chart in the spring and is likely headed for a redshirt.

OT JARRID WILLIAMS, RSR

Williams chose to transfer from Houston to Miami, announcing the decision June 6. And it's with the idea that he'll be UM's starter at right tackle from Day 1 - he has started 19 games in the last thee years at UH. If Williams doesn't pan out? Then Zion Nelson is the likely answer at RT. And if Williams does pan out then Nelson can move to LT and compete for the job with John Campbell. Either way, Williams adds a much-needed experienced tackle to the roster.

The bottom line at this position?

There's good news and bad news.

The good news is that all the pieces are back here from last season ... plus a couple of transfers. The bad news? This group was inconsistent and in several games bordered on awful. While the run game in 2019 was okay (3.8 yards per carry), the pass blocking had a ton of breakdowns … and there were numerous penalties of the false start/holding variety.

Opponents had a ridiculous 51 sacks, and that’s with mobile QBs Jarren Williams and N’Kosi Perry behind center. Now, with that said, it’s a whole different situation with Lashlee running a spread offense and the more elusive D’Eriq King at quarterback. Look for Lashlee to move the pocket with King as needed to keep the pressure away, and you have to think with another year this group should be much improved.

Justice and Lashlee have the benefit of being able to see these linemen go up against an outstanding defensive front in practices when the team returns, which should give an indication of which players can hold up where. Again, it'll be very interesting to see what kind of shuffling might happen here.

It's a lot to expect a huge turnaround on the line off last season with the same personnel, and we think it will probably take another year or two of coaching development and recruiting to get this unit truly on track.