With Syracuse football training camp approaching, The Daily Orange beat writers, Sam Blum, Jesse Dougherty, Matt Schneidman and Paul Schwedelson will reveal the top 15 preseason storylines with a new one every other day. Make sure to check dailyorange.com and click here to see all the posts as we count down to camp.

While the Syracuse offense was busy highlighting its ineptitude on a weekly basis in 2014, SU’s defense was quietly one of the best in the Atlantic Coast Conference. And its success started on a defensive line that featured a wealth of experience at nearly every position.

Micah Robinson, Robert Welsh and Eric Crume — all seniors — were just pieces in a defensive line that helped keep SU in games that it had no business competing in.

As the 2015 season approaches, the Orange figures to rely on a younger contingent for its defensive line. Currently, redshirt freshman Kayton Samuels is at the top of the depth chart at nose tackle and Chris Slayton, also a redshirt-freshman, is slotted just behind the oft-injured John Raymon at the other tackle position.

Defensive end Ron Thompson established himself as one of Syracuse’s top defensive players last season. But Donnie Simmons, also at the top of the DE depth chart, has recorded just one career sack. Luke Arciniega behind him has been plagued by injuries his whole career.

Shafer said Samuels had probably the best spring defensively and said he was the most improved as well. Slayton, too, was put on that most improved list in the spring, according to Syracuse.com. For a defensive line in transition, it will be important for Syracuse to have its young players step up as the coaching staff has boasted thus far in the pre-season.