Frankly, there was more reason for optimism this time last year. We had Gotsis returning for his senior year, we had Freeman returning from a freshman All ACC type year and most importantly we had Jabari returning to the team who was called "the best DL I faced all year" by our best OL in a decade. All we were losing was Shawn Green at DT who was oft injured throughout his career.
...and how'd the D-Line turn out? Outside of Gotsis, it was below average as CPJ has stated.
I think if our DTs can hold the point on passing downs, and play plus against the run, guys like Branch, Freeman, Frenchie (Saint-Amour), and Simmons (hopefully he returns) will be a lot better making plays behind the line of scrimmage.
Optimism again from me, but those guys are hitting the prime years of most college DEs. We'll see...