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We’ve played 12 of the 13 spring games scheduled by SEC teams in 2016, with Arkansas set to play Saturday.
As we point toward the SEC meetings next month in Destin, Fla., every program can identify one or two areas perceived as concerns.
We’ve taken a look at a few of those to determine whether each concern is legitimate or overblown.
ALABAMA’S OFFENSIVE LINE
Status: (Mild) concern
Cam Robinson’s absence from spring practice and Alphonse “Shank” Taylor’s weight problem meant that the first-team offense, which returns three starters on the line, was without two of them during the A-Day game.
The result wasn’t pretty. Even without Jonathan Allen, the first-team defense essentially spoiled any opportunity at a good evaluation of Cooper Bateman and David Cornwell. Tim Williams and Ryan Anderson went bananas.
Robinson will return in the fall, and the Tide hopes that Taylor gets in better shape so he can return to his post as a starting guard.
But replacing Ryan Kelly, last year’s Rimington Trophy winner as the nation’s best center, will be tough. Especially with yet another new starting quarterback, Bama will be counting on the center to help recognize blitzes and ensure the line knows its blocking assignments. Ross Pierschbacher, the third “returning starter,” is transitioning from guard to center.
Right tackle Dominick Jackson wasn’t an all-world player, but he was an underrated run blocker who regularly mauled opposing defensive linemen. He must be replaced as well.
Overall, Alabama’s offensive line was good, not great last year. Nothing like the all-time units that led the Tide’s ’11 and ’12 national title teams. With a new backfield, a new quarterback and a new position coach, there’s at least some mild concern with this group.
AUBURN’S QUARTERBACKS
Status: Concern
This isn’t a revolutionary statement, and it holds true for every offense in college football. But coach Gus Malzahn’s unit needs a strong quarterback to be effective.
Nick Marshall is an NFL cornerback now, most known for his athleticism and his ability to execute the read-option. But Marshall had an uncanny knack for throwing the deep ball, an underrated element of his success.
So while John Franklin III can at least match Marshall’s speed, that doesn’t mean he can duplicate his performance within Auburn’s offense. From what we saw in the spring game, the Tigers may not trust Franklin III the passer to turn it loose downfield. Not yet, anyway.
Sean White probably is the team’s best pure passer. But he’s not a read-option player, and he nearly committed two turnovers in the spring game (bobbled snap, dropped interception). If there’s a square peg, round hole guy at the position among this group, it’s him.
Jeremy Johnson has almost 250 career pass attempts and is entering his fourth year in Malzahn’s system. But he continues to make head-scratching throws and seems unable to read defenses. And despite being 6-foot-5, 240 pounds with good straight-line speed, he’s not a very effective runner.
The current outlook at the position isn’t ideal for Auburn and Malzahn. But there’s still 4.5 months to get it right.
FLORIDA’S INABILITY TO SCORE POINTS
Status: Not (much of) a concern
It’s hard to call the ’15 Florida Gators a paper tiger. Coach Jim McElwain’s squad did win 10 games last year on the field, demolishing the same Ole Miss team that beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
But the offense face-planted late in the season.
With Will Grier headed to West Virginia and Treon Harris doubtful to play another game in a Florida uniform, Florida is turning over the quarterback position to two veteran journeymen and a pair of true freshmen.
Luke Del Rio’s command of the offense during the spring game offered plenty of hope that Florida will upgrade the position from the second half of last season. The offensive line, though it still shouldn’t be the best in the SEC, should make marginal improvements. And I think the trio of Mark Thompson, Jordan Cronkrite and Jordan Scarlett will be an upgrade over what Kelvin Taylor provided last year as a bell-cow back.
Even losing Jake McGee, the tight ends should be very effective options. I’m assuming Antonio Callaway returns to the team by fall. And there are a number of promising true freshman receivers who could at least contribute.
The bottom line is that Florida has enough talent on offense, when combined with good coaching and good defense, to remain competitive.
MISSISSIPPI STATE’S OFFENSIVE IDENTITY
Status: Concern
There’s a preface here. Coach Dan Mullen’s left pinky knows more about quarterback play than I ever will. He surely has an idea of where he wants the offense to go this fall. I believe that the starting job remains very much open, but I’m sure Mullen has an inkling of where the four contenders stand and how to best make the entire offense work.
This is more about personnel than coaching. All-SEC quarterback Dak Prescott? Gone. Receivers De’Runnya Wilson and Fred Brown? Gone. The backfield? Still searching for a replacement for Josh Robinson from the ’14 season. The offensive line? Also down from what was an outstanding level in ’14.
Fred Ross (1,007 receiving yards in ’15) is an All-SEC candidate. Brandon Holloway — all 5-foot-8, 160 pounds of him — will do his thing out of the backfield, but needs help. Malik Dear looks like a nice complimentary piece at receiver. Beyond that, there’s a lot of question marks.
Despite an ever-changing name plate on the door to the defensive coordinator’s office, the Bulldogs have been pretty good on that side of the football. But to maintain a 9-win level, this team is going to have to find some other playmakers — fast.
OLE MISS’ LOSS OF THE BIG THREE
Status: Not a concern
Here’s what Ole Miss lost to early NFL draft entry:
- Laremy Tunsil. A potential NFL All-Pro. Immediate NFL starter at left tackle. Considered a good enough talent to get selected No. 1 overall.
- Laquon Treadwell. The slight favorite to become the first receiver taken in the NFL draft. Owner of 202 receptions in 2.5 college seasons. By far the No. 1 offensive option for last year’s Rebels.
- Robert Nkemdiche. A well-chronicled enigma as a personality, Nkemdiche probably was a top 20 defensive tackle in the country last year. But one who would occasionally make plays that only one or two other players in the country could make.
That’s not all that Ole Miss lost. But all three of those (five-star) players were a part of the seminal ’13 recruiting class that coach Hugh Freeze signed. That’s a lot of lost production, and it’s also a lot of lost leadership.
NCAA inquiry aside, Freeze has done an excellent job of building depth through recruiting. Ole Miss has closed the gap on programs like Alabama, Georgia and LSU when it comes to talent, becoming a force in both regional and national recruiting.
This is not to say that those losses equate to zero impact. Nor is it to predict an SEC or national title for the Rebels. Rather, Ole Miss has built a sustainable program capable of reloading every season. And this should be the year that Freeze convinces the rest of the Southeastern Conference of that fact.
TEXAS A&M’S POLITICS AND CHAOS
Status: Not a concern
You know the saga that played out in 2015. Jake Spavital, Dave Christensen, Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray are gone. Noel Mazzone, Jim Turner and Trevor Knight are in.
Exiting spring practice, coach Kevin Sumlin took a more assertive approach and named Knight the team’s starting quarterback. Jake Hubenak is a well-liked, capable backup who isn’t going to pitch a fit. Mazzone’s fairly simple spread offense should cater to Knight’s strengths and hinge on tempo. Turner is well-respected and on the same page with Mazzone.
We’ll see what happens when the Aggies experience adversity this fall. But a more unified front clearly exists in College Station at this point.
Sumlin always has been a strong offensive mind, a good recruiter and fundraiser and a solid on-field coach. Whether or not it’s enough for him to keep his job beyond the ’16 season, it sure seems like he’s learned some hard lessons about what it takes to be CEO of a program.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
