The Ole Miss Rebels concluded their 2015 spring practice season with Saturday’s Grove Bowl inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. All three quarterbacks in the running to replace Bo Wallace as the team’s starter saw plenty of playing time, as did a number of newcomers hoping to fill in for departed talent on both sides of the ball this fall.

RELATED: Top 5 priorities for Ole Miss’ spring practices

With the spring season now in the rearview, we’re looking back at our suggested priorities for the Rebels’ this spring and trying to determine whether or not they were able to address those priorities in recent weeks. Take a look:

1. DECIDE ON A STARTING QUARTERBACK

Addressed?: No, but we knew that.

Head coach Hugh Freeze has remained adamant that he won’t choose a new starting quarterback until the fall, and after Saturday’s spring game it wasn’t hard to understand why. All three quarterbacks attempted between 16 and 19 reps, and redshirt sophomore Devante Kincade looked like the best of the trio upon completing only 50 percent of his passes (he did look sharp running with the ball while wearing a uniform that allowed for contact). Fellow redshirt sophomore Ryan Buchanan, the player Freeze tentatively pegged as the leader in the clubhouse, completed only 5 of 16 passes, which is as bad as it reads. Junior college transfer Chad Kelly completed 9 of 19 passes and had his ups and downs, although he did appear to throw a nice deep ball as coaches had eluded to in practice. Ultimately, none of the three appeared ready to start on opening day, which is fine considering that’s five months away, but the Rebels would benefit from finding a quarterback as early in fall camp as possible and building around that guy.

2. FIND REINFORCEMENTS ON DEFENSE

Addressed?: Yes

The Rebels’ secondary had a banner day at the Grove Bowl upon replacing departed All-Americans Cody Prewitt and Senquez Golson. Former No. 1 junior college cornerbacks Tony Bridges and Tee Shepard looked sharp as the starting tandem, and should have Rebels fans feeling good about the cornerback position this fall. Mike Hilton moved to safety and was rewarded with the annual Chucky Mullins Award and the No. 38 for the 2015 season (this is a tremendous honor at Ole Miss). And lest we forget Tony Conner, the former five-star signee poised to lead the unit this fall. At linebacker the Rebels saw some nice plays from C.J. Johnson this spring, and Christian Russell appears to be a guy capable of holding his own at that spot alongside Denzel Nkemdiche and in the place of the departed Serderius Bryant and Deterrian Shackelford.

3. WORK KEY PLAYERS BACK FROM INJURIES

Addressed?: Yes

Star wideout Laquon Treadwell was on the field with his teammates on Saturday and was able to participate in a greater capacity as the spring season wore on, indicating he should be 100 percent by Week 1 this fall. The same can be said for Denzel Nkemdiche, the other star Rebel with a broken leg working his way back this spring. The Rebels endured a number of injuries along the offensive line, but it was unrealistic they’d get any of those players back this spring, so it’s unfair to constitute that as a failure. With Treadwell and Nkemdiche more or less back in the fold and Laremy Tunsil on schedule to return this fall, the Rebels are in better shape on the injury front than it would seem.

4. FIND WAYS TO MAXIMIZE DEFENSIVE TACKLES

Addressed?: Yes

Robert Nkemdiche logged a forced fumble and Issac Gross registered a pair of sacks among his three tackles in the Grove Bowl. Both players made a tremendous impact in the spring game despite competing on opposite teams without the benefit of playing alongside one another. Pair those two up this fall and factor in a more developed DJ Jones (the top JUCO defensive tackle from the 2015 class who did not record any stats on Saturday) and the Rebels may have the best group of defensive tackles in the SEC (don’t tell Mizzou). Nkemdiche appears poised to have a breakout season, and Gross has quietly developed into a dominant force in his own right. Both showed that in the Grove Bowl, and they’ll show it even more come the fall.

5. REASSESS DEPTH IN THE BACKFIELD

Addressed?: Yes

After losing Mark Dodson and I’Tavius Mathers to transfer, the Rebels had to reassess their depth at tailback behind Jaylen Walton for the fall. Ole Miss was among the weaker rushing offenses in the SEC in 2014, and a banged up offensive line didn’t help in reestablishing a rushing threat this spring. Nevertheless, Jordan Wilkins still managed to rush for 62 yards on six carries in the Grove Bowl to pick up where he left off in a dazzling performance in last year’s Egg Bowl. Eugene Brazley (10 carries, 44 yards, 1 touchdown) and Akeem Judd (5 carries, 24 yards) also impressed, and four-star tailback signee Eric Swinney is scheduled to join the team this fall. The Rebels have options, and once they’re healthy up front they’ll show their commitment to the run this spring was worth it in facing some nasty SEC defenses in 2015.