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Spring practice is a time of new beginnings throughout college football. Teams turn the page from last season to a new season and a clean slate, and players who might have spent most of the previous season sitting and watching now have the opportunity to once again compete for playing time.
For fans and the media, the spring is also about determining expectations for the fall, both for the team and the individuals that comprise said team. Many players are burdened with lofty expectations from fans, and while many are able to live up to those expectations, others are not.
This spring has been no exception. A handful of players throughout the SEC have risen to the occasion and shined during spring ball, while others have left teams wondering what to expect for the fall. This article focuses on the latter, that is, the players who did not meet expectations this spring. Here are four examples of players who fit that mold:
1. Maty Mauk, QB, Missouri: Mauk is among the most experienced returning starters in the SEC, but he didn’t look the part in spring, or at least the parts open to the media and fans. The Tigers held an informal intrasquad scrimmage last Saturday, and Mauk’s numbers were less than stellar, as were the rest of the first-team offense’s.
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Those numbers above are not good enough to lead Mizzou to a third-straight SEC East crown, although when the Tigers get healthier those numbers may improve. Mauk is in his third year on campus and many expect this to be the season he takes a step from emerging quarterback to leader of a top team. But last weekend’s scrimmage indicates Mauk is not there yet, which is worth at least mild concern in CoMo.
2. Ole Miss quarterbacks: Hugh Freeze hasn’t shied away from insisting his staff won’t choose a starting quarterback until training camp is underway. Still, if the Grove Bowl is any indication, none of the three quarterbacks appear ready to take the reins of the offense. Freeze bashfully admitted redshirt sophomore Ryan Buchanan was the leader in the clubhouse entering the spring game, but his 5 of 16 passing performance can’t have Rebels fans feeling good about his prospects for the fall. Chad Kelly looked better than Buchanan, especially on a few deep throws, but he completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes as well. Devante Kincade completed 9 of 18 throws and also ran for 50 yards while wearing a uniform that allowed for contact, but as a whole the group was underwhelming in the spring game and will need to take tremendous strides before the opener in September to maximize the wealth of talent the Rebels possess at the skill positions.
3. Kentucky receivers: Kentucky’s Air Raid offense was expected to blossom in 2015 with Ryan Timmons entering his third year, five 2014 signees returning with a year of experience and 2015 early enrollee C.J. Conrad adding a receiving threat at the tight end position. However, dropped passes have plagued the Kentucky wideouts throughout the spring, which has not done quarterbacks Patrick Towles and Drew Barker any favors as they compete for the starting job entering this fall. Drops are an easy flaw to fix, and once UK sticks with one quarterback the ability to develop timing and rhythm may benefit the Cats’ pass catchers, but for a team looking to scratch and claw its way to bowl eligibility this fall, those kinds of unforced errors simply cannot happen.
4. Eddie Jackson, DB, Alabama: After the Tide’s lapses in pass coverage late last season (specifically in a win over Auburn and the loss to Ohio State), many saw Jackson as a sign of hope for improvement at the cornerback position in 2015. Instead, Jackson did not show the kind of improvement the Alabama coaching staff had hoped for, and was promptly moved to safety during spring ball. He’s reportedly flourished at safety, so the news is not all bad, far from it actually. Jackson should still play a role in improving the secondary this season. But he fell short of expectations at his original position, forcing shakeup in Tuscaloosa during spring ball that could cause trouble early in the season if Alabama can’t get its cornerback depth righted during training camp.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
