There’s no shortage of interesting storylines in the SEC this spring.
Ten of the 14 teams have some variation of a quarterback competition, including the defending conference and national champion. Several coaches are in danger of becoming former coaches. Others are just getting started.
Here’s what intrigues us the most as the countdown to September continues.
Progress of Florida, Georgia coaches
The obvious answer is the proliferation of quarterback competitions. But we’ll only learn so much about those until the back end of August.
I’m very intrigued to monitor the progress of two former Nick Saban coordinators in the SEC East — Jim McElwain and Kirby Smart. I believe Tennessee has the potential to field an outstanding team in 2016. But the East Division is going to be exponentially more interesting if Florida, Georgia or both can mount serious resistance.
McElwain’s first season in Gainesville got off to an outstanding start. He won a surprise division title, but really faltered late in the season. It might be two more years before he has the quarterback position in a place where his offense can be most effective, but I’m curious to see what progress he makes on that side of the ball.
I agreed with Georgia’s decision to replace a proven Mark Richt with an unproven Smart. But how will his on-field results compare with identical talent? We’ve seen mixed results on Saban’s coaching tree, and Smart probably was the longest-tenured right-hand man of Saban’s career. He’s already mentioned “process,” so I want to see if he can be successful in duplicating that in Athens.
— Christopher Smith (@csmithSDS)
Quarterback play
2016 will be a far cry from 2013. Looking around the quarterback landscape, the Aaron Murrays, Johnny Manziels and AJ McCarrons just aren’t there. Really, just two established starters return: Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly and Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs. And both are very good, but Kelly is the only returning starter that can hang in that 2013 group.
LSU’s Brandon Harris will start, obviously, but this year we’ll really tell whether he’s going to take the next step. Drew Lock will start at Mizzou.
However, dominant programs like Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Georgia are all searching for a starting quarterback. Add to that Arkansas, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
There’s some great young talent in the league, but it’s going to take a few years for the conference to return to great quarterback play.
— Jon Cooper (@JonCooperMedia)
Are the Vols really for real?
For me it’s whether this is really the Vols’ year.
I know that’s been asked in the past, but this Tennessee team is better than all the recent ones that didn’t measure up. All the pieces are in place, with a few exceptions like at left tackle, but you can’t ask for more.
The team rolled the dice by hiring a new defensive coordinator in a season that UT looks to be the favorite in the SEC East. If the defense struggles under new coordinator Bob Shoop, the fans won’t accept that as an excuse for not breaking through because a lot of people didn’t feel John Jancek deserved to go.
The real reason this is the biggest storyline to me is due to the fact that we’re going to learn that we need to know about the Vols right away. Their incredibly front-loaded schedule has them playing Virginia Tech, Florida, Georgia, Texas A&M and Alabama all by Oct. 15 before taking a bye.
— Talal Elmasry (@TalalElmasrySDS)
Quarterback races will be fun to watch
I think it has to be all of the ongoing quarterback battles. We have no idea what the league’s 14 starting quarterbacks will look like come September, but there’s a good chance that the spring gives us some clues.
Will Jacob Eason be the real deal and start right away at Georgia? Who will replace Jake Coker for the defending national champions? Is John Franklin III really a difference maker for Auburn, or is he being hyped the way that Jeremy Johnson was going into last season? All compelling questions.
And they don’t even begin to touch the battles being waged at Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Arkansas and Texas A&M. Even schools like Kentucky, LSU, Missouri and Vanderbilt, which have presumed starters, are open to competition.
It’s going to be a fun spring for quarterback watching.
— Nick Cole (@NickColeSports)
LSU’s offensive tweaks
The quarterback races, Nick Chubb’s impressive response to ACL surgery and Jacob Eason’s arrival are all noteworthy topics, but I’m most interested in LSU’s offensive restoration.
The best part, of course, is that every key piece needed to implement change or tweaks or improvements is in camp. Les Miles and Cam Cameron are working with experienced, motivated playmakers.
Nobody’s expecting an empty backfield with Leonard Fournette lined up out wide as an assist blocker for a Travin Dural jet sweep on the first play of the 2016 season against Wisconsin, but that sure would get your attention.
LSU is in the best position to steal the SEC West from Alabama next season, but not by lining up in the I and soft-tossing it to Fournette 35 times. Alabama’s seen that, stopped that.
Fournette has caught 26 passes in two seasons — and is averaging 14.6 yards per. That reception number needs to be closer to 30 this season. Two, three screens a game. That’s not a dramatic request, but the idea of getting him the ball in space, one-on-one against a slower linebacker or smaller corner not only saves some wear and tear but makes the Tigers much, much less predictable.
— Chris Wright (@FilmRoomEditor)
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
