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Spring football for 2016 is almost in the books. A lot was accomplished, but as with a regulated allotment of time, there’s still much to be done for SEC West teams as they look toward fall camp and the upcoming season.
Here’s a look at some of the good and some of the bad of the recently completed spring practices; Arkansas wraps up Saturday with its spring game. To borrow an old baseball term, it’s 3-up and 3-down in terms of whose stock improved and whose fell over that period of time.
STOCK UP
Alabama defense: This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the Tide looked very good on defense this spring. Tim Williams was unstoppable in the A-Day game at outside linebacker, disrupting play after play. Ryan Anderson also provided pressure and reserve linebacker Rashaan Evans collected 12 tackles in the first half. It was a good sign that the defense is picking up what new DC Jeremy Pruitt wants to accomplish. The defense totaled 13 sacks, but remember Alabama was without OT Cam Robinson, who sat out the game with an injury. That had to be a factor. How much is anyone’s guess, but the Tide looks scary again defensively.
LSU defense: Also with a new DC in Dave Aranda, the Tigers seem to be adapting to the 3-4 scheme. Davon Godchaux has become the featured player in the middle, moving from outside to inside while Christian LaCourture slides to the outside. The defense shined in the spring game, but LSU was without three of its five starters along the offensive line. So it’s difficult to get a true gauge on how impressive that performance really was. Freshman cornerback Saivion Smith arrived ready to contribute. The Tigers must get a healthy Kendall Beckwith back by the fall. The senior linebacker missed most of spring practice with a knee injury.
Auburn DE Marlon Davidson: This is what can happen if you are able to enroll early and hit the ground running. The four-star recruit has worked his way up the depth chart and could start on opening day. The 6-foot-4, 260-pounder moved ahead of sophomore Byron Cowart and played with the first team defense in the spring game, an impressive achievement at this level.
STOCK DOWN
Mississippi State: The Dak Prescott era is over and a dip can be expected. The Bulldogs won 9 games last season with Prescott, what should the expectations be in their first season without him? The spring game only muddied the waters as far as a replacement goes. Junior Damian Williams went 14-for-20 for 165 yards and two touchdowns. He’s one of four quarterbacks looking to step into the role. Sophomore Nick Fitzgerald (10-for-20, 127 yards, touchdown, 2 INT), redshirt freshman Nick Tiano (8-for-13, 99 yards, touchdown, INT) and sophomore Elijah Staley (5-for-11, 48 yards) are the others. None has risen to the top, and that battle will continue into fall camp. It didn’t help that their top receivers Fred Ross and Donald Gray were recovering from injuries and Fred Brown was dismissed from the team.
Alabama kicker Adam Griffith: He’s struggled in the past. Griffith, you’ll remember, missed his first four attempts at the beginning of last season and still finished 23-for-32 for the year. So maybe he got the shanks out of his system in the A-Day game. Griffith missed his first four field goal attempts (36, 47, 42 and 54 yards) but rallied to nail a 21-yarder in his final try. So while this must be considered a down stock at the moment, history has shown that it won’t necessary stay there and in fact could wind up as a positive factor.
Auburn QBs: The Tigers struggled last year at quarterback. Sean White and Jeremy Johnson did their best impersonation of Texas A&M’s Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray. The noticeable difference is that both White and Johnson remain at Auburn. And they have company. In addition to the duo, John Franklin III is in the mix. None emerged as the starter and the trio will continue the battle into fall camp. White had his moments in the spring game, but nothing of great significance, while Johnson and Franklin III struggled.
Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
