It’s not December 25, but we’re making a list and checking it twice as spring practice opens up full force next week.

Here’s a checklist of needs for every SEC East team in 2015. Has your program completed its list, or is there more work to be done?

FLORIDA GATORS

Checked Off

  • Find an offensive-minded head coach. Athletic director Jeremy Foley accomplished this when he and the university navigated a tricky buyout and landed former Colorado State coach and Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain.
  • Hire a strong defensive coordinator. Geoff Collins goes about his business in an unorthodox way, but he gets the job done. Collins has a better chance to succeed with the defense than the offensive coordinators Will Muschamp hired to handle the other side of the ball as a defensive-minded head coach.
  • Secure Martez Ivey. Sure, CeCe Jefferson was important as well. But Ivey, the five-star offensive tackle from nearby Apopka, seemed like a Gators lean all along. Florida couldn’t afford to lose him due to the coaching change, and now have a suitable replacement for D.J. Humphries at left tackle.

Still Need

  • Decide on a quarterback. If Treon Harris retains his starting job, one would imagine he’ll only get better under McElwain’s tutelage and with more experience. But Will Grier may fit McElwain’s offense better. Either way, the Gators could have someone completely different starting in 2016. These are the guys for now, though, and Florida needs to identify the best option for 2015.
  • Find a playmaker on offense. Receiver Demarcus Robinson could be that guy. Maybe Brandon Powell can get more involved now that he’s focusing only at receiver. Maybe it’s a collection of guys, or a young player of whom we haven’t seen much yet. Either way, the Gators need a game-changer or two on offense, someone who can add a dynamic element to the unit and keep the team from having to execute 10-play drives every time it wants to score.

GEORGIA BULLDOGS

Checked Off

  • Solidify the coaching staff. Rumors have it the relationship between Mark Richt and the administration and boosters featured frustration on both sides near the end of the season. Long-time assistant Mike Bobo’s exit may have had something to do with that. Either way, UGA needed to both solidify the relationship with Richt and secure a strong new offensive coordinator, and the Bulldogs think they’ve accomplished both.

Uncertain

  • Turn the defensive talent into a unit that produces at a championship level. Georgia hasn’t lacked for individual talent on defense. This year, thanks to the decisions of a pair of star linebackers to return to college, there are no excuses. Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt seems like a capable, emerging coach, and now’s the time to prove it. The defense may already be prepared to star in 2015, but UGA needs to make sure of that during spring ball.

Still Need

  • Decide on a capable quarterback. Georgia isn’t looking for an Aaron Murray or a Matthew Stafford. At least not for 2015. All the Bulldogs want is someone who can execute within Brian Schottenheimer’s system, which means accuracy on short and intermediate throws and avoiding risks that lead to turnovers. Is that Brice Ramsey? We’ll find out.
  • Get better in the secondary. The team’s linebackers are outstanding, and we’ve talked about the defense as a whole. But the defensive backs must improve, even after losing top corner Damian Swann. Will Dominick Sanders and company make the kind of progress the team needs?
  • Figure out how to win those one or two games that seemingly cost UGA every year. There aren’t any great answers here, or else Richt would’ve turned to them already. But right now the program is in a tough spot: too good to get rid of its coach, but not good enough to win more than the very occasional SEC East title. Can the team find any answers?

KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Checked Off

  • Maintain offensive continuity. The team lost its offensive coordinator to a head coaching job, but has spent the last few years recruiting to an Air Raid system. The Wildcats accomplished this task by hiring Shannon Dawson. Other than some new verbiage, the players haven’t had to re-learn much, and the system still fits the talent UK has recruited.

Uncertain

  • Ensure the team features its most talented players in the Air Raid. For example, running back Stanley “Boom” Williams averaged 7.1 yards per offensive touch last season. Why, then, did he only touch the ball 91 times? Air Raid or not, if the team’s running backs are the best offensive skill players, Dawson and the Wildcats must find a way to prioritize them with the play-calling. Perhaps that’s already been hashed out prior to spring practice.

Still Need

  • Figure out quarterback. There aren’t many options. Try to develop a mediocre Patrick Towles or turn to an unproven, seemingly immature Drew Barker. We figured Barker may have sealed his fate as a backup when he reportedly was involved in a second off-field incident in as many years, but it appears Kentucky is giving him serious consideration.
  • Replace two NFL draft picks along the defensive line. Of the four Wildcats invited to the NFL Combine, the two most likely to get drafted are Bud Dupree and Za’Darius Smith. Dupree may even be a first-round draft choice. At any rate, UK is losing two huge pieces from its defensive line. Maybe it’s time for Matt Elam to grow — or shrink — into that role.
  • Develop and parse the receiver class of 2014. The Wildcats signed five of the Top 100 receivers of the 2014 class, specifically to stock the position for the Air Raid offense. Javess Blue and Demarco Robinson, the team’s No. 2 and 3 options last season, are gone. Ryan Timmons will be the go-to receiver, but UK needs to identify the players from the ’14 group who are ready to help out.

MISSOURI TIGERS

Checked Off

  • Replenish the defensive coaching staff. Dave Steckel is trying his hand as a head coach. Rather than promote from within, perhaps with defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski, Gary Pinkel brought back Barry Odom, a hot young coordinator at Memphis. Kuligowski, a crucial piece on the coaching staff, seemed upset behind the scenes and nearly left for Illinois, but Pinkel managed to placate him. The team may add in some 3-4 concepts this spring and won’t have Shane Ray and Markus Golden, but seems in good position to keep the unit strong.
  • Leverage back-to-back division championships in recruiting. The team finished No. 25 in the 247Sports composite. It’s tough to say whether that’s because the team won consecutive SEC East titles and now is entrenched in the conference or if it’s because the team just happened to land Terry Beckner Jr. and Drew Lock, but either way, it was arguably the best recruiting class Missouri has signed in the Pinkel era.

Still Need

  • Develop some young receivers — fast. If you’re a Missouri fan, you’ve read story after story about this since the end of the season, so I won’t bore you with a long re-hash. But it’s the No. 1 priority of the spring.
  • Get the offensive tackles straightened out. The Tigers brought in two junior college transfers, presumably to start at left tackle. Malik Cuellar, the favorite, started camp as the third-team player on the initial depth chart. Presumed right tackle Taylor Chappell started spring practice at left tackle. Can Cuellar climb his way to the top by the fall? We’ve seen that Maty Mauk performs even worse than the average quarterback when the pocket collapses, so it’s vital that Mizzou shore up everyone’s role on the 2015 offensive line as early as possible.
  • Develop Mauk into a star. After such strong promise early last season, Mauk flatlined through the middle portion of the season in part due to an underreported injury, in part due to struggles at receiver and offensive line and in part because defenses found ways to attack his weaknesses. He needs to build some body armor for his weak points this offseason by learning to read defenses and operate better from within the pocket.

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS

Checked Off

  • Sort out the defensive coaching staff. Steve Spurrier made the magnanimous choice by retaining defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward, who has done well for the Gamecocks until one very down year last season, while also hiring his former Florida coordinator Jon Hoke as co-coordinator.
  • Assure future recruits Spurrier isn’t riding off into the sunset just yet. The Head Ball Coach made the mistake of slipping “retirement” into come of his rhetoric, and it left the team scrambling after several defections from the 2015 recruiting class. But Spurrier has done some good damage control since, including a strong interview on ESPN during halftime of a basketball game and joining Twitter. Hey, who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

Still Need

  • Develop the unproven talent into a strong pass rush. That’s the team’s single biggest need on defense, and the focal point of the 2015 recruiting class. On paper, the Gamecocks have the bodies and the physical ability to be much improved at the position, even if not as good as the Jadeveon Clowney days. But this spring will be critical for sorting through the players and identifying which ones can live up to the hype right away this fall.
  • Find a quarterback who can get Pharoh Cooper the football. South Carolina seemingly doesn’t have good options at the position. But Spurrier has a great track record with college quarterbacks. Maybe he can find and develop one of them into a productive, adequate SEC starter.
  • Figure out what to do at receiver after Cooper. The team’s biggest offensive star may have to take snaps at quarterback himself if no one can get him the ball. But Cooper can’t be the only player in the passing game at quarterback or receiver, and the Gamecocks need to identify some secondary options.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

Uncertain

  • Find somebody who can develop a QB. Butch Jones pulled Mike DeBord out of the storage closet after the coach spent several years in an administrative role. He hasn’t coached quarterbacks since 1986 in an official capacity. That’s what happens when you lose a coordinator so late in the hiring and firing season, as the Vols did. But can DeBord develop a smart, young, athletic quarterback into one who can win games as a passer, convert third-and-longs under pressure and read defenses? And is there anyone else on staff — Jones, maybe — who can help?

Still Need

  • Elevate the play of the offensive line. If the line doesn’t play better, it won’t matter that the Vols fortified the backfield with Alvin Kamara, or have a plethora of talented receivers that can rival the depth of any FBS school (assuming they stay healthy), or that UT’s young, smart quarterback Joshua Dobbs could continue to make progress. This should be the team’s No. 1 priority during spring practice.
  • Sort through depth at key positions like DE and WR. The Vols have the luxury of a lot of young, talented players at both positions. At some point during the season, injuries probably will make some of the decisions less difficult. Several players at the positions will miss at least a portion of spring practice. But outside of playing Derek Barnett as much as possible at defensive end, Jones and company need to re-assess which pass rushers and which receivers give the team the best chance to win, and make sure the team is maximizing the talent there.
  • Find a middle linebacker to replace A.J. Johnson. It’s the biggest question the defense must answer this spring, but whomever secures the job should be in a good position thanks to what should be a strong defensive line in front of him.

VANDERBILT COMMODORES

Checked Off

  • Figure out how to split coaching duties. Put a giant asterisk next to this one. Derek Mason is attempting to be head coach and defensive coordinator, which means he’s taking on even more responsibilities than he previously held, and he hasn’t shown he can handle those yet. But he didn’t feel comfortable with any of the defensive coordinator candidates, and it’s what he does best, so maybe it will work. Continuity is underrated, but the Commodores didn’t do anything last season to need to retain as many coaches as possible. Change was necessary.

Still Need

  • Make a decision at quarterback and stick with it. New offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig isn’t trying to slap lipstick on a pig. Without going as far as insulting his players publicly, he’s implied that Vanderbilt just isn’t talented enough at the position. But until reinforcements arrive in the form of four-star incoming freshman Kyle Shurmur, the team must make do with the four options it has.
  • Don’t be so predictable on offense. The two-tight end, conservative, power running game may be effective if the talent level is equal or better than the opposition, like when Mason coached at Stanford. But if everyone knows where Vandy is going with the ball, and the opposition has better players … well, you see where I’m going.
  • Find some playmakers in the secondary. Vanderbilt’s defensive front seven is pretty solid. Certainly not on the short list of the team’s biggest problems. But the team’s secondary experienced a big drop-off from the last several seasons.