It could be a summer of heartburn and anxiousness in Knoxville and College Station as Butch Jones and Kevin Sumlin each need big seasons to keep the restless fans and administrators at bay.

But their concerns pale in comparison to Ole Miss and Hugh Freeze, who are facing a laundry list of problems, not the least of which is how do you recruit with an NCAA cloud hanging and the ever-present feeling of another shoe is set to drop.

With the summer upon us, here are some of the storylines set to be talked about most in the second half of the offseason:

Ole Miss’ NCAA cloud

Hugh Freeze has said he’s looking to forward to sharing “our side of things,” about the ongoing NCAA investigation that’s already led to an upcoming bowl ban, sanctions and about $8 million in forfeiture of postseason revenue.

It’s the type of story that typically drops on a Friday afternoon, particularly on a holiday. but make no mistake, penalties could be harsh. In a release on its web site, Ole Miss has admitted to 27 of 28 allegations, though it disagrees with the severity of five.

Ole Miss recently responded to the NCAA’s notice of allegations. The NCAA will review the response and eventually schedule a hearing with the Committee of Infractions later this summer. The COI may impose more penalties or rule on the case as it stands.

The related stories are how the Ole Miss players will turn it into an “us against the world” mentality, while Freeze’s job security will be without many safety nets or bad losses.

Quarterback development

Quarterback battles at Texas A&M, Tennessee and Florida will offer plenty of discussion through the dog days of summer. Not to mention Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham, the rising career of Jake Bentley, and the presumed next step by Jacob Eason. Quarterback questions are everywhere, but when will the answers come?

Replacing Joshua Dobbs is difficult in Tennessee, but now the spotlight will be on Quinten Dormady to see what he can do to win the job over Jarrett Guarantano. At Florida, can Feleipe Franks keep the job, now that Notre Dame grad transfer Malik Zaire has joined the battle that already included last year’s starter, Luke Del Rio. Despite the back-to-back SEC East titles, the Gators’ offense remains a concern. If not Franks, will there be continuity to a position that’s had four players start under Jim McElwain.

At Texas A&M, has any of the three of Jake Hubenak, Kellen Mond or Nick Starkel distinguished himself? The Aggies quarterback position has seen no shortage of attention in recent memory, so what’s the next chapter ahead?

Looking for traction at Tennessee

Five new assistants are patrolling the sidelines in Knoxville — and two more were promoted — as Butch Jones and Co. look to move past an underwhelming 9-4 season when the Volunteers must wonder what might have been.

The always optimistic Jones will give a rosy spin after Tennessee was in the mix for its first division title last year in a decade until losses to South Carolina and Vanderbilt. They then won a bowl game and had six players drafted into the NFL.

If it doesn’t soon come together for the Vols, there won’t be much left to change besides the coach himself.

Pass rushers after Arden Key

Given the NFL exodus of the likes of Myles Garrett, Daeshon Hall and Derek Barnett, there is a void of top tier pass rushers in the SEC. Look past Arden Key and there is a big drop off to the next player who’s experienced and capable of reaching double-digit sacks.

It’s an issue across the league as players are either too young, or have been on campus long enough to wonder when the consistent production will arrive. At Auburn, for example, it’s trying to replace Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams on the defensive line. Florida lost three players off of its front seven.

Among the likely successors are Ole Miss’ Marquis Haynes and a trio of Georgia pass rushers like Lorenzo Carter, Trenton Thompson and Davin Bellamy.

Alabama’s bounce back

With the Clemson national championship loss squarely in the rearview mirror, and the offensive coordinator status settled, Alabama is trying to shift the conversation away from what might have been six months ago to what’s ahead.

There’s plenty to like about Alabama’s 2017 version, and strangely, there might be more optimism about the offense. The Crimson Tide returns Jalen Hurts, the SEC Player of the Year at quarterback, and their top five rushing leaders from 2016. And if they needed more depth at running back, they added one of the top prospects in America in Najee Harris and another top shelf prospect in Brian Robinson.

The wide receiver group is as talented as any that Nick Saban has coached.

Nobody reloads like Alabama, but most of the questions this summer will be about replacing all of those key parts on defense, with losses at every level.