O'Gara: 1 question I have about every SEC spring game on Saturday
Why hello there, spring football.
Apologies if you’ve felt neglected. You see, the SEC put a team in the Final Four for the first time since 2019. That was after the SEC matched its record with 8 teams in the men’s NCAA Tournament. Of course, 5 of those teams lost to lower-seeded teams in the first round a few weeks ago, so the vast majority of the conference had probably already turned the page to spring football.
Well, check that. South Carolina and LSU fans — along with the rest of America — watched their respective teams have deep runs in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Nonetheless, I now have all of your attention.
There are 8 SEC teams in action Saturday. Football action, that is.
Here’s 1 question I have about each spring game:
Arkansas — What does the Bobby Petrino offense look like?
Of all the things that have happened in the SEC this offseason — Nick Saban retiring, Texas and Oklahoma joining the conference, etc. — I feel like Petrino’s return to Arkansas has been on the back burner. It comes with the territory for a 4-win team. Petrino will do a better job than Dan Enos at moving the quarterback out of the pocket and utilizing more tempo, which isn’t saying much. How will Boise State transfer Taylen Green look as the expected QB1? And will this offensive line have a chance against a defensive line that figures to be the strength of Arkansas’ defense? Even if Petrino plays things close to the vest with mostly basic looks, I’d expect that to be the No. 1 topic of conversation on Saturday.
Florida — Does DC Austin Armstrong try to harass DJ Lagway?
Last year, Armstrong treated the spring game like his Super Bowl. That wasn’t necessarily a surprise for the 20-something defensive coordinator, who was eager to turn around Florida’s incredibly disappointing unit. But this year, with the prized Lagway in the fold, will he throw the kitchen sink at the true freshman? Or will Billy Napier put his star recruit in favorable spots so that he can build up some confidence? Lagway won’t be live, so this is won’t be about the type of punishment he takes on, but it’ll be interesting to see if Armstrong tries to confuse the decorated true freshman and make it a humbling day at the office.
Kentucky — Should be concerned about the non-Deone Walker elements of the UK defensive line?
Depth is the issue at this point of the season, even with Walker, AKA the best returning defensive lineman in the SEC. Walker is actually part of the reason why the Cats are limited up front. He underwent shoulder surgery this offseason, which is par for the course for this UK defensive line. That unit is down 8 guys in spring. That’s why Kentucky isn’t doing a “full-scale” spring game, according to Mark Stoops (H/T Jeff Drummond). Maybe that sets up new Kentucky QB Brock Vandagriff to have a big day to boost his confidence in his first starting role after spending 3 years at Georgia. Either way, the health of that group figures to have a big say in whether Mark Stoops’ defense bounces back after a frustrating 2023.
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Georgia — What does the day look like for Trevor Etienne?
It’s been an eventful offseason for Etienne, to say the least. He crossed enemy lines by leaving Florida for Georgia, where he’s expected to step into the starting role. His March arrest certainly shined the spotlight even brighter on him. Kirby Smart said that the new tailback is “embarrassed” by his mistake and that he’d be disciplined internally while waiting on the legal process to play out. It’ll be interesting to see what his reception is in the spring game. Does he get some decent run or will he look similar to — or even a step behind — the decorated Roderick Robinson II? Are Georgia fans buzzing every time he touches the ball? There’s a path for Etienne to be the Dawgs’ best tailback since D’Andre Swift. If he pops in G-Day, it’ll only speed up that hype train.
LSU — How evident is it that Kyren Lacy is the new alpha WR?
I know ESPN Baton Rouge’s Matt Moscona and some other LSU insiders have been all over this take, so I’m not the first or last one to discuss Lacy as the clear WR1. After all, the guy looked liked WR1 at last year’s spring game. Of course, when the games actually started, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. did their best imitation of Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase for an LSU offense that was one of the best of any during the 4-team Playoff era. Lacy waited his turn. All signs out of spring are that he’s ready for his chance to become the new primary target, though he should have competition with Liberty’s CJ Daniels. If Lacy can continue to show that he moved past those drops issues, the sky is the limit in the Tigers’ offense.
Alabama — Is the offense clearly the superior unit to start the Kalen DeBoer era?
We know that it’s a different era in Tuscaloosa. Roll Tide Willie’s presence alone is a sign that there’s a significant shift. I’d expect that shift to be evident on the field, too. Throughout the Saban era, it felt like the defense was always set up to look like the superior unit, even as the offense put things into overdrive in recent years. Why? The scheme, the coaching, the depth, etc. But now with the offensive-minded DeBoer on board, it’s fair to wonder if we’re going to see that group have a clear edge against a new-look defense. Sure, Alabama has its staples like Deontae Lawson and Malachi Moore back, but the blind faith in the new faces that was there during the Saban era feels a little bit different now. Even if Jalen Milroe looks like he’s still figuring out the DeBoer offense with Nick Sheridan calling plays, one would think that group should have the edge entering 2024.
Ole Miss — How are all of those new portal pieces fitting on defense?
I don’t think there’s any question that Ole Miss has its most talented defense since the Hugh Freeze era. The established SEC players that Lane Kiffin acquired via the transfer portal should help a unit that took a big step forward in 2023. There are legitimate All-SEC candidates — Princely Umanmielen already earned that honor at Florida — who should step in and have prominent roles:
- Florida Edge Princely Umanmielen
- Tennessee Edge Tyler Baron
- Arkansas LB Chris Paul Jr.
- Texas A&M DL Walter Nolen
- Alabama CB Trey Amos
The question that awaits Pete Golding is how those pieces will fit together. He has some stud front-7 returners with JJ Pegues, Jared Ivey and Khari Coleman. Those guys should have a favorable chance to look the part, even in a spring game setting wherein Kiffin will likely call for the defense to keep things as basic as it gets. But as Kiffin has reiterated during the offseason, you don’t win SEC games just by having household names. They need those guys to gel, play off one another and buy into their new surroundings.
Tennessee — Will Nico Iamaleava somehow generate even more hype? Is that possible?
Look, I’m part of the problem here. I salivated at some of the throws that Iamaleava made as a true freshman. I also salivated at plenty of the throws that Hendon Hooker made as a mid-20s force of nature back in 2022. Iamaleava’s potential suggest that he can be every bit as good as Hooker was. Remember that at this time last year, he was still trying to master the tempo aspect of Josh Heupel’s offense. Joe Milton was far more comfortable, and that’s why he was the bridge-the-gap quarterback from Hooker to Iamaleava.
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But now, with Iamaleava entrenched as the clear QB1, it’ll be interesting to see how many “start the Heisman campaign” moments he has in a controlled setting. Heupel also has to weigh the Vols’ lack of QB depth into his reps. It’s that that Iamaleava will be live, but the worse-case scenario would be him rolling an ankle. My guess for Saturday? More Iamaleava salivating and an even faster hype train.
Looks like Connor didn’t do his homework again as OM is not doing a spring game and making it more like the pro-bowl.
That sounds like a fun idea. I wonder if it could be the start of a trend? Spring games often seems as pointless as the old pro bowl.
I agree. There is no point to it. The playcalling is very vanilla, base defense, etc. Players risk injury, coaches do not get anything out of it for evaluation purposes. A spring game in April with training camp 4 months later does not add any value. Players get miffed at where they stand when a depth chart is released, increasing the likelihood of bolting to a new team. I don’t think there is anything to gain from a team development standpoint for the upcoming season.
The spring game at Florida marks the beginning of our inevitable march to an undefeated season and national title. The media would be wise to document the event as it will go down in history as the beginning of a 100 year stretch of dominance that begins with Billy and ends when Cybro-7, the first robot coach, leads us to glory in the year 2125.
mrtruth,
As you well know I suspended my efforts of reminding UF fans about the current state of UF football. I granted amnesty to cojones and other true blue and orange UF fans who use to invade Dawg articles with visions of grandeur and fantastical predictions about UF football. I have taken on a merciful tone with the UF fan base, benevolence rules the day.
With no intent of changing the current UGA/UF diplomatic relations, I just got’s to know. have you ever been laid?
Napier is about to break Kirby, starting with a brutal beatdown in 2024 and ending with Kirby wiping his tears with a Little Debbie Oatmeal Pie as he announces his retirement a in 2026.
I take that as a resounding no, you haven’t seen it since it had you
I’ll give the first $100.00 to the Get MrTruth Laid fund…
Truth..
I love the optimism and all but man .. I would just be happy to win more games than lost at this point !
Td wow .. have to say sir that was very amusing comment !
If you guys take everything that’s posted here as gospel then you are missing the point and need to develop a sense of humor and recognize sarcasm, or to be less diplomatic,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, get a friking clue
gatorfan8115–
There is a 100% chance this will be a season to celebrate. Here’s why:
Scenario 1: Billy gets the message loud and clear that his job is actually to win games NOW and not to teach the players important life lessons about the value of losing. We win more games and don’t look like the Keystone Cops as Billy emphasizes to his coaching staff they expected to actually do their jobs this year.
Scenario 2: It turns out Billy has no clue how to win in the SEC. His bungling staff of 100 clowns fails again. Still a win, because Billy learns an important life lesson as he is loaded into a giant sling shot and launched back to the swamps of Louisiana where sinks into the mud screaming, “I have a five year plan!”
Truth I pray you are right !
Having to fire Napier should not be cause for celebration; Muschamp, McElwain, Mullen, Napier … UF is going through HC’s like Uncle Joe goes through depends.
Every termination is a blow to the program, another strike. Firing Napier will cost tens of millions of dollars, money that could have gone into facilities or NIL. Every firing re-enforces a negative narrative about the program and is ammo for other schools to use against UF in recruiting. Then, the only way to entice the next hire is give another golden parachute, guaranteed contract. It’s like every new HC starts off in a toxic, or at least neurotic, environment.
I think UF’s first move should be to hire a proven, winning AD then clean house in the Athletic Department. Break the cycle and change the mindset that has lead to all the bad hirings. UF should do that ASAP, irrespective of thoughts and opinions about Napier or how the 2024 season unfolds. Then if Napier doesn’t work out the staff and infrastructure to make a good hire will be in place.
IMO unless Napier loses control of the program (he’s treading water now) Napier should be given at least 5 years. That way maybe Napier does eventually turn the corner even if it’s not this season. More importantly, by allowing Napier sufficient time to transform the program and grow into the job it would end the “win now or be fired” mindset that is UF football; reset the precedent in the event Napier does have to be terminated. UF has got to start thinking and executing for the long haul.
So much of life is luck and timing. As Josh Pate has eloquently observed, Billy Napier had bad luck and bad timing when he came to Florida. Compounded by an ineffectual NIL collective and — my guess, in 20-20 hindsight — two or three assistant hires who did not perform as expected.
Roster talent matters more than anything else, and we just haven’t had the necessary roster talent, primarily along the offensive line but also across the defense.
We’ll see how much progress has been made this season. There is a lot of talented youth on this team that now has plenty of game experience. If the procedural mistakes are substantially reduced and we can get to at least seven regular season wins, I would stick with Billy through at least 2025.
mrtruth…You hit on a very important point. Billy has believed all along that he has five(5) years to turn around the program. With The Gators schedule it’s a daunting task for a coach who is squarely on the Hot-Seat, whose team has looked disorganized at times.
But Go Gators !
Aside from the RB depth I don’t have many questions about LSUs offense, the WR room is deep and Nuss has been working with the majority of them back when they were on the second team. My questions all lie with the defense, the reports from spring practice have been good but they’re thin at DT. Maybe we’ll see more 3-4 fronts, it’s going to be interesting to see how it plays out
Very thin at DT. Yes, I think more 3-4 fronts can be expected. For the third time under Kelly, LSU will have to hit the portal for defensive players, including possible starters. On offense, a bit thin at RB.
LSU is after two former starters at DT in the portal. One from Indiana, and one from Wisconsin. We’ll see if they’re able to grab one, if not both. I expect big things from Guillory and McKinley, and expect the transfers to get a ton of reps also.
If Holly returns, we’ll have Williams, Jackson, Durham, and Holly. That’s a really good stable to go into the season with.
I agree with the 3-4 fronts until the DTs prove they’re able to handle the loads…then maybe we’ll see 4-3 fronts sprinkled in.
A football article?
I’m waiting on when they get around to talking baseball and softball. We’re already halfway through both regular seasons.
Of all the storylines for spring ball this is the lame one you pick, whether the D is going to go hard against Lagway? What kind of made up crock is that?
Lagway is a very nice bonus piece but the return of the Mertzinator primed to improve on his excellent first season is more compelling.
The emergence of the first 10000 yard Gator WR in a very long time, Mr Tre Wilson is more compelling too.
If you want to talk defense, forget about Armstrong and focus on the unit finally learning how to tackle courtesy of Ron Roberts.
Lagway being babied by Armstrong? Where did you get sht like that?
1,000 yard lol
10,000 would be epic, even for The Man Named Mertz
Pearsal was so close to 1000. The injury was really a shame for he and Mertzilla. Well, Tre can now rise up and be the first since I don’t even remember.
Kyren Lacy, DJ Chester, Sage Ryan, Harold Perkins, Dashawn Womack, and Major Burns have been the talk of LSU spring football as well as true freshmen PJ Woodland and Dashawn McBryde. Expect big things from them.
Quietly though, there have been a number of less heralded players making their mark in spring ball.
Corey Raymond seems to be getting these DBs practicing up to their true potential, and I think it translates onto the field.
With only Williams and Jackson as the available scholarship RBs for the spring, I think they limit the physicality with them to an extent. Durham arrives this summer, and Holly may in fact end up back on the roster…though I am sure Kelly will make him fight his way through the depth chart.
Jacobian Guillory could have a breakout season at DT. Jalen Lee and Shone Washington will get their looks, and I am sure Dominick McKinley will get a large number of reps behind Guillory come fall. Looks like we will be adding a piece or two at DT from the portal for added experience and depth purposes.
I am optimistic that AJ Swann flourishes in this offense behind the Nuss Bus. Collins may move better with his legs, but Swann has a better arm.
Wait… where’s Denver Harris??? Oh, I see. I kind of feel bad for the UTSA DB coach.
I count at least 6 of those 2022 Aggie recruits that could not stay with the team they transferred to (on their 3rd team or not playing at all). Character matters, regardless of who the coach is.
With numerous reports of the UGA O-line being dominant in the Spring practice sessions I would expect Etienne to get carries early in the G-Day game but no more than Roderick Robinson and Andrew Paul. The RB’s that are deep on the depth chart will probably get their fair share of carries as well.
My guess is the new WR’s and TE’s really get a work out. Very vanilla play calling with the focus on route-running and execution.
I would expect Etn to sit the Gday game. Get all the practice reps he wants, but he deserves to be made an example of before the summer downtime begins. I think it would be a very bad look for the other players if he gets a pass, even for just Gday… especially in his situation… big shot, transfer, new guy, etc, etc. I know he will probably sit the first game next season anyway, but still…. don’t be actin’ a fool ’cause you think you’re hot sht now.
Just make sure someone drives him to the game. And practice. And anywhere else.
I may be going out on a limb here a bit, but the UT D may be the better of the two units this season. The heart of any D should be the line and we are absolutely stacked there, including possibly the best edge in the country. The LB group is in good shape and the secondary, IMO, will be much better than last year. I think we got better by losing many of those we lost. We brought in some good players and have some really good young guys back there now.
Thats not to say the Offense will be lacking much but I do think Nico will have his ups and downs as the new starting QB and Im worried about the depth of the O line. The RB room is a little limited right now but hopefully will be healthy and full come august. Still that room will be relying on some inexperienced but talented newcomers to back up Sampson. The WR room is loaded and the TE group, while small, is very talented. if the offense can stay healthy and the O line can protect Nico and open some holes for the RB’s this team could do some special things. Those are sizeable “ifs”.
I dont care much about the spring game. Get the first units a couple series each, then get the backups some experience and above all else dont get anyone hurt.
Ole Miss is the most interesting team this year, to me. If they can mesh all those D transfers well they can win the west.
Starting in 2024 there are no SEC East and SEC West Divisions, just 16 SEC teams.
old habits tdub, old habits…
fuzzy…Concerning Ole Miss. If Lane Kiffin can forge all of his portal players into a “Team” they can be scary good this year.
I’m assuming you don’t count edge rushers as densive linemen because James Pierce is the best returning defensive player in the SEC.
I’m pretty sure Tyler Baron ended up going to Louisville, not ole miss as planned.
Teams I can see winning the SEC in 2024…
Georgia
Texas
LSU
Ole Miss
Just outside that group…
Alabama
Missouri
Tennessee
Agreed
Here is for all teams to get out their spring games with zero injuries. I would like to see every team at full strength for the season.
Amen to that!
Absolutely! O7
So the one question Connor has about the Florida spring game is whether Armstrong blitzes Lagway? Wow, talk about mailing it in.
The spring game really means next to nothing, other than an opportunity to see some Gator football.
I am interested to see the alleged quickness afoot of the offensive line, the alleged newfound tackling ability of the secondary, and the speed, cutting and catching ability of the first three or four wide receivers.
Spring games are basically meaningless when it comes to trying to project success during the season. Ja’Corey Brooks was the star of A Day a few years ago and never was able to become a dependable WR, and there have been many others. Spring games are basically practices and you see what the coaches want you to see.
I don’t think that your questions about Ole Miss are going to be answered Saturday. They are doing a 7v7 flag football game with competitions interspersed during it like tug-o-war and hot dog eating.
I’m so glad Petrino replaced Enos. I’m glad anyone replaced Enos. I knew last season was going to be bad the minute I heard Enos was hired.