Valentine’s Day will be here in a jiffy. As will spring, in the South, if we’re to trust at least some of our nation’s many groundhog meteorologists.

Ah, spring. The time for new love and the season of hope. There are several SEC programs that could use some of that. So we came up with three reasons that each of these fan bases can be optimistic as the flowers start to ponder blooming again.

VANDERBILT

  • Four-star QB Kyle Shurmur is on his way to Nashville. One of the highest-rated quarterbacks ever to sign with Vanderbilt, the son of longtime NFL coach Pat Shurmur turned down Jim Harbaugh’s late advances at Michigan. The Commodores can point to any combination of a dozen culprits for last season’s debacle, but quarterback play has to be near the top of the list. The ‘Dores started four different players and made changes more often than an MLB manager during an All-Star game. Shurmur probably won’t be ready to claim the job in the fall, but he’ll surely compete for the starting role next spring. Coach Derek Mason called him the “cornerstone of the class.”
  • Mason assuming control of the defense. In case anyone forgot why Mason is a head coach, it’s because he was a whale of a coordinator at Stanford. Vanderbilt has some nice pieces on that side of the ball, especially up front. It’s tough for even a seasoned head coach to serve as a CEO type and handle the detailed duties that go along with coordinating one side of the ball. It’s not a foolproof move. But it’s certainly what Mason does best, at least thus far in his coaching career. Perhaps playing to his strengths will be the best thing for Vandy in 2015.
  • Ralph Webb and Steven Scheu. Webb broke the team’s freshman rushing record — without the help of a strong passing game or an above-average offensive line, and despite the team needing to throw often to combat a near-constant deficit. Scheu was one of the top pass-catching tight ends in the SEC with 39 catches for 525 yards. Together they provide the Vandy offense with some pretty good cornerstones in 2015.

KENTUCKY

  • The touted 2014 class is ready to blossom. It’s tough for even the most prolific recruiting classes to make a huge impact the first season they enter the SEC (just look at Alabama’s No. 1 class from ’14). The Wildcats are ready to get some major contributions from the group this fall. Will Drew Barker win the starting quarterback job? Will Boom Williams morph into a Top 10 SEC running back? Will Matt Elam live up to his billing on the interior of the defensive line? There’s plenty of reason for optimism from that group, which included five receivers ranked in the Top 100 of the ’14 class.
  • The Wildcats were/are so close to returning to a bowl game. Five years since the team lost the BBVA Compass Bowl to Pitt, will it return to postseason play? The team came within one or two plays of beating Florida or Louisville to secure a sixth win in 2014. Mark Stoops can prove he’s worth his contract extension and get UK back to respectability. It’s very possible. Considering the team won a combined four games in the 2012 and 2013 seasons, that’s pretty promising.
  • Recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow chose UK over Michigan. I mean, this is not to say that recruits are going to follow suit and choose the Wildcats over the Wolverines. But it proves that it’s possible. And Marrow has something to sell that’s more than smoke and mirrors. A do as I do, not just do as I say kind of thing. A win over Jim Harbaugh in football is the equivalent to a win over Rick Pitino in roundball. Kentucky is supposed to do the latter, not the former. It’s worth celebrating.

SOUTH CAROLINA

  • Steve Spurrier is darned competitive. Spurrier has failed to win at least seven games just twice in 25 seasons as a power conference head coach. After three consecutive 11-win seasons, the Gamecocks have gone through a bit of a talent drain and had better find a way to develop some players during spring ball. Spurrier doesn’t deal well with mediocrity, and with debate swirling about how long he’ll coach, it’s hard to imagine him going out quietly. The 2014 season seems like the basement for South Carolina under the Head Ball Coach.
  • Pharoh Cooper. If the Gamecocks can’t find a quarterback, they should just put Cooper back there. He’s a true triple threat, not just a decoy. When he’s in the Wildcat formation, he’s just as likely to throw a touchdown pass (he has three in just 11 throws) as he is to bust a big gain on the ground. Oh, and we haven’t yet mentioned that Amari Cooper was the only SEC player with more receiving yards last year. He’ll be a thrill to watch in 2015.
  • The incoming defensive class. DE Marquavius Lewis is an instant-impact player, and there are several other defensive signees that should help the Gamecocks in 2015. Along with the development of some young assets already in Columbia, South Carolina could be on its way to a rebound performance on that side of the ball.

ARKANSAS

  • The huge offensive line. That gurgling sound you hear? If you’re anywhere near Fayetteville, it’s probably your own stomach. Because there’s no way any of the Razorbacks offensive linemen are going hungry. The Arkansas coaches probably are badgering the NCAA right now to expand upon the recent food allowance rule to create some sort of in-classroom buffet for its players. What’s more Arkansas than a group of fierce, tall, pot-bellied gladiators ready to smash some NFL-caliber defensive linemen?
  • Bret Bielema is entering his third season. This is the man who led Wisconsin to three consecutive Rose Bowl appearances, the same guy who pulled the Hogs out of the pig trough to return to a bowl game in 2014. He’s in position to improve on the team’s 7-6 finish last season, and winning eight-plus games at Arkansas, especially given the current climate in the SEC West, is commendable. Razorbacks fans should have something to cheer again. Plus, whether it’s the facial hair, declaring his love for offensive linemen on national TV or his Vegas-loving, out-of-his-league wife, the guy is just hard not to like.
  • Mississippi State is on the decline. Even Arkansas fans can’t expect to win the SEC West in 2015, but getting out of the basement is a worthwhile and obtainable goal. The Razorbacks brought in the 23rd-best recruiting class last week, and that was last in the division by a good margin. It’s a near-impossible schedule. But Arkansas very nearly knocked off the SEC champions (Alabama) in 2014. With the Bulldogs losing so many starters on both sides of the ball, they could be the easiest target for Arkansas to pick off in 2015.

FLORIDA

  • CeCe Jefferson and Martez Ivey. The five-star recruits are a big deal in their own right, on the field as players. But they also symbol big wins for the new coaching staff and offer some major promise for the 2016 recruiting class. The fact that they’re both from Florida is a good reminder of the depth of talent available within the state, talent that UF will have a good chance to retain each year.
  • Jim McElwain. As much as many Gators fans and employees loved Will Muschamp, the program wasn’t headed in the right direction. Excuses don’t work at Florida, and UF was losing too many games. Muschamp is lucky he held the job as long as he did. Now it’s McElwain’s turn. This is his first big head coaching opportunity, but everything he’s touched has turned to gold, including the Alabama offense and Colorado State’s team. Expect the Gators offense to return to its usual intimidating, exciting self within two years.
  • The SEC East is about to get good again. Yes, that’s a good thing. The Swamp has been, well, not quite as swampy the last few years. Imagine what it’ll be like the next time Florida hosts Tennessee in a battle of Top 25 teams, or when the Gators are good enough to match wits with Nick Saban’s Alabama. Because there’s a good chance that’s where the program is headed in the next few years.