Kramer's Korner's Spring Football Wrap-Up: Where Have All the QBs Gone?

Technically, it isn’t over. Oregon—in true Oregonian fashion—still has a spring game to play and neon excellence to display. Hawaii, for those interested, is also waiting its turn to flex its spring football muscles.

But outside of a handful of teams, the curtain on spring football has come down once more. And perhaps the most startling development to come from another informal practice and scrimmage season wasn’t actually a development at all.

In fact, it was quite the opposite: College football—and perhaps all of football, for that matter—is in the midst of a quarterback drought. Nothing during the past six weeks changed this whatsoever, which means said uncertainty will carry through until when the games actually matter.

Now, please exclude yourself from the present conversation, Ohio State. You, too, Notre Dame. And you as well, USC.

Outside of a handful of examples, however, uncertainty regarding the position is palpable: Alabama, LSU, Florida State, Michigan, Texas and Florida all have holes and questions at quarterback. 

Is it finally Jake Coker time in Tuscaloosa, or did David Cornwell's solid spring give him an unexpected edge?

How can LSU finally solve its quarterback woes, and will Brandon Harris grow into the QB many believe he will become?

It's Sean Maguire's job to lose at Florida State, but can he hang on to the starting spot? And for how long?

Is Jake Ruddock, the Iowa graduate transfer, Jim Harbaugh's bridge to a new era of Michigan football?

Is the long-term solution at quarterback currently on the Texas roster?

Who will Florida lean on as it rebuilds its offense along with its offensive line?

I could go on. These are just a handful of the nation's premier programs that are seeking out answers, although the list stretches well beyond this abbreviated sample size. Look elsewhere—beyond programs with seemingly endless resources—and similar concerns come into focus.

Granted, a great deal of talent has gone through the QB pipeline in the last few years. It’s also spring football, and the time for football knowledge acquisition is extremely limited. Still, there are holes that will require filling.

As a result of these question marks, handicapping teams with questions at QB and ample talent at other positions will be a Herculean task leading into the season. Alabama, LSU and Florida State are prime examples.

And while a handful of young, unexpected stars are bound to develop, it’s hard to pinpoint where they will come from. They certainly didn’t reveal themselves these past few months. In time, that will change. For teams hunting for a College Football Playoff spot, it better.

Here are some other spring observations, including an updated Top 25 and some of the finer moments.

The Depth of the Buckeyes

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

I watched nearly 100,000 people watch Ohio State’s football team scrimmage. I saw quarterback Cardale Jones unleash a wide variety of deep balls that cut through the air with ease, causing a full stadium to go completely silent one magnificent toss at a time.

My biggest takeaway from Columbus, however, wasn’t actually the crowd or the star power at QB. It was the players you are unlikely to hear from next fall and the magnificent depth of talent the Buckeyes have waiting its turn.

Take Nick Conner, for example. As an early enrollee and the nation’s No. 8 linebacker in this past class, according to 247Sports, Conner should be finishing up high school and worrying about prom.

Instead, he was absolutely everywhere during Ohio State’s spring game, finishing with a game-high seven tackles, a tackle for loss, an interception and a forced fumble.

“He was good,” head coach Urban Meyer said of Conner following the game. “We had high expectations for him, though. Hope he doesn't redshirt and gets involved in the kicking game. He had a very good, had a good day today.”

Yes, it was only a spring game. Let’s blast that out with an industrial-sized megaphone.

With that fully recognized, it’s abundantly clear that Meyer has another chess piece to work with. He’s a player. Given the loaded state of Ohio State’s linebacking core, however, it will be tough for Conner to play early on. This is a theme that resonates elsewhere.

Erick Smith, a soon-to-be-sophomore safety, also picked off a pass and has drawn rave reviews within the program. But because of depth, Smith might have to wait a little bit longer to become the star many expect he will be.

When you have a program rolling, these are the situations you’re left with. The assembly line is in place, and the promise will carry on well past a promising 2015.

The Most Important Spring Absentee

Tyler Smith/Getty Images

Now, for a moment, forget everything I just said in that intro about quarterbacks being gone. It’s time to talk about Deshaun Watson, the sport’s most gifted young quarterback. All praise thrown his way, despite the injuries from a season ago, seems legitimate and appropriate.

I had a chance to speak with Watson just over a week ago. Now, I won’t spoil a far lengthier piece in the works, but it’s clear that superstardom is in his future if he can stay healthy. He has the attitude for it, and speaking with others around him, he also has talent unmatched by perhaps any other quarterback in the country.

“I think the kid is unbelievable,” current SMU head coach and former Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris told me. “I think he has a chance to own every record at Clemson before he’s done.”

For Watson, it’s about health. An injury-plagued freshman year concluded in knee surgery. He has spent the spring rehabbing his knee after an ACL tear, although he’s on track for the Week 1 start. If that’s the case, given some of the immense talent around him on offense, Clemson could very well find its way in the playoff.

Money Well Spent

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Late last week, Missouri announced that head coach Gary Pinkel received a lovely, massive raise along with a contract extension. The new deal, according to the Kansas City Star, will extend Pinkel through 2021 and raise his annual salary to over $4 million.

That’s an enormous bit of coin being handed out by the Tigers. It’s also an enormous bit of coin well allocated.

Playing in the nation’s most taxing conference—albeit in the right division at the right time—Missouri has gone 23-5 the past few seasons, doing so with limited fanfare or appreciation. Despite losing significant talent on both sides last year, the Tigers still delivered a season that (again) smashed expectations.

The other reality of this new deal is that $4 million will soon become somewhat assumed for a quality coach, especially in a conference with money bursting from every seam. The fact that the Tigers were able to lock up one of their own during a magnificent stretch is simply good business. He has earned every penny.

The 400-Pound Tight End

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

You’ve heard about this, yes? You’ve seen the mountain of a man who would outrun you with relative ease? By now, if you haven’t, you’ve probably been living in a football-less, technology-deprived cocoon.

LaQuan McGowan, Baylor’s 410-pound tight end, has quickly become a football favorite. After scoring a touchdown against Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl, McGowan has become a cult hero for those of us who appreciate large human beings doing extraordinary things.

“He runs the 40 in five seconds flat,” offensive coordinator Kendal Briles told me earlier this year. “He’s a massive individual but also very skilled.”

Coming out of spring, McGowan is listed as a starter at tight end. During the team’s spring game he showed off a bit more of what he was capable of.

Now, how will he actually be used? That’s the 400-pound question. While I don’t foresee 50 catches for the freakish talent, he will absolutely be a piece opposing defenses have to account for. He’s extra time in the film room. He’s a unique and dangerous option.

McGowan, at the minimum, will be a fabulous extra blocker at the goal line, and yes, he will likely get some looks in the passing game.

Truthfully, we’ve never seen anything quite like this. Matching up a man of this size with one of the game’s most diabolical offensive minds could make for some magnificent entertainment.

(Almost) Post-Spring Football Top 25

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This is the part where I rank teams, you get angry about how I ranked these teams and then you unleash the fury  in the comment section. It's this kind of passion and anger that fuels our offseason muscle car, and I welcome it with open arms.

It’s worth noting that my pre-spring football Top 25 and the list below are somewhat similar.

With ample time to dig into rosters and depth charts, there were a handful of adjustments I decided to tweak. With that defined reasoning thoroughly out in the open, here is a list you can throw on your team-themed dart board:

1. Ohio State

2. TCU

3. Baylor

4. USC

5. Auburn

6. Oregon

7. Alabama

8. Michigan State

9. Clemson

10. UCLA

11. Notre Dame

12. Arizona State

13. Georgia

14. Florida State

15. Georgia Tech

16. Ole Miss

17. LSU

18. Wisconsin

19. Arkansas

20. Stanford

21. Arizona

22. Boise State

23. Utah

24. Missouri

25. Oklahoma State

Punting Done Right

And you thought that you were going to go all April without a Dakota State spring football highlight.

Well, let’s change that quickly.

What happens when you force people to spin around in circles before punting footballs? The correct answer, of course, is magnificent entertainment. That’s precisely what you get.

What It’s Like to be Destroyed by Myles Jack

Meet Danny Siegel. He’s running for general representative at UCLA and needs your support. As part of his campaign to earn your support, he decided to take a hit from Myles Jack, UCLA’s All-World linebacker/human wrecking ball.

It’s a bold move—one that has resulted in the attention he was after and probably a few weeks in the cold tub with a bottle of aspirin.

A Touchdown 89 Years in the Making

Bryan Sperry is 89 years old. He is a World War II veteran. He played football at Kansas State a long, long time ago. He also has more touchdowns than you do this spring.

This magnificent footage comes from the Kansas alumni flag football game, and I promise you’ve never seen anything like it.

Sperry, with some help from his blockers, was able to make his way up the field and to the end zone. Now that is how you do spring football right.

Leah Still Goes the Distance 

What a moment. Tissues might be necessary before proceeding any further.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still and his four-year-old daughter Leah attended Temple’s spring game. Leah, who had battled cancer and is now thankfully in remission, was the guest of honor.

Not only was she the guest of honor, but Leah also scored the first touchdown of the game, going 45 yards on a screen pass.

Hello, emotions.

And Finally, "Roll Tide"

Let’s end with a moment that did not take place in a football stadium or on a practice field. It happened at a wedding, where a small child decided it was time to unleash a “Roll Tide” during the day’s most cherished time.

As we enter the long offseason football-less abyss, I want you to take this with you and hold it close. Embrace the silence during this time, and remember that no news is likely good news from your program.

Work on your golf game or barbecue game. Interact with your family. Do things that you won’t be doing in Saturdays come September. It will be here before you know it.

Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand.