Stanford Football 2012: Latest News, Updates and More from Spring Practice

Ladies and gentlemen, it's about that time of year again, as college football is officially underway.

Well, not the good stuff yet, but spring practice should hold you over for a month or two as we inch closer to the regular season.

The Stanford Cardinal have already taken the field to begin their practices and prepare for their spring game, which will take place on April 14.

While many are worried about Andrew Luck's departure, this Stanford team is still one of the more talented groups in the country. They return a total of 14 starters and have one of the top recruiting classes coming in this season.

This year may not be as successful as the last, but I wouldn't count the Cardinal out just yet.

As players fight to earn starting positions, we've got you covered. Stay tuned for everything that happens throughout spring practice involving your Stanford Cardinal.

March 12 Spring Update

Replacing a quarterback such as Andrew Luck is no easy task, especially when the quarterbacks in competition have very little to no experience.

We know that Brett Nottingham and Josh Nunes are the likely frontrunners for the starting job, but don't expect a decision to be made anytime soon, according to Head Coach David Shaw.

“It's still pretty open. We're not going to make any decisions during spring, we tell them to approach every day like it's a game,” Shaw said.

This was expected, but it helps hearing it from the head coach, because now we can focus a little bit more on other positions.

The offensive line remains solid with returning starters David Yankey, Sam Schwartzstein and Cameron Fleming, but nobody has yet to step up and fill the holes at right guard and left tackle.

Last week Shaw had high praise for cornerback Wayne Lyons, and he recently had similar things to say about Kelsey Young.

“He's a great athlete. He could play corner, he could play safety, he could play running back, he could play receiver. Possibly in the return game. What we're going to do is make sure he has some kind of package.,” Shaw said.

It's not clear where the Cardinal is going to use him, but with his speed and versatility, he is for sure a much-needed playmaker in the Pac-12.

Young is a 4-star recruit from the 2010 class who was recruited as a running back. He has a great combination of speed and power and should be a fun player to watch this season.

March 8 Spring Update

Stanford has already begun spring ball and there are some positives to point out early on. The first thing that has many Stanford fans buzzing is the fact that the defense appears ready to go.

"We have been flying around, defensively," Head Coach David Shaw said. "It hasn't been perfect, but the guys we expect to be our leaders on defense are playing extremely well. Chase Thomas is phenomenal. Terrence Stephens has picked his game up. So has Trent Murphy on the outside. Those front guys are setting the tone for our defense."

Despite losing five key starters on the offensive side of the ball, Stanford does return eight starters from a defense that was ranked 30th in points allowed a year ago.

This is a veteran group of players that consist of mostly upperclassmen. It's great to hear that they're having solid practices and seem eager for the season to start.

Another key thing to point out on the defensive side of the ball is the progress cornerback Wayne Lyons is making. The sophomore corner missed a majority of the season due to foot surgery, but he is back on the field and the head coach is holding him to extremely high expectations.

"Before it's all said and done, he'll be up for the (Thorpe Award) for the best defensive back in the nation."

That's extremely high praise and great news for fans of the Cardinal.

Now of course the quarterback updates. Spring has just begun, so there really isn't much to talk about, as this is a competition that won't be answered in the spring. But according to Shaw, it's a situation that is going a lot better than expected as the youngsters have taken the field.

"The quarterback situation is going well," Shaw said. "Nottingham and Nunes have gotten the majority of the reps. I'd give them a solid 'B' grade right now. No 'B-pluses,' no 'A's'. Solid 'B's.' They're orchestrating the offense, making some throws, making their checks."

Experience really lacks at this position, so a total of five quarterbacks have a shot at earning the starting spot, including Brett Nottingham, Josh Nunes, Robbie Picazo, Evan Crower and Kevin Hogan.

Updates

This slideshow will continued to be updated with the latest news, quotes, position battles and more throughout spring practice. Stay tuned for everything involving your Stanford Cardinal.