25 Surprising Names Making Headway in Spring College Football

With it now being mid-March, this is the sure-fire period where many teams are underway in spring football. Spring ball is an imperative portion of a program's development as coaches and players get about two weeks and change to fine tune their skills and prepare for fall camp.

For this read, we're going to rattle off 25 names that are making headway so far this spring. Whether is be for good reasons or not-so-good reasons, we've got 25 names for you that have been making noise this spring.

Come inside and check it out!

25. Jake Medlock, QB, FIU

With Mario Cristobal's team looking for a new QB this spring, it appears we have a leader in the Panther derby: Jake Medlock.

Medlock, according to various reports, has looked pretty good and is the likely starter headed into the fall. Can he lead FIU to taking another step forward?

24. James Wright, WR, LSU

With WR's like Odell Beckham and Russell Shepard entrenched as the two lead dogs among the LSU receiving corps, it may be tough for someone to emerge as a solid option.

However, based on reports and according to Les Miles, it appears James Wright is the guy making noise this spring in Baton Rouge. He's the early leader to be the No. 3 WR behind Shepard and Beckham.

23. Zach Mettenberger, QB, LSU

Staying in Baton Rouge, I get to see Mettenberger. Honestly, Mettenberger was the most talented QB on the Tigers roster last year.

He's a big and strong QB with a great arm, flashes accuracy and can make plays from the pocket. However, he makes this list because he's emerged as a prime leader for LSU already.

Mettenberger is the No. 1 man for LSU now. 

22. Lane Kiffin

Kiffin is not a surprising name, but he makes this list for a surprising reason: He hasn't said anything crazy in a long time.

With Kiffin having the nation's top QB and a very talented USC squad for 2012, some would have expected him to be popping off alls about his team.

Yet Kiffin hasn't said too much and seems focused on USC having a successful season.

21. Zach Kline, QB, Cal

Kline isn't a surprising name to me since I cover a lot of recruiting stuff, but to the college football front, he is. He's an early enrollee at Cal and is one of the top incoming QB prospects for 2012.

6'2", 205 pounds, I think Kline's skill set, talents and the fact that he's already on campus can earn him a good amount of playing time as a true freshman. He's Jeff Tedford's QB of the future, and maybe even now.

20. Dallas Lee, WR, Georgia

Lee appeared in eight games, starting seven of them on the UGA offensive front. He looked like a future mainstay as an OG.

Then he broke his leg.

Now he's back, working hard to get ready for the fall, and will look to use this spring to get right to help protect Aaron Murray.

19. Keith Marshall, RB, Georgia

I'm staying in Athens, as I also think Keith Marshall is a name to watch this spring. Marshall is one of my top two incoming RB prospects for 2012 nationally and is a future superstar.

He 40 time of 4.32 is almost identical as his GPA. He's an uber-speedy back at 5'11", 190-pounds, and he has a chance to take Isaiah Crowell's job if the latter isn't focused.

18. Jameill Showers, QB, Texas A&M

This is a crucial time for Aggie football. Kevin Sumlin knows it. The program knows it. The administration knows it, and so does the fanbase.

With a new coach in Kevin Sumlin and moving into the SEC, Aggie football is beginning a new era. When you begin a new era, you need a top-flight QB.

Jameill Showers could be that guy and will be a prime-time name to watch all spring.

17. Montel Harris, RB, Boston College

We got from a program in Texas A&M that is on the rise to another program that is on the decline. Before the start of last season, Montel Harris was viewed as one of the top RBs in America.

Then, 2011 came and saw him limited by knee injuries.

Now, Harris probably won't be practicing this spring as he continues to suffer setbacks and rehab himself for the fall.

16. Ryan Katz, QB, San Diego State

The Aztecs are looking for a QB to replace Ryan Lindley as he moves to the next level. Per a report from U-T San Diego, Katz has emerged as the No.1 QB for Rocky Long.

Surprising, since Katz transferred from Oregon State after a once promising, yet disappointing tenure in Corvallis. 

15. Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama

With Dee Hart coming off an ACL injury, and of course, Trent Richardson about to become the first RB drafted next month, it looks like Eddie Lacy is Alabama's next guy up.

Yet Lacy will miss the spring due to toe surgery thanks to a lingering turf toe injury suffered last season. 

14. T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama

With Lacy missing spring and Hart just getting his legs back up under him, this looks like the prime chance for T.J. Yeldon to show the Tide coaches what he can do.

An early enrollee, Yeldon will be at spring ball and will show off his 6'1", 215-pound frame with excellent speed and natural run instincts. He's a surprising name due to the circumstances and the fact that he's a true freshman. 

13. D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida

Humphries is a future starter for Florida as a left tackle, so look for him to turn some heads this spring.

Besides, was it me, or was the UF offensive line a little shaky last season?

Humphries probably has the most talent on the OL depth chart already, and I think he'll start soon enough. He's an early enrollee and has already added 12 pounds to his 6'6", 270-pound frame.

12. D.J. Morgan, RB, USC

Morgan may be the most talented RB at USC, but he has a fumbling problem. That issue got him benched last season after opening 2011 as the starter.

Now, it appears that Morgan is working hard this spring to improve on ball security, and Lane Kiffin has remarked that Morgan is running with more confidence and sharper. 

11. Tee Shepard

Notre Dame signed a top 10 recruiting class last February, and DB Tee Shepard was a big reason why the class was so highly regarded. He's a 6'0", 175-pound back-end defender with great athleticism and speed.

Now, word has come that Shepard has left South Bend and is no longer part of the Irish program. Health reasons seem to be the initial explanation. 

10. Gunner Kiel, QB, Notre Dame

First, he pledged to Indiana, then was solid to LSU. However, in the end, Gunner Kiel signed with Notre Dame and will follow in his uncle Blair's footsteps.

Kiel is a surprising name because, well, first, we thought after he pledged to LSU, it was over. Then, it's always a surprise to see a true freshman start at QB, but when that guy is at Notre Dame, it's even more surprising.

Kiel has a chance to do both, and this spring will be the foundation for his cause in the fall.

9. Mario Pender, RB

Florida State has a good stable of talented RBs on its roster. However, Pender could be the man to flush them away. He's a 6'0", 210-pound back with outstanding speed and elusiveness.

Pender, who averaged over 11 yards per carry as a junior, has a growing buzz in Tallahassee and is already at FSU. Watch out for him this spring. 

8. Brett Nottingham, QB, Stanford

Notthingham served as Andrew Luck's backup last season and is at spring ball to win over the starting job and replace the future No. 1 overall pick.

His name makes this list for obvious reasons.

7. Josh Nunes, QB, Stanford

I remember when Nunes was a recruit coming out a few years back from the Upland area. I liked him then.

But now, the only person's opinion that matters is David Shaw's, as he will decide who takes over for Andrew Luck.

Nunes will battle Nottingham for the spot, as they have emerged as the clear two front-runners for the job. 

6. Jeff Driskel, QB, Florida

Driskel came into the 2011 season with much praise, and I even whispered that he could beat out John Brantley for the starting job in Ganesville.

That never happened, but Driskel did play in five games last year before hurting his ankle vs. Alabama. However, this spring, his name is making headway as he is the middle of an intense QB battle with...

5. Jacoby Brissett, QB, Florida

Brissett didn't exactly light it up either when he got his snaps as a true freshman last year. Yet he's also making headway this spring because of the battle with Driskel.

Some expect Driskel, the higher-profiled recruit, to win the job. But Brissett and his athleticism are not going to be a pushover.

4. George Farmer, WR, USC

Farmer makes this list because for starters, he was thought to potentially have been made an RB full time by the USC coaches. Yet, he's back at his more natural position of WR for the Trojans, and he has been lighting it up so far this spring.

He's a 6'2", 205-pounder with excellent speed, quickness, length and playmaking ability. He's a true sophomore and someone that did not have as big an impact as many believed he would last season.

Look for that to change this fall. 

3. Kiehl Frazier, QB, Auburn

Frazier will battle Clint Moseley for the starting job on The Plains this spring. The schism here is the notion that Auburn has a new offensive coordinator in Scot Loeffler.

Can Frazier win over Loeffler with his athletic, dual-threat skill set? This is a big storyline that will evolve as spring moves forward. 

2. Adrian Hubbard, LB, Alabama

'Bama has to replace all-world OLB Courtney Upshaw at JACK LB for 2012. Upshaw will be missed, but the Tide has a roster stocked of athletic talent.

It looks like the first name up will be Adrian Hubbard, a 6'6", 237-pound sophomore with great athleticism, play speed, size and versatility. Look for Hubbard to use the spring to entrench himself as the man for the job.

1. David Ash, QB, Texas

Last year, neither David Ash nor Case McCoy impressed me much with their play as the co-starters at QB for Texas.

So it's a shock to hear that Ash has surged up and looked sharp this spring, thus earning the presumed nod as the man in Austin.

Cedric Golden of the Austin American-Statesman recently wrote: “Ash is the guy and it’s not even close,”

Ash is the most surprising name of the spring thus far.