College Football 2012: Weekly Depth-Chart Watch

As we move through spring here at You Best 11, we'll be looking in around the nation on how teams are progressing. One of the critical elements of spring ball is the depth chart and how it shapes itself as teams gel. Key losses at a position mean someone has to step up, and here is your first look at how the battles to fill the void are going.

Georgia Cornerback

The most interesting position battle we highlight this week is not so much a battle between players as it is one between coaches. Mike Bobo is losing his second leading wide receiver to the defensive side of the ball. Todd Grantham is winning this battle as the standout freshman is shifting to the cornerback position this spring to give that a go for the Georgia Bulldogs. What originated as a player-sided desire to play both offense and defense became more of a necessity as both Branden Smith and Sanders Commings were arrested in the last few weeks. 

Mitchell will be filling the void and seeing just how high he can climb the depth chart as he is pressed into action at a position he played in high school. With the Georgia front seven set, the goal is to solidify the secondary and that is something that a talent like Mitchell is capable of doing.

Florida Quarterback

From Georgia to their rivals in Gainesville we go as the Gators have a quarterback battle that is quite important in establishing who will run Brent Pease's offense this fall. The two players who saw action a year ago, Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel, are competing for the starting job. The scary part is neither of the two have looked exactly stellar through a few spring practices and that just leaves things wide open in Gainesville. Through that opening has emerged a new challenger, redshirt sophomore Tyler Murphy, who has looked the best in full pads. With a new offensive coordinator who has no true allegiance to Brissett or Driskel, the door may be open if Murphy is to make this two-man race a three-man affair.

Wisconsin Quarterback

The Badgers are a complicated case as the expected starter Jon Budmayr is unable to go this spring thanks to injury complications. That has left Bret Bielema with Joe Brennan, Joel Stave and Curt Phillips to get the quarterback reps. This is not as much a battle as a placeholder contest for the Badgers. Budmayr is expected to recover by the fall and the Badgers have their hat in the Danny O'Brien arena as well. Brennan played sparingly as a freshman behind Russell Wilson, which has landed him in the de facto "lead dog" role, but Curt Phillips is a redshirt senior and seems to finally be healthy. Stave, a walk-on, has shown some ability but ultimately Brennan should win this battle going forward.

Oklahoma Tight End

Oklahoma lost both of their tight ends from a season ago and the Sooners are looking for replacements. James Hanna and Trent Ratterree have run out of eligibility, and the only other tight end to catch a pass this year, Austin Haywood, has already transferred out of Norman. Max Stevenson, a tight end who redshirted in 2011, decided to quit football and thus the Sooners' tight end cupboard was left bare. Enter standout recruit Taylor McNamara and JUCO transfer Brannon Green. Right now Green is in the lead, but given the Sooner penchant for double tight end sets McNamara will be pressed into action as well. With the lack of depth at the position, these newcomers are battling not just for playing time but to be the premier pass-catchers in Norman.