15 Bold Predictions for 2015 Spring Football
Championships aren't won in the spring, but that doesn't mean we're any less excited about the prospect of some form of college football coming up on the horizon.
The far-too-long gap between the national championship game in mid-January and the first contests of the 2015 season in September can often feel like a never-ending wasteland, with only a few brief oases of hope for the future. We had national signing day earlier this month, and on Thursday we got the release of the American Athletic Conference schedule for the 2015 season.
But spring football, that's the big one. After nearly two months with hardly a sniff of the gridiron, we get several weeks of practices, workouts, premature depth charts and, finally, informal exhibition games that have no actual bearing on the upcoming season.
In a lot of ways, spring practice doesn't amount to much more than a chance for teams to get some extra work in and prevent complacency from sinking in. But occasionally some big developments happen during this period, both good and bad.
What's in store for 2015 spring football? We have our guesses.
Cardale Jones Looks Sluggish
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How Ohio State figures out which of its three star quarterbacks to go with is one of the biggest questions of the offseason. It won't get answered during the spring, though, because of injuries suffered to two candidates.
Senior Braxton Miller missed all of last year following shoulder surgery in August, and he has just started throwing the ball again. Sophomore J.T. Barrett broke his ankle in the Michigan game in late November, and he recently had screws removed from the area.
The only fully healthy member of the quarterback battle is junior Cardale Jones, who led the Buckeyes to all three of their postseason wins (and looked pretty good in doing so). When practice begins March 4, he stands to get the most reps and have the best chance to set himself apart from the pack.
Yet Jones will still need to be looking over his shoulder, not just at Barrett and Miller but also the coaching staff and the droves of media that will be following Ohio State during the early part of its national title defense. Jones was a cool customer when thrown into the fire last winter, but now that he's being asked to follow that up with further endeavors, he could struggle.
As a result, Jones figures to exit spring ball looking less spectacular than he did against Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon.
A Sound Bite Refuses to Go Away
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With limited access to coaches since the 2014 season ended, the spring practice period is as big for the media as it is for the teams. Reporters are hoping to collect information for stories to be used throughout the offseason, as well as to try to get an idea of what the schools they're covering will be capable of this fall.
This means lots of questions, including ones that are meant to extract information from players and coaches who might otherwise prefer to stick to cliches and coachspeak. And that inevitably means that someone is going to say something he'll instantly regret once it's posted online or ends up in print.
In this age of real-time news updates and Internet posterity, nothing is forgotten. Usually it's just a player showing off his confidence, such as when Notre Dame redshirt freshman quarterback Malik Zaire declared to The Associated Press (h/t ESPN) last March that "there will only be one guy starting on Aug. 30th against Rice at Notre Dame Stadium, there will only be one guy out on the field, and I believe that will be me."
But at some point this spring, look for a coach to get caught up in the moment and make an outlandish claim that gets way overplayed or his attempt to do some trolling goes horribly wrong.
Coker Locks Up the Job
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Jake Coker's transfer from Florida State to Alabama was a huge deal last year, at least from a media standpoint. When all was said and done, he was a clear second to Blake Sims in the battle to be the Crimson Tide's quarterback.
Now he gets another shot to win the job, as the senior heads into spring ball as the only passer on the roster with any game experience. Yet with several other candidates in line to challenge him, including 5-star prospect Blake Barnett (who enrolled early), the daily grind of spring practice is going to be well-chronicled.
Coker doesn't plan to track what's being written, however.
"If there's one thing I've learned over the years, you can't worry about all the other stuff outside," Coker told Alex Scarborough of ESPN.com. "I just try to go to practice and not read anything. Just stick to the program."
Unless Barnett lights up the world this spring and summer, Coker should end up being Alabama's starter. But rather than have it be a winner by default, look for him to impress Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin enough in March and April to take away all the suspense and claim the gig long before the preseason.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Beamer Backs Away
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A planned throat surgery in December kept longtime Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer out of the loop for much of preparation leading up to the Military Bowl. Though he attended the game, it was from the press box as his son (and assistant) Shane Beamer handled the on-field coaching duties.
The Hokies beat Cincinnati 33-17 in that game, scoring their most points since early October.
Beamer is set to coach his 28th season at Virginia Tech this fall, and as has been the case for several years, the 68-year-old will face questions about whether this could be his final year in Blacksburg.
We're not making any retirement predictions right now, but don't be surprised if Beamer takes a cue from the bowl hiatus and begins delegating more responsibilities to Shane—the associate head coach and running backs coach—as the beginning of an exit strategy.
Trick Plays Dominate Spring Games
5 of 15We love the unusual in college football, especially if it involves large-sized players who normally only block and tackle getting a chance to run, throw or catch the ball. Such opportunities abounded during last bowl season, when teams with nothing to lose decided to award a hardworking (and quite enormous) player the chance to come out of the trenches and be in the spotlight.
Expect this trend to continue in 2015, with almost every team having at least one of these "big guy" trick plays at the ready for each game. And the best place to try out some trickeration is during spring games.
Most questions that coaches have about their players get answered in the practices leading up to that final get-together, which is usually more for the fans than for team development. Guys who are locked into starting spots only play a little bit, early on, and then the rest is usually reserved for backups, walk-ons...and specialty plays.
Look for an overabundance of trickery and bask in its wonder every time a ball gets thrown backward three times before being launched downfield to a 300-pound player.
Lincoln Riley and Baker Mayfield Become BFFs
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Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops has completely overhauled his coaching staff in the wake of last year's disappointing 8-5 season, one that had somehow squandered the breakout performance of freshman Samaje Perine because of breakdowns on defense and inconsistency in the passing game.
New offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley can't do anything about what happens when opponents have the ball, but he likely has some ideas on how to shore up the Sooners' quarterback situation. And that starts with identifying his guy early and building a strong relationship.
Trevor Knight underachieved, and Cody Thomas didn't impress as an injury replacement in 2014, but both will be in the mix this spring. Yet neither will be able to fare as well in Riley's system as Baker Mayfield, the former Texas Tech walk-on who started eight games as a freshman in 2013 before transferring to Oklahoma.
Mayfield had to sit out last season—but still showed Oklahoma fans what to look forward to by dominating the 2014 spring game—and now he's ready to go.
"I got a chance to watch Baker as a freshman at Texas Tech," Riley told Cliff Brunt of The Associated Press. "We tried to heck to get him at East Carolina when he left. He's a very good player."
As the best fit for Riley's Air Raid offense, Mayfield will quickly bond with his new coordinator and head into the fall well-prepared to be Oklahoma's starter.
An NFL Star Relives His College Days
7 of 15A well-received commercial for Dish Network last year featured three former college stars—Oklahoma's Brian Bosworth, USC's Matt Leinart and Tennessee's Heath Shuler—discussing how they wish they could go back to college.
Marshawn Lynch took that desire one step further in 2013, when as a visitor at California's spring game the former Golden Bear suited up (thanks to a thin roster of available running backs) and scored a touchdown during the scrimmage.
Unlike Bosworth, Leinart and Shuler, all of whom are retired or weren't on NFL rosters last year, Lynch is still active in the NFL. Playing in that game was a risk, but he seemed willing to take the gamble.
Look for someone else who's currently in the pros to make a surprise appearance at his alma mater's spring game and get in on the action. Wouldn't it be great to see Peyton Manning throw to Tennessee's crop of talented young receivers, or watch Calvin Johnson go deep for a pass when Georgia Tech's defense was busy trying to stop the option?
Josh Rosen Named 2015 Starter Before Spring Game
8 of 15UCLA coach Jim Mora flirted with NFL jobs during the offseason but ultimately stayed with the Bruins in order to continue building the monster he's assembled over the last three years.
And with the recruiting class he just landed, why would he want to go elsewhere?
UCLA's recruiting crop was ranked 12th in the nation by 247Sports and included three 5-star prospects, all of whom figure to see the field as true freshmen. That group is led by quarterback Josh Rosen, who got on campus in January in hopes of kick-starting his path to succeeding Brett Hundley.
It's not that gutsy to predict that Rosen will be the Bruins' starter for the September 5 opener against Virginia. But we won't have to wait until then to know who Mora is going with, as he'll tab Rosen as the guy this spring, likely even before the April 25 spring game.
Snow Cancels a Key Game
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The weather this winter has been downright awful in many parts of the U.S., particularly in the Northeast and Midwest. A seemingly constant barrage of snowstorms has battered these areas, making it impossible for much outdoor activity to occur.
It's a good thing football has been out of session.
But with spring practices already underway and many schools set to begin workouts in the next few weeks, the chance of winter weather impacting practices is high. Plenty of teams have indoor practice facilities that they were already going to use during this time of year, but the end-of-spring exhibitions are usually scheduled for the football stadium.
Duke is scheduled to have its "spring" game at 10 a.m. ET on Feb. 28, and the forecast for that day in Durham calls for "morning flurries" and a high of 42 degrees. This wouldn't be a big deal if this were an actual game, but there's no reason to play a scrimmage if the conditions aren't ideal.
Malik Jefferson Becomes Face of Texas Football
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Charlie Strong has been hard at work putting his stamp on Texas' program since the moment he arrived in Austin. He quickly dispatched players who didn't fit with his approach, and though the 2014 team didn't have major success, it was evident the Longhorns were moving in the direction Strong had hoped.
This most recent recruiting class has furthered this approach and is heavy on the defensive players that Strong works best with. And from that group will emerge the new face of Texas football, linebacker Malik Jefferson.
The 5-star linebacker committed in December and then enrolled early, enabling him to jump right into Strong's system this spring. Texas graduated two starters and two key reserves at linebacker, so Jefferson has the opportunity to start right away.
By the end of the spring, we won't just be talking about how the Longhorns are looking like a Strong-coached team but also how Jefferson is the player pushing that image on the field.
Muschamp Humbles Malzahn's Offense
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Will Muschamp has only briefly worked with Auburn's players in his new role as defensive coordinator, helping out during practices leading up to the Outback Bowl. He really begins in earnest when the Tigers begin spring practice on March 10.
Since he was hired by Gus Malzahn in mid-December to do to Auburn's defense what he was able to do on that side of the ball as Florida's head coach, there has been an endless stream of predictions as to what kind of an impact he'll have on a unit that ranked 66th in total yards allowed and registered only 21 sacks in 13 games.
"Muschamp adds instant credibility to a defense that has struggled over the last two years," wrote Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports.
If Muschamp is able to quickly fix Auburn's defensive problems, that will bode well for the 2015 season. But there could be an unintended negative consequence of a swift improvement if it manifests itself during spring ball: It could make the Tigers' normally flashy offense look pedestrian.
Malzahn was Auburn's offensive coordinator in 2011, the first year Muschamp was at Florida. The Tigers weren't particularly good on offense that season, but the 278 yards they gained in a 17-6 win over Muschamp's Gators defense was their fourth-lowest output.
Ultimately, though, having Muschamp's defense look like the better unit in the spring has the best benefits moving forward. It will just be odd not to see Auburn's offense run over its defensive teammates.
Harbaugh Becomes King of College Football Twitter
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A list compiled in November by Tennessee assistant athletic director Jason Yellin showed that Volunteers coach Butch Jones was the most-followed college football coach on Twitter. That distinction has since been passed on to Urban Meyer, who no doubt jumped to the top of the heap because of Ohio State's national championship and currently has nearly 234,000 followers.
You might want to hold off on adding that to the resume, Coach Meyer. Because at the rate he's going, new Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh will be passing you before spring practice is complete.
Since creating his account on Jan. 2, Harbaugh's follower count has been on a steady uptick, sitting at more than 188,000 as of Thursday. That's ahead of Jones (171,000-plus), Georgia coach Mark Richt (158,000-plus) and LSU's Les Miles (almost 158,000), all of whom have been on Twitter for at least two years.
It probably helps that Harbaugh has made the most of his mere 62 tweets, busting out a "thought of the day" that many believe was a veiled shot at OSU's Meyer in regard to an assistant leaving right after signing day and sending well-wishes to impending NFL draft picks Jameis Winston and Bryce Petty.
Harbaugh might not be the first FBS coach to hit a quarter-million followers, but he'll pass Meyer soon enough, adding another layer to the reinvigorated Michigan-Ohio State rivalry.
Spring Uniforms Become a Regular Thing
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The spring game has often been used by schools as an opportunity to unveil new uniform combinations for the upcoming season, while fashion pioneer Oregon has worn special one-time unis for its last few exhibitions.
Most schools just break out the regular attire or even go with practice-style jerseys (which makes total sense since it's not a real game being played, anyways). But change could be on the horizon, and we'll have Oregon to thank for that.
Since a lot of what the Ducks do seems to get copied elsewhere in college football, especially when it comes to apparel mixing-and-matching, don't be surprised if some schools decide to up the ante and don fresh threads for their spring games. And with that in mind, expect that apparel to be on sale in those schools' team shops almost immediately after the game.
Mike Riley One-Ups Bo Pelini
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In his final spring game as Nebraska coach, the usually staunch and serious Bo Pelini played against type by bringing a cat with him for the Cornhuskers' tunnel walk out to the field at Memorial Stadium. The move was a nod to a social media back-and-forth he'd been having with @FauxPelini, a parody account that features a photo of Pelini posing with a feline for formal portraits.
We don't know what Pelini might have in store for this year at his new job, coaching FCS Youngstown State, but it will be hard to top his The Lion King impression.
New Nebraska coach Mike Riley is the exact opposite of Pelini in terms of demeanor, but that doesn't mean he can't have fun when the time is right. At Oregon State he developed a reputation of taking his team to In-N-Out Burger after big wins on the road.
But since the chain is only located in Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and Texas, that tradition might have to come to an end. Or does it?
If Riley manages to fly in a couple hundred Double-Doubles with Cheese to Nebraska's spring game, his legend in Lincoln will get off to a great start.
No Significant Players Catch the Injury Bug
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Of all these predictions, this is the one we most wish would come true. Unfortunately, history tells us it's almost impossible that will be the case.
Despite schools taking every precaution possible to prevent injuries during the spring, inevitably some players take a wrong step or get hit at an awkward angle, and the next thing you know they're out of commission. It could be for just a little while or could end up being for the entire upcoming season; there's no way of projecting this before it happens.
The chance to work with players in the offseason and get a jump-start on the fall is a reward that far outweighs the risk of injury, or else schools wouldn't hold spring practice. They do their best to limit contact and minimize perilous situations, but there's only so much child-proofing you can do to a room.
Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
