10 College Football Teams with the Most on the Line in Spring Practice
Under ideal circumstances, spring football is a stress-free month of workouts more than 20 weeks removed from the regular season.
Most teams are not so lucky.
Instead of those ideal circumstances, most teams enter spring camp with important questions to answer, roles to develop and benchmarks to clear. If they don't take care of business in March and April, their job becomes that much harder in August.
To narrow this list to 10, we looked for teams with the longest and most important spring checklists. In many cases, the lurking variable was program expectations, as bigger programs have a smaller margin for error. They can least afford to screw spring practice up.
And thus they have the most on the line.
Clemson
1 of 10
Spring Checklist
1. Rebuild the front seven. Clemson loses two All-ACC linemen (Vic Beasley, Grady Jarrett) and one All-ACC linebacker (Stephone Anthony). In total, it loses five of its top six tacklers. The Tigers had the best defense in the country last season, per the F/+ ratings at Football Outsiders, and can't afford to drop too far. Can Shaq Lawson become a leader up front? Can Ben Boulware become a leader at linebacker? Are the young depth pieces ready for a spot in the two-deep?
2. Install new offensive coordinators. Chad Morris became the head coach at SMU, leaving former position coaches Jeff Scott (WR) and Tony Elliott (RB) as the new co-offensive coordinators.
Scott has been at Clemson since 2008, and Elliott since 2011, so in theory they should bring continuity; they both know Morris' offense and how to run it. But there still exists a learning curve for first-time coordinators, who must learn a whole new set of management skills. Hopefully, this is not a case of the Peter Principle.
3. Groom a backup quarterback. When he's healthy, Deshaun Watson is a Heisman contender. The only problem? He's never healthy. Watson broke his collarbone last spring, his hand last October and tore his ACL at the end of last season. He will miss spring camp rehabbing his knee and (hopefully) take the field this summer.
Who will be Watson's insurance option? And how much can they improve on Cole Stoudt? Redshirt junior Nick Schuessler has the age advantage, but true freshmen Kelly Bryant and Tucker Israel have the talent. Head coach Dabo Swinney has compared Bryant (6'4", 205 lbs) with Cam Newton, per Brandon Rink of Orange & White.
Florida
2 of 10
Spring Checklist
1. Find a quarterback. Is it Will Grier or Treon Harris? Grier was the bigger recruit, ranking No. 3 in last year's quarterback class, but there's a reason Harris started six games while Grier took a redshirt last season. Either way, the sooner this team names a starter, the better. Someone needs to step up and grab the reins.
2. Build an offensive line. Florida's offensive line made small strides in 2014, but it loses four starters from that group. First-year offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier coached some great offensive lines at Alabama, but he failed when charged with rebuilding the line at Michigan. Is there any reason to expect he does better in Gainesville? Sure, the Gators have talent; but so did the Wolverines.
3. Recruit, recruit, recruit. New head coach Jim McElwain saved face with a strong national signing day. But we still don't know a lot about his recruiting acumen—at least as it projects over a full cycle. Miami has been the alpha dog on the 2016 recruiting trail, currently ranking No. 1 on the 247Sports team rankings. Florida ranks No. 36. McElwain, Randy Shannon and the rest of this staff need to fix that.
Florida State
3 of 10
Spring Checklist
1. Rebound from the Rose Bowl. Florida State lost 59-20 to Oregon, and the nation took great joy in watching it collapse. How does it respond to such a spanking? Most teams would sulk, but head coach Jimbo Fisher cannot let that happen. Instead, he must turn a negative into a positive and create a winning atmosphere at camp.
2. Find a quarterback. Sean Maguire and JJ Cosentino are the favorites, but John Franklin and De'Andre Johnson will compete. With a deep cast of running backs and wide receivers, all this offenses needs is a capable body at quarterback—someone who will not screw things up. If none of these guys is the answer, the Noles still have top-100 freshman Deondre Francois arriving this summer. But why put so much pressure on his shoulders?
3. Install the freshmen. Bud Elliott of Tomahawk Nation called this "the best group of early enrollees Florida State has ever had." Highlighted by five top-100 prospects—safety Derwin James, defensive end Josh Sweat, wide receiver George Campbell, running back Jacques Patrick and wide receiver Da'Vante Phillips—it's a crop with instant-impact potential. Can the Noles turn that potential into production? Especially on defense, they need help.
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Georgia
4 of 10
Spring Checklist
1. Find a quarterback. Neither Brice Ramsey, Jacob Park nor Faton Bauta has proven much of anything in Athens. Ramsey has the best arm, Bauta is the best runner and Park has the best combination of tools. But which one plays the best in spring camp? And who makes the most sense in Georgia's new offense? Speaking of which…
2. Install the new offense. Mike Bobo became the head coach at Colorado State, and Georgia replaced him with veteran NFL offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Schottenheimer endured much criticism in the pro ranks, especially for his lack of ingenuity, but dropping down a level has a history of success. What does he have in store for the Bulldogs? And how fast can he get things installed?
3. Keep the roster (mainly the secondary) intact. At Georgia, the spring roster rarely looks like the fall roster. Transfers and dismissals have marred the past few offseasons, especially in the secondary, where last year Josh Harvery-Clemons and Shaq Wiggins left for Louisville, and this year, already, J.J. Green has left for Georgia Tech.
Georgia lacks depth in the defensive backfield regardless. Losing another player on top of Green is the last thing it can afford. It must keeps its players happy, healthy and—most importantly—out of trouble.
Miami (FL)
5 of 10
Spring Checklist
1. Sow the seeds on defense. For the first time in a long time, Miami fielded a solid defense last season. It didn't set the world on fire, but it did enough for defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio to save his job. The loss of Denzel Perryman is huge, but despite that, Miami returns enough that it can reasonably expect improvement next year, too. But the seeds of that improvement must get sown in spring ball. D'Onofrio must find the optimal alignment of players.
2. Placate the fan base. Miami fans want head coach Al Golden fired. They have not made any secret of that desire. The Canes started 7-0 in 2013 but have since lost 11 of 19 games, and they stumbled down the stretch of the 2015 recruiting cycle. There are bad vibes in Coral Gables, and the longer they last, the more toxic they become. Nothing but a winning season can fix Golden's problems, but there are ways to placate the fan base and dull the cries for his firing.
3. Protect the class of 2016. As mentioned on the Florida slide, Miami ranks No. 1 on the 2016 recruiting class rankings. Eighteen rising seniors are committed to play for the Canes. But those players (along with Miami's outstanding targets) will hear negative recruiting pitches all offseason, pleas from rival coaches about how Golden is on his way out, the program is a shell of itself, et cetera.
Golden and his staff must combat those negative pitches and keep the class of 2016 together. It's their best chance of retaining their jobs.
Michigan
6 of 10
Spring Checklist
1. Find a quarterback. Chad Henne was the last great Michigan quarterback. Denard Robinson had one great season, but he was a running back (his future NFL position) more than a true QB.
New head coach Jim Harbaugh is a quarterback guru, but Shane Morris, Wilton Speight and Alex Malzone have proved little-to-nothing at the FBS level. If none of them asserts themselves, 4-star freshman Zach Gentry will arrive with too much pressure this fall. One (or more) of those guys must have a worthwhile showing this spring. The 2015 spring game must be easier on the eyes than last year's.
2. Build an offensive line. Without protection, the quarterback won't matter. Neither will the new head coach. (Source: the 2014 Penn State Nittany Lions.) New offensive coordinator Tim Drevno was the perfect hire—a true offensive line guru—but credentials don't win games. Doug Nussmeier was supposed to fix the offensive line, too. There's a deep cast of blue-chip recruits to work with, but the process of cobbling them together starts now.
3. Win on the recruiting trail. Spring and summer are vital recruiting periods. Harbaugh closed his first half-cycle strong, but because of what happened at the end of the Brady Hoke era, the Wolverines still signed one of the weakest classes in program history. It doesn't help for that class to coincide with Ohio State's national championship and Michigan State's consecutive top-five finishes. The 2016 recruiting class is pivotal, and its groundwork must be laid this spring.
Oklahoma
7 of 10
Spring Checklist
1. Find a quarterback. Trevor Knight looked lost at the end of last season, but he, Baker Mayfield, Justice Hansen and Cody Thomas will start on even terms under new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley. Mayfield is the pre-camp favorite after running the Air Raid at Texas Tech, but the reason he left Lubbock (Davis Webb becoming the clear No. 1 quarterback) hardly inspires confidence.
2. Install new coaches…everywhere. Riley is not the only new coach in Norman. The Sooners endured unprecedented coaching upturn, with eight of nine assistant either leaving or changing spots by early February. Wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons (via Washington State) and defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks (via Notre Dame) appear like great additions, but installing new systems, new terminology, etc. at multiple positions is a delicate maneuver.
3. Rebound from the postseason. Clemson depantsed Oklahoma in the Russell Athletic Bowl, taking a 40-0 lead into the fourth quarter before coasting to a 40-6 win. The Sooners began last season with national title hopes but ended it as Tiger chum. How do they respond to such embarrassment? It hasn't looked that bad since the Tavon Austin game in 2012—and the Austin game, OU won!
Texas
8 of 10
Spring Checklist
1. Find a quarterback. Rather: Turn Jerrod Heard into a quarterback. There is no way the Longhorns start Tyrone Swoopes next season—not after what happened in the Texas Bowl—so Heard bears the full weight of this pressure. The redshirt freshman won back-to-back state titles at Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, but couldn't crack the lineup in 2014. Will Texas move toward the spread to support Heard's strengths? And if so, will Heard reward them?
2. Figure out the offensive line. Last year's offensive line was a mess. Injuries played a bigger role than talent, but the Longhorns struggled consistently to win at the point of attack, and the offense paid a consistent price. JUCO transfer Brandon Hodges and true freshman Connor Williams are in for spring camp and contenders to start at tackle. How fast can co-offensive coordinator Joe Wickline—one of the game's best offensive line coaches—whip them into shape?
3. Stay out of trouble. Strong dismissed roughly 1,000 players last offseason, laying down the law with his five core values and imploring his team to buy in. The message took a while to land, but by the end of last season, it seemed Strong was making a breakthrough. Will the Longhorns keep their hands clean this offseason? They can't afford to score Fulmer Cup points in spring camp.
Utah
9 of 10
Spring Checklist
1. Rebuild the defense. Defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake accepted the same job at Oregon State, and Utah replaced him with John Pease. This is the second time Utah has pulled Pease out of retirement, but this time, the now-71-year old coordinator is an especially curious hire. The defense he inherits lost its only All-Pac-12 player (defensive end Nate Orchard) and a pair of All-Pac-12 honorable mentions (defensive backs Brian Blechen and Eric Rowe).
2. Get its house in order. Head coach Kyle Whittingham sparred with school administration all winter. It's never a good sign when the athletic director (Chris Hill) releases a statement to ensure things are cool. Whittingham thought Utah could have done more to retain Sitake and offensive coordinator Dave Christensen, who became the offensive line coach at Texas A&M. Will this turmoil bubble over into spring camp? Or is Utah on the same page, top to bottom.
3. Develop wide receivers. Running back Devontae Booker is one of the best players in the country—but he can't do everything. The Utes lose three of their top four pass-catchers from 2014, only returning Kenneth Scott, and can't trust quarterbacks Travis Wilson (because of injuries) or Kendal Thompson (because of accuracy) to succeed without a strong cast of receivers. Candidates to break out include 6'5" former walk-on Tim Patrick and 5'9" speedster Delshawn McClellon.
Washington
10 of 10
Spring Checklist
1. Replenish the defense. Washington loses seven defensive starters, including three (defensive end Hau'oli Kikaha, defensive tackle Danny Shelton, linebacker Shaq Thompson) who made the All-Pac-12 first team. Last year's defense finished No. 35 in the country, per the F/+ ratings at Football Outsiders, which is respectable but underwhelming for a unit with three all-Pac-12 players. Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski has a big spring in front of him.
2. Develop a quarterback. Before he came to Washington, head coach Chris Petersen developed Kellen Moore into the winningest FBS quarterback ever. Cyler Miles flashed potential in 2015, but redshirt freshman K.J. Carta-Samuels and true freshman Jake Browning are "Petersen's guys" and might be better fits for his system. Either way, the Huskies need one of their QBs to play superlative in spring camp and win this job going away. They need their Kellen Moore.
3. Groom an offensive line. The skill players are coming together. Jaydon Mickens and John Ross form a nice one-two receiving punch, and Dwayne Washington rushed for 100 yards in three of the final four games. The offensive line, however, loses four starters from a group that wasn't great to begin with. Its only two All-Pac-12 honorable mentions (Micah Hatchie, Colin Tanigawa) were seniors in 2014.
Note: All recruiting info refers to the 247Sports composite rankings
Follow Brian Leigh on Twitter: @BLeigh35
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