Oklahoma Football: Complete 2015 Spring Practice Primer

As they say, life comes at you fast. 

Around this time last year, articles were being written—ahem—about Oklahoma's expectations for the 2014 season. Those expectations, driven by a stunning Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama, were playoff or bust. 

And, well, you know how that went. If you don't, the Sooners lost four of their final seven games, sputtering to an 8-5 finish. That was the program's worst record since 2009. 

Head coach Bob Stoops has retooled his coaching staff—more on that later—and is opening up some positions for competition this spring. With practices beginning Saturday, March 7, here's what to watch for as Oklahoma tries to get back on track. 

Quarterback Competition

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

This is no longer Trevor Knight's job to lose.

Though his four-touchdown performance in the '14 Sugar Bowl showed loads of promise, Knight simply never took the next step he needed to as a passer. He threw at least one interception in all but two games last year—and one of those games was against Tulsa, which ranked 123rd in the country in yards per pass attempt allowed. As noted by Jake Trotter of ESPN.com, Knight led the Big 12 with three interceptions returned for a touchdown. 

Knight also was hampered by injuries for a second straight year, missing the final three games of the regular season after hurting his neck/spine against Baylor. There's no doubting Knight's scrambling ability, but there has to be an efficient passing game to complement it. 

Knight will be pushed in an open quarterback battle this spring. Though Cody Thomas and/or Justice Hansen could make a surprise run at the starting job, it's believed Knight's main competition is Texas Tech transfer Baker Mayfield. 

Had Mayfield been eligible to play last year, there could have been an intriguing quarterback battle. The former Big 12 Freshman of the Year was, literally, perfect in OU's spring game last April. On top of that, Stoops raved about Mayfield as a scout-team quarterback last fall. 

New offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley brings an Air Raid offense base with him from his time at East Carolina. That type of offense fits Mayfield's background at Texas Tech. Will it be a perfect match at OU, or will Knight regain his footing on the job? 

However it works out, Oklahoma has to get more out of the quarterback spot. That falls under Riley's list of responsibilities as well. 

Finding No. 2 Playmakers

Sterling Shepard returns as arguably the best receiver in the Big 12. Even though he missed basically the second half of the season with a nagging groin injury, Shepard hauled in nearly 1,000 receiving yards and five touchdowns. The question is who becomes the Sooners' second-best pass-catcher. 

Durron Neal, who will be a senior, is the veteran and was the second-leading receiver in 2014. However, it feels like sophomore Michiah Quick is on the verge of breaking out as a star. The Fresno, California, native caught at least six passes in three of the final five games. 

Dallis Todd, a lengthy 6'5" redshirt freshman, and Jordan Smallwood were two other receivers who had good winter workouts, according to Stoops. 

It's possible the Sooners get creative as well. If there's one thing this offense has, it's running backs. Like, for days. In addition to stud starter Samaje Perine, Alex Ross, Keith Ford and early enrollee Rodney Anderson could all contribute to the passing game. 

That's not even mentioning Joe Mixon, who will practice with the team but won't participate in the spring game. The former 5-star running back was suspended from all team activities last season after he was charged with misdemeanor assault for punching a female student. 

The Sooners have two skill starters established: Shepard and Perine. There's plenty of depth behind those stars, so it's about finding guys to step up.  

Which New Names Step Up on Defense?

There aren't a ton of departures off of last year's defense, but there will be some additional absences this spring. That means there's an opportunity for a few guys to emerge out of the shadows. 

Jordan Phillips, who anchored the middle of OU's 3-4 defense, is gone. Defensive linemen Matt Romar, Jordan Wade and Charles Walker, who all saw game game action last season, are the early front-runners to compete for the starting job. Wade also saw extensive playing time in 12 games in 2013. 

Defensive tackle Courtney Garnett, a member of the '14 recruiting class, is out with a torn ACL. 

At linebacker, leading tackler Dominique Alexander is out with a wrist injury, and Frank Shannon won't participate in practices but will rejoin the team in May. Shannon was suspended from the university for a year following a Title IX sexual assault investigation. 

The openings at linebacker should mean lots of practice time for Jordan Evans, who started all 13 games in Shannon's place last year, and Curtis Bolton. P.L. Lindley, a backup linebacker, could see important reps too. 

It'll be interesting to see where Shannon is once he returns from his suspension. Does Evans keep his job, or does Shannon find his way back onto the field?

New Coaches, New Expectations

Underwhelming results forced Stoops to make some staff changes. Co-offensive coordinators Josh Heupel and Jay Norvell were let go, while other position coaches were shuffled around. Meanwhile, Jerry Montgomery, who was promoted to co-defensive coordinator in January, left in February to take a job with the Green Bay Packers. 

That means Mike Stoops keeps the title of defensive coordinator while moving to outside linebackers. There's some heat on Stoops, to be sure. Statistically, last year's defense was a middle-of-the-pack group in the Big 12. In 2012, Oklahoma had one of the worst run defenses in the conference. 

It can be a tricky situation when family is involved. 

Bob Stoops has been at this game for a long time. He's won more games than any other coach in program history. There's an argument to be made that 2013-14 was his best coaching job to date. 

He's only a year removed from that. By no means is he on the hot seat. However, coaches are also judged by the hires they make. It was clear last season's formula wasn't working, so Stoops rightfully made changes. Those have to pay off, because there's no lack of talent on the roster. 

Does that mean Oklahoma has to be playoff-bound next year? Not necessarily—and keep in mind that Baylor and TCU will be early favorites. But another 8-5 season with no offensive identity will have more fans grumbling. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com.