6 College Football Teams off to a Rough Start in Spring Practice

Spring football is a time when anything seems possible, where every team is a potential playoff contender and all schools are set for big seasons. Hope springs eternal, and optimism is at an all-time high.

Until something goes wrong, which for a handful of teams has already happened.

Injuries, arrests, suspensions and recruiting concerns have put a cloud over the spring practice sessions of some FBS schools, who while trying to work on schemes and tactics for the upcoming season must also deal with these unplanned issues.

As the calendar officially turns over to spring, click through for updates on schools who haven't gotten their spring practices off to the best start.

Arizona State

Matt York/Associated Press

The skinny: Prospect suspended, star receiver injured

Arizona State will be without one of its top returning players for the 2015 season, while an incoming recruit who was expected to make a huge impact may never see the field.

Wide receiver Cameron Smith, who was third on the team in receptions (41) and yards (596) last season, had right knee surgery and will not play this fall, per Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic. Smith, a junior, was expected to move into the No. 1 receiver spot with Jaelen Strong turning pro, but now the Sun Devils will become even more reliant on converted running back D.J. Foster in the passing game.

ASU coach Todd Graham said Tuesday that the injury was "very unusual to the knee," noting that "we just thought the best interest for him in the long-term was to have surgery and to get it finished," per Haller. "It's kind of a lengthy, seven to eight month recovery."

The injury news came the day after junior college transfer Davon Durant was suspended indefinitely amid domestic violence accusations. The 4-star linebacker from Butler County (Kansas) Community College was rated by 247Sports as the No. 6 overall JUCO prospect and the top inside linebacker.

Michigan

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

The skinny: Slow start to 2016 recruiting; offensive lineman suspended

Hope abounds in Ann Arbor thanks to the hiring of former Wolverine quarterback Jim Harbaugh as head coach, but after getting a pass on recruiting for the upcoming season because of his late arrival, there's cause for concern about future classes.

Michigan has only two commitments for the 2016 recruiting class, both of whom made their pledges to previous coach Brady Hoke, and it currently ranks 40th in 247Sports' rankings.

"The total lack of a 2016 pledges credited to Harbaugh is glaring right now, but he will ultimately be judged on what this class looks like 11 months from now," wrote Bleacher Report's Tyler Donohue.

As far as current players go, offensive lineman Graham Glasgow was suspended after violating terms of his probation by failing a breathalyzer test. The redshirt senior had been arrested for a DUI last April, per Dan Murphy of ESPN.com.

Michigan began spring practice on Feb. 24, and its spring game is scheduled for April 4. In between, Harbaugh took a break from his team and spent a day as a coach for the Oakland Athletics during spring training instead of hitting the recruiting trail.

Michigan State

Al Goldis/Associated Press

The skinny: Running back arrested on weapons charge

Michigan State has major holes to fill in its backfield and at receiver with the graduation of 1,500-yard rusher Jeremy Langford and top wideout Tony Lippett. Now the Spartans are going through spring practice without two of the top candidates to replace those guys.

Running back Delton Williams, who ran for 316 yards and five touchdowns last season as a sophomore, has been suspended indefinitely from the team following his arrest on a charge of brandishing a firearm in public. According to Justin Hinkley and Ken Palmer of the Lansing State Journal, Williams was involved in a road rage incident on campus and pointed a gun at the other driver.

Without Williams, the spring position battle only consists of sophomore Gerald Holmes and redshirt freshman Madre London, with 4-star recruit Larry Scott arriving in the summer.

At receiver, Lippett's departure was supposed to mean Macgarrett Kings Jr. would get a chance to be the No. 1 guy after catching 29 passes for 404 yards and a TD last year as a junior. But he was arrested for "drunken and disorderly conduct and obstructing, resisting, hindering or assaulting a police officer," per Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press.

Mississippi State

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The skinny: Three players assaulted, two other players arrested

Mississippi State is having one of the worst springs possible, and this was even before practice began on Wednesday.

First came the news that senior quarterback Dak Prescott and two teammates—backup quarterback Damian Williams and defensive end Torrey Dale—were jumped at a concert in Panama City, Florida, while the trio was on spring break. Then, in the span of three days, two other Bulldogs were arrested, and their status for the spring is uncertain.

The more notable player is top receiver De'Runnya Wilson, who was arrested March 13 for marijuana possession after a traffic stop in Alabama, per Michael Bonner of the Clarion-Ledger. Wilson, a junior, led MSU with 47 receptions, 680 yards and nine touchdowns last season.

Also arrested was sophomore offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins, who is charged with assault.

TCU

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The skinny: Leading receiver breaks hand, out for spring

TCU brings back four receivers who had at least 30 receptions during its breakout season in 2014, but the one who had the most won't be participating in spring anymore after Josh Doctson broke a bone in his hand on Tuesday.

Doctson will have surgery Tuesday, per Carlos Mendez of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He set single-season school records for receiving yards (1,018) and touchdowns (11) last season to go with 65 receptions.

Mendez reports that the senior is one of three receivers who have been hurt this spring for the Horned Frogs. Deante' Gray suffered a non-contact injury that has held him out of workouts and Emanuel Porter hurt his finger on Thursday.

Two other players, an offensive lineman and a defensive tackle, have sat out the spring with shoulder injuries. Mendez wrote that quarterback Trevone Boykin will miss the final week of practice to allow an injured wrist to heal.

Virginia Tech

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The skinny: Tight end must do community service

Virginia Tech brings back its top three receivers from 2014, a great sign that the Hokies' passing game should improve this fall after an inconsistent season. Whether Bucky Hodges is part of that mix will depend on whether he follows through with his end of a plea deal he recently struck over a misdemeanor public intoxication/swearing charge he was cited for in February.

Hodges, a sophomore tight end, pleaded not guilty but agreed to perform 25 hours of community service in exchange for having the charge dropped in September, per Cameron Austin of the Roanoke Times.

Hodges was third on the team in receptions with 45 last year, while his 526 yards were second-best and he had a team-leading seven touchdown catches. Virginia Tech hasn't indicated if Hodges will face an team-related penalties, as spring practice is set to begin this week.

Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.  

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.