2015 Spring-Game Goals for Every SEC Football Team
College football is king in the SEC, but what's the second-biggest sport in the south? Spring football, of course.
Spring practice sessions are in full-gear around the SEC, with spring games around the corner. Not every problem needs to be solved on the biggest stage of the spring, but there are at least some minor goals for every SEC team to accomplish under the bright lights of the spring game.
What are the spring-game goals for every SEC team? Our picks, based on team need and positional struggles, are in this slideshow.
Alabama Crimson Tide: Stability in the Secondary
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It's no secret that Alabama's secondary has been more sizzle than steak over the last two seasons, and new defensive backs coach Mel Tucker was brought in during the offseason to fix the glitch.
He doesn't have to establish a depth chart after the spring game, but he does have to see enough to have a rough outline on what one could look like if the there was a game the following week.
AL.com's Matt Zenitz noted over the weekend that sophomore Tony Brown and junior Eddie Jackson were running with the first team at cornerback, and Tucker and head coach Nick Saban not only need both of them to improve this spring, but push each other.
Cyrus Jones is out this spring, leaving the entire cornerback corps fighting for essentially one spot on the depth chart since safety "Hootie" Jones is cross-training at the "star" position. Jackson was hit-or-miss at times last year, and Brown is full of potential after being limited to mostly special teams a year ago.
If that's the rough outline, great. If somebody else, like Marlon Humphrey or Bradley Sylve jumps up to push them, even better.
Alabama has had a revolving door at corner during each of the last two seasons, and that can't continue. One player needs to step up to provide some stability.
Arkansas Razorbacks: Stretch the Field
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Arkansas' biggest issue of the offseason is replacing departed stars on the front seven on defense, but specifically for the spring game, it'd be really nice to see quarterback Brandon Allen show signs that he can become a difference-maker through the air.
Last year, he was really solid as a game-manager, throwing 20 touchdowns and only five picks in the Razorbacks' decidedly run-first attack. With new offensive coordinator Dan Enos in the house—he of four 3,000-yard passers over the last five years—it's imperative that Arkansas develops the threat of a downfield attack.
If Allen, wide receiver Keon Hatcher, tight end Hunter Henry and the rest of the offense can do that, it will make life much easier for the massive offensive line and running backs Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins.
Auburn Tigers: Find a Third Linebacker
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Auburn's defense is on the mend this spring, after head coach Gus Malzahn made the bold move of hiring former Florida head coach Will Muschamp to run the defense after Muschamp was fired from the Gators.
His biggest issue is finding a pass rush that can generate consistent pressure, but a more pressing issue for the spring game is finding a solid option at the third linebacker spot.
Auburn ran a 4-2-5 under former coordinator Ellis Johnson, and Muschamp is more of a multiple 3-4/4-3 coach. With Cassanova McKinzy and Kris Frost back, Muschamp has two stable options at linebacker. Muschamp moved Derrick Moncrief down from safety to compete with senior Justin Garrett and sophomore Tre' Williams in the linebacking corps, and one of those players needs to step up and solidify a spot in the starting lineup.
Moncrief played safety last year, and Garrett played the hybrid "star" position, so there are plenty of dynamics at work this spring at linebacker on the Plains. But Muschamp has had success moving defensive backs to linebacker in the past, including at Auburn in 2006, when he moved Will Herring down from the defensive backfield during his senior season.
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Florida Gators: The Will Grier Show
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OK, so Florida won't technically have a true spring game due to depth issues along the offensive line, but that doesn't mean the "spring scrimmage" will be totally useless.
I want to know a little more about redshirt freshman quarterback Will Grier.
The Davidson, N.C. native was the second-ranked pro-style quarterback in the class of 2014, after putting up video-game numbers at Davidson Day (14,565 yards, 195 touchdowns and 27 picks in three seasons). But is that true potential, a product of weak competition or a combination of the two?
He's in a battle with dual-threat incumbent starter Treon Harris, but it's no secret that first-year head coach Jim McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier have worked primarily with pro-style passers in the past.
Grier doesn't have to win the job, but the staff needs to see what he's capable of during the spring scrimmage in front of Gators fans as the battle progresses into summer workouts.
Georgia Bulldogs: Find a Front-Runner at QB
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It has become apparent during spring practice that Georgia's three-man quarterback battle has been narrowed to two, after junior Faton Bauta and sophomore Brice Ramsey each received equal reps and competed the same number of passes during Saturday's scrimmage, according to the school's practice report.
Who will have a leg up on the competition exiting spring practice? That might depend on the performance of each in Saturday's spring game.
Bauta provides a different dynamic as a bruising running option to complement running back Nick Chubb, while Ramsey has the bigger arm and can be more of the traditional dropback gunslinger that Georgia has thrived with during head coach Mark Richt's tenure in Athens.
Richt doesn't need to name a starter after the spring game; he can wait a few weeks into fall camp if he needs to. But there needs to be at least a depth-chart concept in place exiting spring for new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheiemer to build off of.
Kentucky Wildcats: Get Pressure
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Kentucky wasn't exactly known for its defense last year after giving up 406.9 yards per game last year, but stud defensive ends Za'Darius Smith and Alvin "Bud" Dupree were still solid standouts who demanded attention from opposing offensive coordinators.
Who will do it?
Jennifer Smith of Kentucky.com pointed out that Hatcher could slide into Dupree's role as the defensive end who, at times, steps back and plays more of a linebacker role in certain situations.
Does that threat even have to come off the edge, though?
Monster defensive tackle Matt Elam is a monster in the middle of that line, and he can develop into more than just a space-eater with a full offseason to work in the Kentucky training program. The coaching staff knows that, however they find it, pressure is a must.
"You're going to have to make up for the plays those guys made, not necessarily with their position but as a defense," defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot told Smith. "So we may have to make more plays at inside linebacker, may have to make more plays in the secondary, might have to make more plays at defensive tackle."
Kentucky won't have a true spring game, but it must replace its stars during the spring practice session.
LSU Tigers: Show a Second Dimension
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LSU was one-dimensional by necessity in 2014, after Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris both struggled as starting quarterbacks.
That has to change, because LSU can't win by handing the ball to Leonard Fournette 50 times per game (even though Fournette is phenomenal). In the regular-season finale, we saw a small wrinkle with wide receiver Travin Dural becoming more of a threat off the edge in the running game on jet sweeps, but that didn't carry over to the bowl game.
Even if the quarterbacks can't stretch the field through the air, finding some way to be multidimensional—even if that's on the ground—is imperative for the Tigers in 2015.
The big question isn't whether Jennings or Harris can take the job and run with it, it's whether offensive coordinator Cam Cameron can adjust to his dual-threat quarterbacks and develop a "plan B." If that plan becomes apparent during the spring game, it will be considered a successful spring practice session in Baton Rouge.
Mississippi State Bulldogs: Find Robinson's Replacement
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Quarterback Dak Prescott stole most of the headlines in Starkville during the magical 10-win season of 2014, but it was running back Josh Robinson doing the dirty work. Robinson rushed for 1,203 yards and 11 touchdowns last season as Prescott's running mate, and head coach Dan Mullen has to find some way to replace that production in 2015.
Junior Ashton Shumpert has the most experience, but freshmen Aeris Williams and Dontavian Lee also possess the same all-purpose threat and could become players in the race to replace Robinson on the depth chart.
The fact that all three are similar in size and stature is huge for Mullen, because it allows the offense to operate in the same manner regardless of who's in the lineup.
In the spring game, at least one needs to show he can be an adequate replacement. If more than one does, that's a bonus for Mullen and the Bulldogs.
Missouri Tigers: Show an Offensive Identity
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How's the offensive rebuilding process going on Columbia, Missouri this spring?
Well, judging from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, not well.
The offense sputtered and wide receivers looked overmatched at times, according to the report, which needs to change between now and the start of the season. It's not the most surprising development in the world. The entire wide receiving corps for the Tigers has a total of 10 career receptions, with Nate Brown being the most experienced (five catches).
"The talent is there. The athleticism is there," head coach Gary Pinkel told Dave Matter. "We’ve just got to get reps. We’ve got to get good reps and build some chemistry. We’ve still got four months to do it."
But could Missouri become more run-oriented, like in 2011 when it finished ninth in the nation in rushing offense? Russell Hansbrough is a solid every-down back, and quarterback Maty Mauk has wheels.
Whatever direction Missouri goes, it needs to figure out what it's going to be during the spring practice session and the spring game, and then the rest of the pieces can fall into place.
Ole Miss Rebels: Show an Inside Running Threat
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Yes, the quarterback battle is a big one in Oxford, but it's not the biggest position battle for Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze.
The running back depth chart is far more important to the overall success of the 2015 Rebels.
Jaylen Walton is a force off the edge, but the inability to run between the tackles has been a lingering issue that has to be fixed if they're going to contend for the SEC West title.
Jordan Wilkins rushed for 361 yards and one touchdown last season and is the most experienced of Ole Miss' contenders to carry the load between the tackles, but he and Eugene Brazley have been banged up during spring practice and are just now getting back into the mix.
Toss Akeem Judd into the mix, and there are options for Freeze. One or more needs to step up on spring's biggest stage, because the absence of a running threat inside is the biggest thing holding Ole Miss back.
South Carolina Gamecocks: Generate Pressure
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South Carolina finished last in the SEC in sacks in 2014 with just 14, and the inability to get into the backfield was a big reason the secondary was picked apart at times.
It's a line-of-scrimmage game, and players like Gerald Dixon, Gerald Dixon Jr., Marquavius Lewis and others need to improve to give the Gamecocks a puncher's chance in the improving SEC East.
Dixon was held out of Saturday's scrimmage, but that didn't stop the defense from dominating for the second straight simulated game. Don't read too much into that, though, because several offensive linemen were held out of Saturday's scrimmage due to injury.
"We are going against a really, really young offensive front," co-defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward told Josh Kendall of The State. "We should be doing well against those guys."
South Carolina's defensive front has to improve, otherwise it could be another long season for head coach Steve Spurrier's crew.
Tennessee Volunteers: Find a Backup QB
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Tennessee is loaded with young talent and has one of the more electric quarterbacks in the SEC in junior Joshua Dobbs.
Behind Dobbs, though, is a mystery.
Redshirt freshman Devin Smith and true freshmen Quinten Dormady and Jauan Jennings are all competing for the backup quarterback job. Dobbs is a proven dual-threat who seems like he glides more than he runs, but his style and head coach Butch Jones' scheme do put him at risk of getting hit more than traditional pro-style quarterbacks.
Because of that, at least one of the younger quarterbacks needs to look like he gets it during the spring game, because having that insurance policy will be invaluable for Jones moving forward.
Texas A&M Aggies: Get After the QB
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It's no secret that Texas A&M's defense has been the punchline to a bad joke over the last two seasons, but new defensive coordinator John Chavis is now in town to fix the problem.
Luckily for "The Chief," he has stud sophomore defensive end Myles Garrett to work with. Garrett had 11.5 sacks as a true freshman in 2014—the second-most in the conference. He's going to be the focal point for opposing offensive coordinators, but he can't do it alone.
Texas A&M's defensive line has some experience, including fellow defensive end Julien Obioha and tackles Hardreck Walker and Alonzo Williams. Those guys have to prove that they can generate consistent pressure with four this spring.
No, there's no spring game this year in College Station for them to shine. Even in closed-door practices, if A&M can get pressure, look out SEC West.
Vanderbilt Commodores: Settle on a QB
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Vanderbilt's spring game is already in the books, but head coach Derek Mason got dealt a curveball afterward when presumed starting quarterback Patton Robinette announced that he gave up football due to medical concerns and to focus on medical school.
Now it's back to the drawing board.
Sophomore Johnny McCrary took the majority of the snaps down the stretch last season before being pulled in favor of Robinette in the season finale against Tennessee, and he has the arm to be a weapon and take some pressure off of the running game. Wade Freebeck got experience last year with four starts as well, Shawn Stankavage got work this spring and incoming freshman Kyle Shurmur has perhaps the most upside of the group.
Since the spring game is in the books, let's focus on offseason training for Vandy. One of the contenders at quarterback needs to step up and establish himself as the leader during offseason workouts, so it's not such crowded competition come fall.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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