Top College Football Position Battles Remaining After 2015 Spring Practice
With spring games in the books, the long summer months of the college football offseason have arrived. Unfortunately for many programs, spring drills didn't provide every answer at key position battles.
For us non-coaches out there, this is a good thing. What fun would the summer be if everything was answered? This gives us a little more time to pick nits and project winners.
Which top position battles will carry on into the summer and preseason camps? We look at 12 in the following slides based on returning players, as well as other players returning from injuries and incoming freshmen/transfers.
(Spoiler Alert: An awful lot of them involve quarterbacks.)
Ohio State: Quarterback
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[Copies and pastes everything ever written about Ohio State's quarterback competition.]
For real, though: Ohio State has the most-watched quarterback battle of any program in the country. The amazing thing is it hasn't really kicked into high gear yet, either. Cardale Jones, who played in the final three games of the season and won a national championship, has been the only real healthy option. J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller have been limited while recovering from season-ending ankle and shoulder injuries, respectively.
Who wins the starting job is anyone's guess. Jones had a nice spring, according to head coach Urban Meyer (via Bill Bender of Sporting News), but isn't guaranteed to win the job. Barrett is further along in his recovery process than initially expected, is the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and an all-conference first-team selection. Though Miller hasn't played football in more than a year, he is one of the most decorated quarterbacks in Ohio State history.
The Buckeyes could win with any of them, including another national championship.
Alabama: Quarterback
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It's beginning to approach "if not now, will it ever happen?" time for Jake Coker. The Florida State transfer lost out on the starting quarterback job last year to Blake Sims. That's understandable. It was Coker's first year in offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin's system.
Now in year two, though, can Coker claim the job? He's been pushed this spring by four others: David Cornwell, Alec Morris, Cooper Bateman and Blake Barnett. There wasn't a lot of separation among the players in the Tide's spring game; however, head coach Nick Saban did advise not to read too much into the stat sheet.
“I thought the two quarterbacks that played with (the White) team had a much better opportunity," Saban told B/R's Marc Torrence. "You're going to look at this and say, 'Well, these two guys played better.' Well, if I had to play on those two teams, I would have played better on the White team."
If we're going with an unofficial pecking order, Coker is the likely front-runner with Cornwell serving as the dark horse. But things can change, and the competition is far from over.
Michigan: Running Back
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Sure, Michigan's quarterback battle is ongoing even though junior Shane Morris is the No. 1 guy for now. The running back battle, on the other hand, is far more wide open.
Derrick Green, De'Veon Smith and USC transfer Ty Isaac have been battling it out during spring, but the spring game still showed a lot of up-and-down moments in the backfield. Isaac left after just one carry with an injury. Green and Smith have yet to have breakout seasons. The Wolverines finished eighth in the Big Ten last year with 4.6 yards per carry.
Of course, offensive line issues played a role in that. How the O-line performs going forward will dictate how the offense looks. You can be the best running back in the world, but if there are no holes to run through, life's difficult. Even still, the knock on Smith and Green is that vision has been a problem as well. In short, there's a lot of room for improvement at running back across the board.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Texas: Quarterback
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Texas' quarterback competition is of the anti-Ohio State variety. The Longhorns are choosing between an incumbent starter who's had his fair share of ups and downs (Tyrone Swoopes) and an unproven but touted redshirt freshman (Jerrod Heard).
That choice won't be made until preseason camp, at best.
“I don’t want to turn this into a quarterback controversy,” head coach Charlie Strong said according to Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News. “When you look at it, Tyrone has come into the spring as a starter. I don’t know that Heard has done anything yet to unseat him as a starter. I said he’s closed the gap, which is what you want."
To be fair, Texas' offensive woes in 2014—the Horns finished last in the Big 12 in passing offense and ninth in scoring offense—didn't solely rest on the quarterback. Still, Strong needs to get more production out of the position. Both quarterbacks have reportedly grown during spring. it's just a matter of whether that translates during the season.
Florida State: Wide Receiver
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Florida State's quarterback situation is pretty much figured out with Sean Maguire. Though Maguire didn't have the most consistent spring game, it's clear he's head and shoulders above anyone else on the roster.
Who Maguire will throw to is more uncertain, though.
Bobo Wilson, Ja’Vonn Harrison and Travis Rudolph are the veterans, so to speak, even though the latter two are only going to be sophomores. That should tell you about the overall experience of this group (it's lacking).
George Campbell, an early enrollee, made waves in the spring game and should contribute as well. Ermon Lane, a sophomore, was a former blue-chip recruit but was overshadowed last season by Rudolph.
Head coach Jimbo Fisher has said this spring that the receivers "need to grow up" (h/t Brendan Sonnone, the Orlando Sentinel), indicating nothing is set in stone from a two-deep perspective.
Baylor: Secondary
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Baylor doesn't lose many players off of last year's team, so there aren't many true position battles for the Bears. You'd think quarterback would be the biggest one, but Seth Russell looks like he's the man to beat there.
Rather, Baylor could see some shuffling in the secondary. Technically, all four starters—cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Ryan Reid, and safeties Terrell Burt and Orion Stewart—return. However, as Shehan Jeyarajah of the Dallas Morning News notes, "All four also missed significant segments of the spring with injuries."
Terrence Singleton and junior college transfer Tion Wright could see time at corner. Chance Waz and Taion Sells are listed as the backups at safety, according to Baylor's post-spring depth chart. Since so many positions rotate players in and out now, the term "starter" isn't the same as it used to be. All of those players will be competing for "starting" jobs during the year.
Oregon: Quarterback
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Oregon's quarterback situation is unique. It's resolved, but at the same time, not entirely. Redshirt junior Jeff Lockie is clearly the No. 1 guy exiting spring. Head coach Mark Helfrich has praised Lockie over and over again for how he's performed during drills.
"As far as what he needs to do to be 'the guy,' he had a very good spring," Helfrich said of Lockie following the spring game (h/t Pete Martini, the Statesman-Journal).
However, Eastern Washington transfer quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. will join the team later this summer. That is when the Ducks' quarterback battle is set to really begin.
When Adams announced this winter he would be transferring to Oregon, the general assumption was that he would be the starter, whether in Week 1 or shortly thereafter. However, Lockie's made a legitimate case for himself. Without a doubt, this competition will rage all the way through preseason camp.
UCLA: Quarterback
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Of all the early enrollee freshman quarterbacks around college football, Josh Rosen at UCLA may have the best chance to start.
That, coupled with how mum head coach Jim Mora has been, has made the Bruins' quarterback battle fascinating. And it's going to continue all the way up to Week 1 of the 2015 season. Rosen has been in an open competition with Jerry Neuheisel, Asiantii Woulard and Mike Fafaul. Rosen did well in the Bruins' spring game, going 13-of-17 for two touchdowns and an interception.
The Bruins return an experienced team overall, but there are questions along the offensive line after giving up three sacks per game last year. That ranked last in the Pac-12. If that area of the offense doesn't improve, is putting a true freshman under center the best idea?
USC: Defensive Line
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If there's one area that could derail USC's playoff hopes in 2015, it's the development of the defensive line. Not only did stud defensive end Leonard Williams leave for the NFL, but injuries took a toll on the overall depth of the position during spring.
That means the competition to put together that line will continue into preseason camp. According to ESPN.com's We Are SC writers, defensive line, namely defensive end, is the biggest area of concern for the Trojans.
Among those to miss time this spring with injuries were nose tackle Antwaun Woods and defensive ends Kenny Bigelow and Greg Townsend Jr. There's been an overall lack up depth up front. Along with those three, Delvon Simmons, Claude Pelon and Cody Temple will compete for spots. Rasheem Green, Noah Jefferson and Jacob Daniel will be among those to join the team in the fall.
LSU: Quarterback
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It's been well documented that LSU has major problems at quarterback. Last season, the Tigers ranked 116th in passing offense—which wouldn't have been so bad by itself if they were a triple-option team. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
Anthony Jennings, who started 12 games last season, has been in a neck-and-neck competition with sophomore Brandon Harris. Exiting spring, it's safe to say Jennings has a slight edge, but it's far from a sure thing.
LSU is no doubt an offense that leans on the power running game. With a big offensive line and a star running back in Leonard Fournette, why would you? There's no issue with that, but there has to be some semblance of balance in the passing game. That doesn't mean LSU has to be a 50-50 run-pass offense, but it does mean it has to have a legitimate threat of a passing attack.
Wisconsin: Offensive Line
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You'd think Wisconsin would be fine at offensive line every single year, but the Badgers enter summer with a question mark up front. This is a group that lost three seniors from last year's team, and returning center Dan Voltz has been nursing an ankle injury.
Overall, this is a line lacking some depth and experience that gave up 10 (!) sacks during the spring game.
The Badgers are set at running back with Corey Clement and appear settled on Joel Stave at quarterback. You could even make the case that the wide receivers could be decent with Robert Wheelwright. Of all the positions, O-line has the most to solidify over the next few months.
Georgia: Quarterback
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Georgia's offense may go through running back Nick Chubb, but there's an important position battle going on at quarterback. Though the battle will continue into preseason camp, it does have some clarity. The starting job is likely down to Brice Ramsey, last year's No. 2, and Faton Bauta.
Of the two, Ramsey is your pro-style type with a strong arm. Bauta gives the offense more of a dual-threat look with his running ability. It's possible that both see playing time this season if a starter isn't named before Week 1.
“It’s still a race,” head coach Mark Richt said, per Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com. “I don’t think there’s any question that it will go through the summer and fall before we make that decision on who will start the first ballgame.”
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
