Biggest Remaining Challenge Every Power 5 Coach Faces This Offseason
Now roughly 11 weeks from the start of the 2015 college football season, we can begin to see the horizon. And it's dotted with stadiums, tailgating and pre- and postgame shows—all there to entertain us and carry us through the fall.
There's nothing left to do but wait, at least for the fans. College coaches, however, still have plenty left to do.
Coaches are making the final arrangements to ensure the next crop of incoming recruits arrive without incident. They're tinkering with the playbook and drawing up early depth charts. And that's just the tip of the iceberg as far as what coaches still have to worry about this offseason.
Each coach and team has its own specific concerns and challenges to deal with over the summer. We've identified the biggest one for every power-conference team (and Notre Dame) and explain what impact this issue could have on the 2015 season.
Alabama
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Nick Saban: Have enough running backs
With Wednesday's announcement that freshman running back DeSherrius Flowers would enroll this fall "due to a recently discovered initial ineligibility issue," per a school release (h/t AL.com), what six months ago seemed like a position overflowing with talent has suddenly become thinner.
Flowers, who participated in spring practice as an early enrollee, joins a growing list of ball-carriers who have transferred (Altee Tenpenny), been dismissed (Tyren Jones) or suffered a major knee injury (Bo Scarbrough) since the 2014 season ended.
The Crimson Tide still have stud Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake, who is coming back from a broken leg, as well as highly touted freshman Damien Harris, but compared to what they previously had, this situation is far from desirable.
"Once upon a time, depth was far down the list of concerns in Alabama's backfield," Michael Casagrande of AL.com wrote. "Former star recruits were scout team members early last fall."
Casagrande also reported that West Virginia graduate transfer Andrew Buie, who has more than 1,200 career yards and scored 10 touchdowns, has recently visited Alabama and could provide valuable depth if he joins the Tide.
Arizona
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Rich Rodriguez: Draw up a pass rush
Arizona tied for 16th in FBS with 38 sacks last season, but that number was skewed by the work of linebacker Scooby Wright. He had 14 of those sacks, five more than the Wildcats' entire rotation of defensive linemen.
Many of Arizona's sacks were of the "coverage" variety, where its secondary held on long enough downfield to allow someone to get to the quarterback. But considering opponents attempted more than 530 passes (and completed more than 65 percent of them), this was more of an anomaly than a frequent occurrence.
In order to get off the field quicker—Arizona was 119th in time of possession—the defense needs to have a better way of getting pressure on the quarterback in order to cut off drives before they get going.
Arizona State
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Todd Graham: Ensure Mike Bercovici is ready
Patience has finally paid off for Bercovici, a longtime backup quarterback who fared well as an injury replacement last season but now has the job all to himself as a senior. His play and composure to this point indicate he's ready for the job, but the real results won't come until the big season opener against Texas A&M in September.
Between now and then, the key for Graham and his staff is to continue to prep Bercovici for his more prominent role. They can do this by creating as many scenarios as possible that put him in peril in order to see how he handles himself, since the biggest concern is how Bercovici would deal with failure.
He responded well to this last season, shaking off a pair of interceptions in his first start against UCLA to throw for 510 yards and five touchdowns against USC the following week.
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Arkansas
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Bret Bielema: Ignore external expectations
Arkansas was predicted to be the SEC West's doormat last season, despite being considered a team full of promise that was on the cusp of breaking through. After that breakthrough happened, with a 3-1 finish that included shutouts over Ole Miss and LSU and a blowout of Texas, the Razorbacks were suddenly a dark-horse playoff contender.
But within the program, nothing had really changed. Bielema had been confident this improvement would lead to results, but now that it's happened, it's more a matter of making sure his players don't become overconfident.
"The part that our players have to learn is they're expected to have success," Bielema told Mike Irwin of Razorback Nation. "To train at that level and obviously the competition that we play is a whole different conversation but to get kids to believe that you can win games is half the battle."
Auburn
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Gus Malzahn: Get the defense up to speed
This is really more of a challenge for Will Muschamp, the former Florida head coach who joined Auburn as the defensive coordinator just weeks after his final game with the Gators. But what happens with the Tigers defense is still Malzahn's responsibility, seeing as it's been their biggest weakness during his tenure.
Last year Auburn ranked 66th in total defense and tied for 101st in terms of number of long plays it allowed. The Tigers only registered 21 sacks, with no player getting more 3.5 on his own, and that contributed to the overall defensive struggles.
Muschamp has been at work since December in getting Auburn's defenders in a place where they can succeed, but to this point the only results we've seen came from the spring game...and they weren't that impressive.
Baylor
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Art Briles: Settle on a quarterback
If the last few years have shown us anything, who plays quarterback for Baylor hasn't had a major impact on overall performance. Since Robert Griffin III left after the 2011 season, three different players have started games for the Bears, and each has excelled at the helm of that high-octane offense.
That includes Seth Russell, who stepped in for an injured Bryce Petty last September and calmly threw for 438 yards and five touchdowns on just 25 attempts against FCS school Northwestern State.
But Briles hasn't decided yet between the junior Russell and freshman Jarrett Stidham for the starting job for 2015. Both looked great in the spring, and the competition will continue into preseason camp.
It feels like either quarterback would succeed, but the sooner that Baylor can decide on a starter, the sooner it can get all parts of that offense together and ready to roll.
Boston College
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Steve Addazio: Find dudes who can block
Boston College graduated its entire starting offensive line from 2014, a group that helped Tyler Murphy (who has also moved on) set an ACC record for rushing yards by a quarterback and produce the No. 15 rushing offense in the country. Those who return for the Eagles up front have a combined 15 career starts, which according to expert Phil Steele ranks as the fourth-least in the country.
It's not as bad as it looks, though, as the returners saw plenty of time last season and have been working throughout the offseason to get acclimated to the more prominent roles.
"We can still piece together a physical line," Addazio said after BC's spring game in March, per the school's website.
California
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Sonny Dykes: Shore up the secondary
No team allowed more passing yards in 2014 than California, and it wasn't even close. The Golden Bears were torched for an FBS-worst 367.2 yards per game through the air, a number that would have still been high had Washington State's Connor Halliday not set the single-game passing record of 734 against them in September.
Cal's opponents threw 42 touchdowns and completed more than 65 percent of their throws, with 34 completions of 25 or more yards. This included a Hail Mary from Arizona in a massive comeback, despite Cal having eight defensive backs on the field.
Preseason camp should provide plenty of opportunity for improvement, as nine players who are either new to the program or who were injured in spring ball will be competing for roles at safety, per Mike Vernon of SFGate.com.
Clemson
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Dabo Swinney: Keep Deshaun Watson healthy
Swinney last received a raise in 2014, so he has a lucrative compensation package. He might want to negotiate to have an added perk of unlimited access to bubble wrap, if only to ensure that nothing happens to Watson before the 2015 season begins.
Unquestionably Clemson's most important player, Watson was electrifying as a true freshman quarterback. That is, when he was able to stay on the field, as a broken hand and multiple knee injuries knocked him out of games and kept him off the field in several games.
The last injury, a torn ACL, has shelved him since late November. He's expected to be fully recovered in time for the Sept. 5 opener against Wofford. But to make sure that is the case, Clemson must make sure that Watson stays out of harm's way.
Colorado
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Mike MacIntyre: Get more 2016 recruits
Colorado didn't secure its first commitment for the 2016 recruiting class until June 2, but after landing 3-star Georgia athlete Derrion Rakestraw on June 11, the Buffaloes have doubled that class size. Still, the Buffaloes rank 100th in that category, according to 247Sports, trailing dozens of non-power programs.
Coming off a 2-10 season that included an 0-9 record in Pac-12 play, MacIntyre's Buffaloes are going to need to show progress on the field in order for him to keep his job. But acquiring future talent is still important, and it could also help keep MacIntyre's future from looking murkier.
Duke
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David Cutcliffe: Replace receiver production
With Isaac Blakeney and Jamison Crowder having graduated, they took with them more than 360 receptions and 34 touchdowns. Those receivers provided the bulk of Duke's production at the position last year and prior to that, and the coaches have spent a good portion of this offseason developing others to step into their place.
That must continue throughout the summer, as senior slot receiver Max McCaffrey and junior wideout Johnell Barnes are back, but there's not much experience left beyond them.
The answer could come in the form of TJ Rahming, a 3-star prospect from Georgia who arrived on campus in May. He'll need to get up to speed quickly before training camp in order to contribute this fall, but at this point the Blue Devils will take whatever help they can get.
Florida
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Jim McElwain: Assemble an offensive line
Florida graduated three starters and had two others turn pro early from the line, which leaves McElwain to replace the entirety of a key position group as one of his first major tasks. Spring ball didn't allow much of an opportunity to tackle this challenge, though, because the Gators only finished workouts with six healthy scholarship linemen.
There are plenty of candidates coming on board over the summer, as Florida signed five offensive linemen in its 2015 class—including top-rated offensive tackle Martez Ivey—and earlier this month got a commitment from Fordham transfer Mason Halter.
Halter, a 6'8', 300-pounder, was a two-time FCS All-American and will be eligible immediately as a graduate transfer.
All of the fresh faces will make for plenty of competition leading up to the start of the 2015 season, but the key will be finding the best five-man group that can work well together.
Florida State
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Jimbo Fisher: Keep his quarterbacks happy
When Florida State won the Everett Golson sweepstakes in May, getting the Notre Dame transfer quarterback, it meant the Seminoles would have some much-needed experience at a position that was sorely lacking in that area. But it also signaled to the passers who were previously on the roster that they might not play in 2015.
That led to sophomore John Franklin III transferring, announcing on Wednesday he would head to East Mississippi Junior College for the fall. Ironically, one of his coaches there will be Clint Trickett, the former West Virginia quarterback who began his career at FSU but transferred after struggling to climb the depth chart.
Golson isn't guaranteed to be FSU's starter this season, but his arrival has put into question whether Fisher is confident in his other passers, which include junior Sean Maguire and several freshmen. Whoever the Seminoles go with this year, the competition needs to give every quarterback an equal shot in order to lessen the chance of future transfers.
Georgia
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Mark Richt: Get control of the quarterback situation
Georgia exited spring football without a clear leader in its quarterback competition, with three players in contention for the starting job. That's still the case, but the players have been shuffled a bit with redshirt freshman Jacob Park leaving the program and Greyson Lambert coming over from Virginia as a graduate transfer.
The overall lineup is more experienced now, as Lambert started nine games for the Cavaliers in 2014 while Park had yet to play a college snap. But Lambert left Virginia because he'd fallen behind Matt Johns on the depth chart, so to assume he'd be the best option at Georgia (over sophomore Brice Ramsey, who backed up Hutson Mason last season) or junior Faton Bauta isn't wise.
Whatever plans Richt and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer had in place to determine the starter are probably still intact, but they have to adjust a bit to compensate for Lambert's late arrival.
Georgia Tech
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Paul Johnson: Continue selling the brand
A staunch defender of his old-school offense, Johnson never passes up an opportunity to point out that he's going to stick with the triple-option run game. Last year's run to the ACC title game and then a victory over Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl affirmed this dedication, though for 2015 he has to replace nearly all of his running backs and receivers.
That lack of experience at those spots could prompt some coaches to tweak their game plan and cater it to the personnel who are available, but Johnson has learned from the past this won't work. The 2013 Yellow Jackets had quarterback Vad Lee operating out of the shotgun instead of under center, and the offense suffered. Things went back to normal last year with Justin Thomas, and the results were evident.
Johnson has run the triple-option throughout his coaching career, dating back to his time at Georgia Southern and Navy. It's a hard sell for recruits, but one that he'll continue to push in order to stay the course.
Illinois
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Tim Beckman: Stay out of the public eye
His third season at Illinois was his most successful from a performance standpoint, as Beckman got the Fighting Illini into a bowl game, and his six wins matched the total from his first two seasons. But while the on-field results have been getting better, Beckman hasn't helped his cause during the offseason with off-the-field news.
Beckman got this negative ball rolling in February when, after announcing a solid recruiting class, he called out media members for reporting on non-positive stories related to the program. This didn't go over well, and a few months later former players (including lineman Simon Cvijanovic) accused Beckman of abuse and forcing them to play through injuries.
Some news is unavoidable, but Beckman would be wise to keep himself sequestered from the media as much as possible outside of required appearances.
Indiana
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Kevin Wilson: Start over again on defense
Indiana gave up more than 250 passing yards per game last season, and it entered this offseason needing to replace both starting cornerbacks. At least there was stability at the safety position, particularly in the form of Antonio Allen.
But now the Hoosiers are without Allen, who led the team in tackles as a sophomore in 2014. The program dismissed him following his arrest on drug-dealing charges.
The Hoosiers still have Chase Dutra, who as a freshman led the team with three interceptions, but beyond that there's not much experience.
Iowa
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Kirk Ferentz: Defend his depth chart
Not long after Tennessee beat Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl in January, Ferentz got an early jump on lining up his depth chart for 2015 by announcing that backup C.J. Beathard would be ahead of starter Jake Rudock at quarterback. A few months later, Rudock transferred to Michigan and affirmed that Beathard would be the Hawkeyes' QB this season.
"Beathard better not get hurt because it's all freshmen and redshirt freshmen after him," SB Nation's Bill Connelly wrote.
This is something that Ferentz will no doubt be asked about quite a bit next month at Big Ten media days in Chicago, as well as throughout the preseason. The veteran coach has been long-entrenched in Iowa City and knows how to handle the media, but that never makes it any less difficult to deal with situations like this.
Iowa State
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Paul Rhoads: Recruit for the future
It's not the end of the world that we're midway through June and Iowa State doesn't have a commitment from any player in the 2016 recruiting class, but it's also not something to be proud of. And for a coach like Rhoads, who is coming off a 2-10 season after going 3-9 the year before, it's not an area that he can point to when trying to justify keeping his job beyond this fall.
The Cyclones had the No. 71 recruiting class in 2015, according to 247Sports, down from 58th in 2014. It's becoming an increasingly hard sell to lure top prospects to Ames, and if Rhoads and his staff can't start making inroads before the season begins, they will likely struggle in this area during the season as the losses start to pile up.
Kansas
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David Beaty: Stop the bleeding
He already knew he was inheriting a Kansas program that was limited in returning talent, thus making his first season a major uphill battle. But in the past few months David Beaty's job has somehow become even more difficult for 2015, both because of injury and player dismissals.
The spring game saw projected starting quarterback Michael Cummings suffer a serious knee injury despite being in a no-contact jersey. Absent from that game was running back Corey Avery and receiver Rodriguez Coleman, projected starters who were suspended and have since been dismissed from the program.
Beaty also announced earlier this month that linebacker Jake Love—who had 147 total tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and two forced fumbles in three seasons—was giving up football for his final year, while freshman cornerback Shola Ayinde had to delay his enrollment and won't be part of the team this fall.
Kansas State
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Bill Snyder: Find capable receivers
Kansas State has four players who are battling for the lone quarterback starting spot and not many more contenders for multiple gigs in the receiving corps. That's not an ideal balance, but it's what the Wildcats are stuck with heading into the summer.
The receiver pool got a little thinner earlier this month when Judah Jones transferred to FCS Stephen F. Austin. According to the Topeka Capitol-Journal, Jones was expected to be a starter this season but didn't participate in K-State's spring game. He had four receptions for 51 yards as a redshirt freshman in 2014.
Jones would have been in the hunt to replace the production lost by the tandem of Tyler Lockett, the school's all-time leader in every receiving category, and Curry Sexton. Last year that duo combined for 185 receptions, 2,574 yards and 16 touchdowns. Combined with graduated tight end Zach Trujillo, they leave K-State with no returning player who had more than 20 receptions one year ago.
Kentucky
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Mark Stoops: Have a finished football stadium
Ongoing renovations to Commonwealth Stadium kept Kentucky from holding a spring game this year, and while the $110 million project is expected to be done in time for the Sept. 5 opener against Louisiana-Lafayette, there are no guarantees. There's also not a definitive date when the Wildcats will be able to start using the facility and getting acclimated to the new turf.
Kentucky is coming off a 5-7 season, up from 2-10 in Stoops' first year, but Kentucky was 5-1 before losing six in a row.
Louisville
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Bobby Petrino: Get the most out of Devonte Fields
One of the biggest signings for Louisville in its 2015 recruiting class was Fields, whose college career got off to an amazing start three years ago but since then has been a series of hurdles.
Fields was the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2012 at TCU, but in 2013 he missed most of the season because of injury. His 2014 campaign never happened for the Horned Frogs, as the program booted him during the summer, and he ended up at a junior college. The dismissal was related to an assault charge from 2014, a case that was dismissed earlier this month upon Fields' completion of anger management courses.
Getting strong production from Fields is huge for Louisville, as it lost seven starters (including three linemen) from last year's defense.
LSU
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Les Miles: Hope for sudden quarterback improvement
Barring an 11th-hour move by some heretofore unknown graduate transfer, LSU is resigned to having a second straight season with Brandon Harris and Anthony Jennings handling the quarterback duties. That didn't exactly create the greatest results in 2014, but the hope is that the offseason work has made it so one or the other will step up and have a big year.
Harris and Jennings led the Tigers to the worst passing offense in the SEC last year, averaging less than 163 yards per game with only 17 touchdowns and a 50 percent completion rate.
There might be only one option, though, after Jennings was among four LSU players suspended on Thursday. According to Ross Dellenger and Maya Lau of the Advocate, the four were arrested on various charges Thursday, with Jennings cited for unauthorized entry into an inhabited dwelling.
Maryland
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Randy Edsall: Make Daxx Garman earn the starting QB job
With C.J. Brown graduating and Caleb Rowe recovering from knee surgery, Maryland's quarterback situation was murky during the spring. Backups Shane Cockerille and Perry Hills handled the bulk of the snaps, despite neither being expected to have a real shot to start this fall.
Now Maryland has added Garman, a graduate transfer from Oklahoma State who began his career at Arizona. He's immediately eligible and could right now be considered the favorite to be the starter in 2015, especially if Rowe's recovery continues to go slowly.
But Garman shouldn't just be handed the job, not with a history that has included two transfers to find more playing time. He redshirted at Arizona in 2011, and then after sitting out the 2012 season at OK State he didn't see any action in 2013. He started eight games for the Cowboys last year but lost his job to freshman Mason Rudolph after suffering a concussion.
Miami (Florida)
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Al Golden: Find a leader in the backfield
Duke Johnson was a great luxury for Miami the past three seasons, but now he is in the NFL, so it's time for another Hurricane to step up and handle that production. The best candidates are Gus Edwards and Joseph Yearby, who combined for 858 yards and seven touchdowns in 2014, as well as incoming freshman Mark Walton.
Whoever becomes the No. 1 back, though, has to show he can handle increased usage after Edwards and Yearby combined for only 147 carries last year. The starter also has to show a certain level of maturity, something that Yearby didn't display during the spring by getting suspended for the spring game because of a reported curfew violation.
"If you want to be the guy, it takes a great deal of discipline, a great deal of sacrifice," Golden told Matt Porter of the Palm Beach Post.
Michigan
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Jim Harbaugh: Translate fame into fortune
Michigan's new coach has gone above and beyond to draw attention to the program and create a groundswell of excitement for a team that doesn't have much more talent than it did in going 5-7 under Brady Hoke last season. The trick for Harbaugh now, though, is to parlay all of this goodwill and notoriety into positive results on the field.
The lone competition we've had to assess him on was the spring game, when Michigan's offense managed just one touchdown. Reinforcements via transfer (Iowa quarterback Jake Rudock) and recruiting will add to the players available to Harbaugh this season, but it's still going to be a difficult campaign.
It's not impossible, though, as Jim Hayes of the Sporting News wrote.
"In Harbaugh's first season at Stanford, he took a team that won a single game the previous year and beat college football king USC in Los Angeles with a walk-on quarterback," Hayes wrote. "As a 40-point underdog."
Michigan State
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Mark Dantonio: Prepare Larry Scott for his big role
The graduation of dependable and productive running back Jeremy Langford was a major loss for Michigan State, but one that was lessened by the fact the Spartans were bringing in one of the top rushing prospects in the country for 2015. Larry Scott wasn't expected to play a bug role as a true freshman, but the suspension of Delton Williams in the spring has changed that.
Williams, who according to MLive.com's Mike Griffith isn't enrolled in courses during the summer or fall, has been away from the program since his arrest for brandishing a weapon during an on-campus road-rage incident. He was projected to be a top contender for the starting job in 2015 after rushing for 316 yards and five touchdowns last year as a sophomore.
Assuming Williams doesn't return, unless sophomore Gerald Holmes or redshirt freshman Madre London excels this fall, it will be on Scott to take on some major responsibility.
Minnesota
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Jerry Kill: Build the perfect game plan for TCU
Minnesota is coming off a solid 8-5 season but one in which it couldn't win most of its biggest games. Now comes the golden opportunity of having a chance to impact the playoff landscape right off the bat by hosting TCU on Sept. 3.
It won't be an easy task, as every team that played the Horned Frogs last season can attest to. But having the entire offseason to plan for this opponent makes it somewhat more achievable.
Minnesota also has game film from last year's 30-7 loss at TCU to work with, though much of that might be more worthy of getting burned.
Mississippi State
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Dan Mullen: Surround Dak Prescott with contributors
Thanks to Prescott's return, Mississippi State has a chance to put together another big year after starting out last season with a 9-0 record and reaching No. 1 in the nation. But unless the Bulldogs have people to protect him and to share the burden of the entire offense, they will struggle to replicate the 2014 performance.
The first goal is to find a capable running back who can perform like Josh Robinson did the year before. Ashton Shumpert and Brandon Holloway were solid backups, but if neither is able to handle a bigger load, that will put more pressure on Prescott to do it all himself.
Missouri
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Gary Pinkel: Keep Maty Mauk confident
After a disappointing sophomore season, Mauk has been the focus of many stories this offseason about how tenuous his hold is on Missouri's starting quarterback job. The arrival of freshman Drew Lock has added to this pressure, which has Mauk holding the distinction of being the quarterback under the most pressure anywhere in FBS in 2015, according to Bleacher Report's Ben Kercheval.
"Improvement needs to happen across the board, but 2015 is also the year when Mauk has to show this is his team," Kercheval wrote.
Mauk completed only 53.4 percent of his passes and threw 13 interceptions last season, and in a two-game stretch against Georgia and Florida he threw for just 117 yards with zero touchdowns and five picks.
Nebraska
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Mike Riley: Continue the offensive transition
It's no easy task completely overhauling an offense from one overflowing with spread tendencies, as was the case under Bo Pelini, to the pro-style attack that Riley used for so long at Oregon State. The spring was the first step in that transition process, but it will continue throughout the offseason and might still be a work in progress when the Cornhuskers open against BYU.
Most of the work starts and ends with the quarterback position, with Riley telling Tommy Armstrong Jr. that he had to focus more on his passing than the mobile tendencies he turned to often in 2014, when he ran for 705 yards and six touchdowns.
"I think we really have to dive in this summer, and then during fall camp, to find ways to really make him confident with where he's going with the ball," Riley said of Armstrong, per Steven Sipple of the Lincoln Journal-Star.
North Carolina
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Larry Fedora: Avoid academic scandal distractions
He's done well to this point, but Fedora has to continue toeing the company line and avoid letting the NCAA investigation into academic fraud at North Carolina get in the way of his team's preparation for 2015. Coming off a 6-7 season—a second straight with fewer wins than the year before—he has far more important things to worry about.
"I think our staff and our players have done a great job surviving through this whole process," Fedora told 247Sports' Ross Martin earlier this month, after the school made public an NCAA Notice of Allegations.
Football is only minimally mentioned in the NOA, so it's unlikely the program will face any sanctions. But until that is finalized in the future, this issue will keep popping up.
North Carolina State
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Dave Doeren: Fix the run defense
What was North Carolina State's biggest problem in 2014 remains the case heading into this season: the ability to stuff the run. The Wolfpack allowed 78 rushing plays of at least 10 yards a year ago and gave up an astounding 5.32 yards per carry on third-down runs with three or less yards needed by the opponent.
While defensive end Mike Rose is back, his 14 tackles for loss are about all that returns from the defensive line.
There's plenty of size to work with but not much experience, so the summer workouts and preseason practices will be critical to fixing this deficiency.
Northwestern
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Pat Fitzgerald: Fix the punting game
With an offense that struggled to move the ball, Northwestern was often in a situation where it had to try to win the field-position game in order to generate points and control a game. That wasn't a specialty of the Wildcats in 2014, as they ranked 101st nationally in field-position advantage, according to FootballOutsiders.com.
The biggest thing contributing to that area was the punting, as Northwestern averaged only 37.2 yards per kick and had a net punting average of 32.7. Punter Chris Gradone was 112th out of 121 qualifying FBS players last season, per Sports-Reference.com.
The Wildcats have a new punter this season in Hunter Niswander, who also handled some kicking duties last year. He'll need to be much better than Gradone in order for Northwestern to have a chance to get back to .500.
Notre Dame
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Brian Kelly: Keep Malik Zaire humble
As a redshirt freshman in the spring of 2014, Zaire expected to be Notre Dame's starting quarterback for the season opener. He ended up not seeing significant action until late in the year, after Everett Golson's turnover issues became too much, but then Zaire's play in the bowl game and this spring made him the top choice for the starting job.
Golson, in turn, transferred to Florida State, completely clearing the way for Zaire to run the offense.
The sophomore has immense confidence, but Kelly has to make sure that doesn't turn into cockiness and affect his play.
Ohio State
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Urban Meyer: Create the perfect QB formula
Faced with the problem of having three top-tier quarterbacks to choose from, Meyer has said he's going to formulate a process that will definitively choose which of the trio of senior Braxton Miller, junior Cardale Jones and sophomore J.T. Barrett will be his starter.
"I'll come up with some kind of system throughout training camp that we're going to chart everything that everyone does," Meyer told Bleacher Report's Ben Axelrod earlier this spring. "It's got to be statistical analysis and data, backed up on who is going to play quarterback."
Just what that system will be, though, is the most important thing for Meyer this summer. Expect it to be incredibly detailed, thus leaving no doubt that the player he chooses to start against Virginia Tech on Sept. 7 is the one he'll want in that role all season.
Oklahoma
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Bob Stoops: Handle the Joe Mixon/Frank Shannon backlash
Oklahoma had suspended both Mixon and Shannon for the 2014 season because of separate assault allegations involving women. Shannon's accusation came from January 2014, following a monster sophomore year, while Mixon's occurred last summer before he ever suited up as a freshman for Oklahoma.
Both are back on the team now, creating a potential public relations nightmare for Stoops and the Sooners in having to explain or justify those players' returns.
"In light of the ongoing controversies related to domestic violence in professional sports, whether or not Mixon and Shannon should be back with the team is a subject that will probably generate plenty of attention," Allen Kenney of BlatantHomerism.com wrote.
Oklahoma State
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Mike Gundy: Find the right running back
Oklahoma State has its quarterback of the future in Mason Rudolph, who came on late last season and asserted himself as the go-to passer for 2015. But with Desmond Roland graduating, there's no clear top running back for this season, something that existed before spring ball and remained the case.
Rennie Childs is the top returning rusher, with 294 yards and three touchdowns last season, but he only got 43 carries during Big 12 play and the bowl game and didn't participate in three contests.
Junior college transfer Chris Carson could be the answer, but he still has to prove that during training camp.
Ole Miss
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Hugh Freeze: Find a productive ball-carrier
Ole Miss hasn't had a 1,000-yard rusher since 2009, and during Freeze's tenure the top back has been Jeff Scott, who ran for 850 yards in 2012. The past two seasons, no single player has topped 600 yards, but with quarterback Bo Wallace's experience, it wasn't necessary to get much from the run game.
That isn't the case this year, as the Rebels will have a new quarterback and need more production on the ground.
"The Rebels have finished 10th or worse in the SEC in yards per carry in each of Freeze's three seasons as head coach," Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee wrote, noting that the effort to address this issue in spring practice was limited by injuries to the offensive line.
With those linemen expected to be healthier in training camp, the work will continue to give Ole Miss' offense a good balance and take pressure off whoever wins the quarterback battle.
Oregon
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Mark Helfrich: Make the quarterback competition a fair one
Ever since Vernon Adams announced he was transferring from FCS Eastern Washington to Oregon for his final season, most predictions have had that exciting senior winning the quarterback job over junior Jeff Lockie. Lockie was Marcus Mariota's backup last season, yet because of Adams' pending arrival, his expected succession seemed to be put on hold.
Then Lockie had a superb spring, shining in the final scrimmage and making his case for the job. Adams hasn't yet participated with the Ducks in practice, since he wasn't set to graduate until June, so the real competition doesn't begin until training camp.
Helfrich has to make sure that both Adams and Lockie are given a fair shot at winning the job, not just make it seem that's the case while having Adams in mind all along.
Oregon State
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Gary Andersen: Have confidence in a freshman quarterback
With the switch from Mike Riley's pro-style offense to the spread system that Andersen ran at Wisconsin (and Utah State before that), it stood to reason that he would want to go with a quarterback who wasn't too entrenched in the pro-style format to run his first Oregon State team.
As it stands, that means having either redshirt freshman Nick Mitchell or true freshman Seth Collins as his guy, since they were the co-starters after spring practice ended.
Andersen expects both quarterbacks to work on their leadership skills during the summer, according to Gina Mizell of the Oregonian. At the same time, though, Andersen has to make sure he's OK with handing over the reins to an unproven passer.
Penn State
43 of 65
James Franklin: Keep Christian Hackenberg upright
Penn State's offensive line was one of the least effective in the country last season. Hackenberg got sacked 44 times and put up numbers that aren't normally indicative of a quarterback who could go No. 1 in the NFL draft.
The best player from that line, Donovan Smith, went in the second round of the NFL draft. The rest of the group is back, but it's in need of an effective left tackle to protect Hackenberg's blind side while also being able to stop the rush from the rest of the angles.
Spring ball provided a strong opportunity to work on this area, but further improvement is still needed. Franklin and his staff must continue to get this line working well together in order to have a more productive year from Hackenberg and the entire offense.
Pittsburgh
44 of 65
Pat Narduzzi: Discipline Tyler Boyd
Boyd faces charges of underage drinking and driving under the influence after a traffic stop last Friday, putting into doubt what the standout wide receiver's status will be for the 2015 season. The junior was formally charged on Wednesday, and Narduzzi is already in the process of figuring out what to do with a player who is expected to be a huge part of Pittsburgh's offense this fall.
"We have high expectations for the young men in our program, on and off the field," Narduzzi said in a statement, per Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Tyler understands that and knows he must be responsible for his actions. Certainly he will be held accountable to our internal standards of discipline and behavior."
While the legal process plays out, Narduzzi will need to figure out what the best course of action is in terms of disciplining a receiver who has gone for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first two college seasons.
Purdue
45 of 65
Darrell Hazell: Find a running back
Purdue wasn't great in the run game last season, but it wasn't horrible. It had a decent 4.69 yards-per-carry average but ran the ball less than 34 times per game, and now leading rushers Raheem Mostert and Akeem Hunt have graduated.
That leaves Keyante Green, with 27 career carries, as the top returning ball-carrier. There's also D.J. Knox, another sophomore, who didn't see action in 2014 but finished ahead of Green on the depth chart this spring.
Neither seems like the greatest option at this point, but they may be the only viable ones. This summer Hazell has to get one of them to step up, especially if the passing game continues to come along slowly.
Rutgers
46 of 65
Kyle Flood: Pick the right quarterback
After Gary Nova started for Rutgers for what seemed like forever, the Scarlet Knights have a wide-open competition between Nova's backup (Chris Laviano) and two other passers who have never thrown the ball in a college game. That includes Hayden Rettig, a transfer from LSU.
Nova had a solid 2014 season and benefited from working with some great skill players, something the new quarterback will also have at his disposal. But it can't be a winner by default, so Flood will need to make sure he goes with the best choice.
South Carolina
47 of 65
Steve Spurrier: Keep Pharoh Cooper fresh
With a nearly all-new set of skill-position starters slated to be on the field in 2015, Spurrier is likely to lean on the diverse talents of Cooper. The junior wide receiver scored touchdowns via the run and pass, both as the thrower and catcher, in 2014, finishing with 13 total scores that he was involved in.
But using Cooper too much could wear him down, cause opponents to key solely on him or a combination of both. It's unlikely that South Carolina would look to use him less to keep him fresh, but instead the Gamecocks must figure out a way to maximize his talents without putting him at risk for getting hurt or tiring during critical moments.
Stanford
48 of 65
David Shaw: Create a defensive identity
Considering this has been the strength of Stanford's teams during its rise to prominence, it's hard to believe that having to get its new defense to jell would be an issue.
But only three starters return from last year's third-ranked defense—two in the linebacker corps and now just one in the secondary following safety Zach Hoffpauir's decision to sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks as an outfielder after being drafted in the 22nd round earlier this month.
That leaves only senior Ronnie Harris, who started three games at corner in 2014, as a returner with starting experience on the back line. The defensive front is even worse off, as all four starters have moved on.
Syracuse
49 of 65
Scott Shafer: Retool the defense
With only three starters back from a defense that was the main bright spot in Syracuse's otherwise woeful 2014, Shafer has a lot of work to do in order to be able to rely on that unit again this fall. That might include having to sub out a linebacker for an extra defensive back more often than expected in order to account for the lack of experience in the middle.
"If we don't feel like the production is where it needs to be, we can be creative," Shafer told Nate Mink of Syracuse.com.
According to football data expert Phil Steele, Syracuse returns less than 30 percent of its tackles from last season, the fewest in FBS.
TCU
50 of 65
Gary Patterson: Build up the linebacker corps
TCU only uses two linebackers in its 4-2-5 defensive formation, but those two were massive pieces on last year's team. And with Marcus Mallett and Paul Dawson no longer around, the Horned Frogs will be all new in the middle.
True freshman Mike Freeze impressed during spring and exited atop the depth chart at one spot alongside junior Sammy Douglas, but further reinforcements arrive in the summer. It might end up being a player-by-committee approach at linebacker, but whatever Patterson chooses, he'll need to make sure it's a formula that doesn't cause any regression in that area.
In 2014 Mallett and Dawson combined for 236 tackles, more than any three other TCU players.
Tennessee
51 of 65
Butch Jones: Ensure there's a capable backup quarterback
As exhilarating as it was to watch Joshua Dobbs handle the quarterback position after coming on midway through last season, there was still that fear that one wrong turn or bad hit could knock the sophomore out and Tennessee would be in major trouble. That fear remains, as Dobbs is the only quarterback on the roster with playing experience.
The rest—Quinten Dormady, Sheriron Jones and Jauan Jennings—are all freshmen. They're all competing to be Dobbs' backup, a spot that is more critical than it seems considering how often Tennessee passers were sacked in 2014.
All told, the offensive line allowed 43 sacks in 13 games.
Texas
52 of 65
Charlie Strong: Establish offensive consistency
This is easier said than done for Texas, which last year had four games in which it failed to top 300 yards and five where it was held to 10 or fewer points. A move was made early on this offseason by switching to a spread attack, one that could benefit redshirt freshman quarterback Jerrod Heard, though he didn't outright win the starting job over Tyrone Swoopes in spring practice.
The tweaks are likely to continue until the Longhorns find the right mix, and it's imperative to Texas' long-term success and ability to recruit top talent in the state. That hasn't been the case in a while, as Bleacher Report's Ben Kercheval wrote.
"It's going to be up to Strong and this offensive coaching staff to develop a lot of under-the-radar talent," Kercheval wrote. "That's not a line you expect to write about Texas. Ever."
Texas A&M
53 of 65
Kevin Sumlin: Keep his players out of trouble
Texas A&M had the unenviable distinction of being the highest-rated FBS program in the annual Fulmer Cup standings, a tongue-in-cheek competition on Reddit that tracks the arrests and other off-field transgressions of college football players. And much of that activity happened during the summer.
It's been a relatively quiet offseason for the Aggies in terms of police activity, and Sumlin would like to keep it that way. How exactly he goes about doing that is unknown, since the time between spring practice and preseason training camp is when coaches tend to have the least amount of regular contact with players and therefore aren't able to keep tabs on what they're doing.
Texas Tech
54 of 65
Kliff Kingsbury: Solve the turnover issue
Texas Tech tied for 119th in turnover margin in 2014 at minus-13, and at one point it had a string of 17 consecutive games where it failed to win the turnover battle. That came from a combination of only 15 takeaways and a whopping 28 giveaways, with at least two in nine of 12 games last season.
All that can really be done about the giveaway part is to work on protecting the ball better, but the quarterbacks also need to make better decisions. Patrick Mahomes and Davis Webb combined for 22 of the 28 turnovers, including 17 interceptions.
UCLA
55 of 65
Jim Mora: Continue to recruit without Adrian Klemm
Ever since Klemm, UCLA's offensive line coach, was suspended by the NCAA in March for alleged recruiting violations, it's been a patchwork approach for the Bruins both in terms of on-field evaluation and the search for future talent.
Klemm wasn't allowed to work with UCLA's players during spring ball, and he hasn't been permitted back on the recruiting trail, which is a major issue since he's regarded as one of the best recruiters in the country, according to Bleacher Report's Jason Fray.
UCLA has held its own to this point, ranking 10th in 247Sports' composite rankings for 2016, with eight of its 13 commitments coming since Klemm's suspension began. Once he is able to return, that will help keep things going, but for the time being Mora and his staff have to handle those duties with an undermanned approach.
USC
56 of 65
Steve Sarkisian: Develop an Adoree' Jackson distribution plan
We saw last season what Jackson was able to do as a cornerback, wide receiver and kick returner, sometimes all in the same game. Now we want to see how USC plans to maximize the sophomore's talents in 2015 in a way that might have him on the field for seemingly every play.
Jackson had 10 receptions for 138 yards and three touchdowns, to go with a 29.7-yard average (along with two TDs) on kick returns and four tackles for loss with nine pass breakups on defense.
The announcement Thursday that sophomore receiver Ajene Harris will miss the 2015 season because of hip surgery only increases the likelihood that Jackson will see a lot more time on offense. But he's still important to USC's secondary, as well as the return game, so Sarkisian must establish a firm plan to share Jackson among the three units.
Utah
57 of 65
Kyle Whittingham: Avoid being one-dimensional
There's no denying that Devontae Booker is going to be the focal point of Utah's offense this season, something made clear with Whittingham's statement that he hopes to get Booker over the 2,000-yard mark for his senior year. But that can't be the Utes' only consistent source of production—not if they want to win.
Quarterback Travis Wilson must establish a connection with his receivers in order to balance the offense, though the loss of Dres Anderson and Kaelin Clay reduces the amount of experience Wilson has at his disposal.
Booker ran for 1,512 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
Vanderbilt
58 of 65
Derek Mason: Handle both the defensive coordinator and head coaching duties
After a disastrous first season in charge of Vanderbilt's program, Mason fired coordinator David Kotulski and made himself the head of the Commodores defense. It was the role he had at Stanford before coming to Vandy, and it's what he identifies best with.
"I understand our talent," Mason told Chris Vannini of CoachingSearch.com. "I understand, schematically, what I want to do, and I understand how to compete with these offenses we’re seeing."
Whether this will impact how Mason handles overseeing the rest of Vandy's operations is the key to this move. During the offseason he must figure out how this will all go down before the season arrives.
Virginia
59 of 65
Mike London: Deal with roster turnover
Virginia finished spring practice in mid-April, but since then the Cavaliers have seen a key player leave the program and two others come in from other FBS teams. This will make training camp even more of a meet-and-greet than just with the arrival of freshmen, while also causing London to work on the fly to integrate all of the additions.
Quarterback Greyson Lambert transferred to Georgia, and in his place Virginia got former Texas and Arizona passer Connor Brewer as a graduate transfer. The Cavs also picked up Albert Reid, a running back from Maryland who will also be eligible immediately.
Virginia Tech
60 of 65
Frank Beamer: Find a go-to running back
Because of injuries, Virginia Tech had five different players who were given a chance to be the primary rusher. J.C. Coleman was the most consistent of the group, going for 468 yards over the Hokies' final four games after having only 26 carries for 65 yards in the first nine contests of his junior year.
Coleman, junior Trey Edmunds and redshirt freshman Travon McMillian are the top candidates, with sophomores Shai McKenzie and Marshawn Williams coming back from knee injuries.
"If the Hokies can get some injury luck and actually create continuity at the position, they might finally turn a corner here," Andy Bitter of the Roanoke Times wrote.
Wake Forest
61 of 65
Dave Clawson: Keep John Wolford's confidence up
With a run game that was by far the worst in the country to work alongside, Wolford pretty much had to do it all himself as Wake Forest's quarterback in 2014. And he struggled without that support, throwing for only 2,037 yards with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
He was also sacked 45 times, or roughly once every nine dropbacks, and he was running for his life on many other plays. That kind of a true freshman season could have destroyed him, but Wolford is back and projected to be the starter again.
In order to ensure Wolford isn't gun-shy this fall, Clawson should continue praising his effort and working to make the conditions better for 2015.
Washington
62 of 65
Chris Petersen: Treat the opener like any other game
Before coming to Washington in 2014, Petersen helped turn Boise State into one of the most prominent non-power programs in the country. He won 92 games in eight seasons, going unbeaten twice, but eventually he looked for a greater challenge.
Now he has to return to his old stomping grounds, as Petersen's Huskies open the 2015 season at Boise State. It's already going to be a tough enough contest without the added storyline of his homecoming, but that will be no doubt be brought up constantly leading up to the game.
For Petersen, he'll need to push aside any of the feelings and emotions that come with this trip and focus on beating a team filled with players he helped recruit to Boise.
Washington State
63 of 65
Mike Leach: Figure out how to defend the pass
For a team that throws as often as Washington State does, it sure hasn't shown the ability to stop others from doing the same. Last year the Cougars gave up more than 296 yards per game through the air, second-worst in FBS, while allowing 33 touchdowns against only three interceptions.
Nine of 12 opponents completed more than 60 percent of their passes, and with leading tackler Daquawn Brown dismissed from the team during the winter, an already bad unit is in even worse shape.
WSU's offense is going to score points, but it will also come up short from time to time with a sophomore quarterback (Luke Falk) and a receiving corps that graduated its top two receivers. That puts added pressure on the defense, and without production the Cougars have not shot of getting back to bowl eligibility.
West Virginia
64 of 65
Dana Holgorsen: Keep Skyler Howard calm
Given the chance to show what he was capable of late last year, Skyler Howard showed flashes of greatness in his three appearances with 829 yards and eight touchdowns with zero interceptions. But he also saw his accuracy plummet from 65.2 percent in that first game against Kansas State to 44.4 percent against Texas A&M in the Liberty Bowl.
"He learned a valuable lesson as far as what he needed to do to be a great quarterback," Holgorsen told ESPN.com's Brandon Chatmon.
Chatmon wrote that Howard dropped to third on the Mountaineers' depth chart last year because he needed to relax, something that was evident when things went bad for him in the bowl. In the lead-up to this season, keeping Howard from getting too flustered and animated can only do him (and West Virginia) good.
Wisconsin
65 of 65
Paul Chryst: Get Joel Stave's head right
Stave had a disappointing 2014 season as Wisconsin's part-time starting quarterback, finishing with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions while fighting off confidence issues and teammate Tanner McEvoy. He's the guy that Chryst, who was the Badgers' offensive coordinator prior to a three-year stint as Pittsburgh's head coach, is going to go with this fall.
But which Stave will appear from game to game? Last year it was hard to say which one that would be.
"Every time you think Stave has turned a corner, he regresses," SB Nation's Bill Connelly wrote.
Chryst helped turn Russell Wilson into a star during Wilson's lone season with Wisconsin, so he has the touch. If he can tap into Stave's best stuff and push aside the confidence concerns, all will be well.
Recruit rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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