SEC Extra Points with Barrett Sallee: Will 2016 Be the Year of the QB?
When you read down the list of possible starting quarterbacks at SEC schools not named "Ole Miss" and "Tennessee," it'll make you wince.
Sure, there's potential at some schools.
Jacob Eason could turn into a star after going through some freshman speed bumps at Georgia, Trevor Knight has looked good at times and could click with head coach Kevin Sumlin and offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone's system at Texas A&M and Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin has earned the benefit of the doubt to at least find somebody who can run the Crimson Tide offense.
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But any optimism is preceded by boatloads of uncertainty and, in some cases, overt skepticism.
Could that change once the season starts?
From a perception standpoint, yes.
Ole Miss and Tennessee boast legitimate Heisman candidates in Chad Kelly and Joshua Dobbs, respectively. If either or both succeed, they would become the leaders in the SEC's return to quarterback glory that has been absent since 2013.
Elsewhere, Florida's eventual starting quarterback—Luke Del Rio, Austin Appleby or Feleipe Franks—has a proven head coach in Jim McElwain to help them, along with a wide receiving corps that, very quietly, has become pretty darn deep.
Auburn has four different quarterback options, all of whom bring something different to the table, and a head coach in Gus Malzahn who's a little less tied to forcing a specific system or style on his team thanks to that rather warm seat he's sitting on. In years past, he tried to bring more balance to the multidimensional rushing attack, perhaps for recruiting or perhaps for his own future job prospects at the next level. Now he just has to stay employed, and that pressure should force him to employ whatever scheme works regardless of appearance.
Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen has proved time and time again that he can replicate success regardless of quarterback. Even without Dak Prescott in 2016, Nick Fitzgerald (6'5", 227 pounds), Elijah Staley (6'6", 248 pounds) or Damian Williams (6'1", 228 pounds) can operate essentially the same scheme and have the luxury of receiver Fred Ross outside.
The SEC's quarterback play is down. Earlier this month, I posted a story with the biggest offseason question for every SEC team and could have put "quarterback" down for 12 of the 14 teams. That doesn't mean that those questions won't be answered this year.
There's talent on the field, wearing coaching headsets and a bit of pressure at spots like LSU, Auburn and Texas A&M that could help answer those questions this year, and make the position more of a strength than a liability in 2016.
More Bad News
It's safe to say that Tennessee has had a long month.
A really long month.
The Title IX lawsuit brought forth earlier this month drew wide coverage, and was followed by the story from Shaun King of the New York Daily News that featured the allegations against former Volunteer quarterback Peyton Manning from an incident in 1996. Then came the arrest of former starting center Mack Crowder on five felony charges in a Florida sex crimes sting.
Wednesday night brought more bad news.
Recent signee and junior college transfer defensive tackle Alexis Johnson was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and false imprisonment, according to Dustin Dopirak of the Knoxville News Sentinel. Johnson—who arrived on campus in January—was suspended indefinitely by head coach Butch Jones.
It's the latest in a series of events that have painted the Tennessee program in a negative light since national signing day, and the impression that the program is a bit out of control is going to be hard to shake. Like it or not—deserved or not—it is part of Tennessee's identity now, which means that Jones has to come out and address how he intends to change that.
Is that fair to Jones?
Not really.
Crowder hasn't been a part of the program since Tennessee's Outback Bowl win over Northwestern in January, and the Manning incident, which was heavily publicized when it happened, predates his tenure by a full generation.
That doesn't matter. Jones is the man on Rocky Top right now, and it's up to him to lead the charge to assure the public that these types of incidents won't happen anymore. Will West of WNML in Knoxville details just what needs to be done to calm the growing firestorm:
The PR battle is Jones' battle, whether he wants it or not.
Shot at the Gus Bus?
In one of the most shocking moves of the offseason, former Auburn wide receivers coach and legendary Auburn quarterback Dameyune Craig bailed on his alma mater over the weekend in favor of the same title at intradivision rival LSU.
On the way out of the door, he took a shot at Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn, according to quotes emailed by LSU:
"I don’t look at it as a lateral move. In your career, you have personal goals and you have team goals that you set. I have always set those, as a player and now as a coach. You just want to see men grow up and develop in your career, on and off the field. That was part of the reason for coming here. Getting a chance to work for Coach Miles is definitely not a lateral move. I hope you don’t think it is in any way.
"
That isn't even a thinly veiled shot, it's a direct shot at Malzahn. Craig has the same wide receivers coach title in Baton Rouge as he did at Auburn, but without the "co-offensive coordinator" title that's typically used to get assistants a bit more money out of the budget when luring them to campus.
It is as much of a lateral move as it gets, and Craig complimenting Miles as the biggest reason to make the move is directly suggesting that his former boss isn't up to par.
Whether you agree with Craig about the lure of Miles or not, he isn't making any friends on his way out of the Plains. That will surely be brought up this fall, when the two Tigers meet in Auburn on Sept. 24 in a pivotal early-season game that should impact that SEC West landscape.
No Reason To Talk Chubb's Progress
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart made a few public comments on WCNN 680 The Fan on Wednesday morning, and the subject of his best player came up.
According to Seth Emerson of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, running back Nick Chubb is running after tearing ligaments in his knee at Tennessee in October 2015.
"To say he’s going to be ready Day 1 or he’s gonna be ready Game 1, I think we’re a long way away from that right now," Smart said on The Front Row on 680 The Fan. "We wanna do what’s right for Nick long term. And that’s the most important thing. He feels comfortable with that, (head athletic trainer) Ron (Courson) feels comfortable with that."
Reason to panic and think that Chubb won't be healthy?
Of course not.
Smart only has been on the job for a few months, and Chubb is still roughly halfway through his rehab. Why put pressure on himself, his star running back and his training staff by even suggesting a date for his return?
That's not going to help anybody.
Quick Outs
- The NCAA held a conference call last week regarding officiating, and on it, said that a centralized replay system could be used in 2016 on a conference-by-conference basis. I don't mind the thought at all, but it's more of an efficiency decision than anything else. Officials already review every play if needed on site, but if master control at the conference office is a better business decision, that's fine too. Plus, the conspiracy theories centralized replay would lead to would be quite spicy.
- Star 5-star 2016 prospect Demetris Robertson is still unsigned, and considering SEC schools including Georgia and Alabama. Both could use him—especially his home-state Bulldogs. Stanford and Notre Dame appear to be in the mix as well, but never count out Bulldog head coach Kirby Smart or Crimson Tide front man Nick Saban. A little overtime recruiting drama never hurts to bridge the gap between national signing day and spring practice.
- Hey, look, Baylor is scheduling major out-of-conference opponents! According to ESPN's Brett McMurphy, the Bears will play Ole Miss in Houston to open the 2020 season. If both coaching staffs are still in place, expect the over/under for total points to be set at 193.5.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of CFBStats.com, and recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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