College Football Injuries That Will Have the Biggest Impacts This Spring
Spring is a time for rejuvenation. A time for redemption. A time for reflection and contemplation following a long winter.
Those qualities, however, don’t necessarily jibe with spring football. In spring, coaches are looking to fill openings, challenge players and make their teams tougher, more physical and, simply, better.
That sounds good on paper, but injuries can complicate matters. Whether players are held out of spring practice while recovering from them or are returning from them, they can make life difficult for coaches seeking clarity on their depth charts.
Here’s a look at the college football injuries which will have the biggest impacts this spring.
Clemson CB Adrian Baker
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Clemson had an amazing 2015 season. The Tigers entered the national title game 14-0 and nearly took home the program’s first national championship since 1981 before falling to Alabama, 45-40.
The NFL took notice, as Clemson’s defense suffered heavy early-entry departures for the 2016 draft.
The Tigers’ secondary was particularly hard-hit. Redshirt sophomore cornerback Mackensie Alexander is a potential first-round pick, and safeties T.J. Green and Jayron Kearse also departed ahead of schedule. This spring is a time for defensive coordinator Brent Venables to sort out his options in the secondary, but recent events have made it more difficult.
Sophomore Adrian Baker was expected to challenge for Alexander’s old role, but he suffered a torn ACL and will miss spring at the very least. That will leave junior Ryan Carter and sophomore Mark Fields to battle for the role across from senior Cordrea Tankersley.
Further sapped depth is the last thing Venables needed right now, but he’s dealing with it regardless.
Georgia RB Nick Chubb
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This spring is truly a fresh start for Georgia’s football program.
For the first time since 2001, the Bulldogs are adjusting to a new head coach and his staff. UGA officials finally had enough of Mark Richt’s underperformance, jettisoning him following the 2015 season and replacing him with longtime Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, who is considered one of the game’s rising stars.
Smart will use this spring to evaluate his new team, but he’ll have to do so without getting a true live look at Nick Chubb.
The star tailback had an excellent freshman season, rushing for 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns, and he was on his way to another great year in 2015 with 745 yards and seven touchdowns through five games. But on the first play of the game against Tennessee, Chubb suffered a serious knee injury, tearing multiple ligaments.
According to Seth Emerson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chubb is on track in his recovery.
"We’re excited about where he is,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “And he’s progressed really well.”
Chubb won't participate in any team drills this spring and is questionable for the beginning of the 2016 season. That will leave lead-back duties to Sony Michel, who rushed for 1,161 yards and eight scores last fall. Michel is a perfectly capable runner but simply isn’t as explosive or impressive as Chubb.
Of course, few players are.
BYU QB Taysom Hill
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When the NCAA hands out sixth seasons of eligibility, it’s not a career achievement award. But it does reward perseverance, and Taysom Hill has plenty of that.
The BYU senior quarterback is a threat with his arm and his legs but has yet to fulfill that potential on the field.
As a sophomore, he threw for 2,938 yards with 19 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. He began 2014 strong, throwing for 975 yards with seven touchdowns against three interceptions as well as 460 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, but his season ended after suffering a broken ankle in the fifth game.
2015 was even more frustrating. Hill threw for 268 yards in the opener against Nebraska but suffered a Lisfranc fracture in his foot, ending his year before it could really get going. Freshman Tanner Mangum performed well in his stead, throwing for 3,377 yards with 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Hill is back for one more go, and his presence gives the Cougars a conundrum. He’ll be in an open competition with Mangum this spring, which is just one more thing for a new coaching staff to sort out, assuming he can stay healthy long enough to give the sophomore a battle for the spot.
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East Carolina WR Isaiah Jones
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East Carolina had a disappointing 5-7 season in 2015, one that ultimately cost head coach Ruffin McNeill his job. New coach and former assistant Scottie Montgomery hopes to right the Pirates’ ship, but he’ll have to do so this spring without the program’s top receiver.
Senior receiver Isaiah Jones will miss spring practice while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Jones was ECU’s best offensive weapon last season, making 98 catches for 1,099 yards and five touchdowns and showing excellent chemistry with quarterback Blake Kemp.
This spring, Trevon Brown (41 receptions, 496 yards, four touchdowns in 2015) will serve as the top receiver. Jones will be healthy for the regular season, but it’s a missed opportunity to show the new staff how he and Kemp can thrive offensively.
Baylor RB Shock Linwood
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For Baylor, this spring is about getting healthy. The Bears struggled down the stretch last season following season-ending injuries to quarterbacks Seth Russell and Jarrett Stidham. Both Russell and Stidham are healthy this spring, but another key piece of the offense remains sidelined.
Tailback Shock Linwood, who rushed for 1,329 yards and 10 touchdowns last fall, missed the Russell Athletic Bowl with a Jones fracture in his foot. He’ll also miss this spring while recovering from the injury.
Baylor will have 1,000-yard rusher Johnny Jefferson back, and he is perfectly capable. But the Bears are replacing four of five starting offensive linemen this spring, and an opportunity for Linwood to build chemistry with his new line is going by the boards.
Florida WR Brandon Powell
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For the first half of 2015, Florida’s offense was competent. But following Will Grier’s NCAA suspension for a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, the Gators fell into a malaise with Treon Harris at the helm. Florida ended the season on a three-game losing streak, getting outscored, 97-24.
Grier is gone via transfer, and Harris has moved to receiver, leaving transfers Austin Appleby and Luke Del Rio to compete for the starting quarterback role in spring practice. But who will they throw to?
Harris, along with top returning receiver Antonio Callaway, is suspended for spring drills. Callaway is suspended due to a UF code of conduct violation, according to Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times.
That would leave the door open for No. 3 receiver Brandon Powell (29 receptions, 390 yards, three scores) to step forward, right? Nope. Powell is out for spring with a foot injury.
His injury comes at exactly the wrong time for a receiver group severely lacking in depth this spring.
Alabama OT Cam Robinson
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For the third consecutive spring, Alabama coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin have a quarterback competition. Seniors Blake Sims and Jake Coker did just fine in their single seasons leading the Crimson Tide offense, taking Alabama to a College Football Playoff appearance and a national title, respectively.
Coker’s graduation means the Tide is looking for a quarterback again. Redshirt freshman Blake Barnett, sophomore Cooper Bateman and sophomore David Cornwell are the primary competitors for the job. But they’ll have to do so without their primary protector on the offensive line.
Left tackle Cam Robinson has emerged as one of the nation’s premier tackles and offensive linemen. But he’ll miss spring practice while recovering from shoulder surgery. With Dominick Jackson’s graduation, Alabama will be without both of its starting tackles from 2015 this spring.
Junior Korren Kirven will likely fill in at left tackle, but Robinson is missing optimal time to bond with the guys he’ll be keeping upright this fall.
Duke QB Thomas Sirk
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One of the keys to Duke’s rise to ACC prominence under David Cutcliffe has been solid quarterback play.
Cutcliffe has a strong track record with quarterback development, counting Peyton and Eli Manning on his resume, and while the Blue Devil quarterbacks haven’t risen to the Mannings’ level, they’ve been consistent contributors.
Last fall, Thomas Sirk threw for 16 touchdowns against eight interceptions and also served as Duke’s leading rusher with 803 yards and eight touchdowns. But his status for the 2016 season is in question after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon during offseason drills.
Duke will look to sophomore Parker Boehme as its starter. Boehme threw for 579 yards with two touchdowns and an interception last fall, completing 55.1 percent of his passes.
He started a game in place of Sirk and has some experience in the limelight. But the drop-off from Sirk to Boehme could really hurt the Blue Devils this spring.
Notre Dame QB Malik Zaire
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For the second consecutive season, Brian Kelly and Notre Dame are staring at a quarterback decision. A year ago, Malik Zaire bested senior and former starter Everett Golson, leading to Golson’s departure to Florida State as a graduate transfer.
Zaire looked very good early on but suffered a broken ankle against Virginia, ending his season. That opened the door for freshman DeShone Kizer, who was excellent in the high-profile role. He threw for 2,884 yards with 21 touchdowns against 10 interceptions and rushed for 520 yards and 10 touchdowns, leading Notre Dame to a 10-win season and the Fiesta Bowl.
Zaire has returned healthy, and he’ll face a serious fight for the job. Both quarterbacks are capable of starting for the Irish, and it’ll be fascinating to see how the race shakes out this spring and into summer.
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