SEC Extra Points: QB Blake Barnett Needs to Be the Man for Alabama
For the third straight season, Alabama head coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin are navigating through a quarterback battle.
Unlike those previous years, though, figuring it out on the fly might not be the best idea.
The Crimson Tide had running backs T.J. Yeldon (2014) and Derrick Henry (2014 and 2015) to help take pressure off the quarterback position and relied heavily on center Ryan Kelly's ability to recognize and adjust to pressure before the snap.
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In 2016, both of those positions are wide-open as well, which means the insurance that Blake Sims and Jacob Coker enjoyed over the last couple of years has lapsed, and this is a whole new world for the Alabama offense.
That's OK, because redshirt freshman Blake Barnett should be the guy to save the day.
The 6'5", 200-pounder from Corona, California, is a former 5-star prospect—one of the guys Kiffin targeted early when he arrived at Alabama—and the most talented quarterback Saban has had since taking over the Crimson Tide program prior to the 2007 season.
"Blake had some ups and downs last year with some injuries and illness and things that probably held him back a little bit," Saban said after Friday's first spring practice prior to spring break, according to Charlie Potter of 247Sports. "So we’re all kind of anxious to see how he matures and how he does this spring, as well."
A big spring could lead to a runaway race this summer.
Barnett has a big arm, can push the ball sideline to sideline and is mobile enough to provide the same kind of threat that Sims did in 2014, when Alabama set a program record for total offense en route to the SEC title and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
At this point, can you trust any of the other quarterbacks on campus?
David Cornwell was the flavor of the entire offseason in 2015, but a week-and-a-half into fall camp, he became a non-factor in the quarterback race that Coker eventually won. Cooper Bateman was given plenty of opportunities to win the job during fall camp and in September, and even started Game 3 against Ole Miss. Jalen Hurts, while talented, is still a true freshman.
Saban and Kiffin want Barnett to be the guy. They need him to be the guy. They need it to happen earlier than quarterback races of the past have been decided, too, because the specific roster holes Alabama has heading into the 2016 season don't allow the eventual winner to ease into the spot.
Bama needs a leader, and Barnett needs to be that guy.
Big Cameo
When a couple of handoffs taken by one player during the first spring practice of the year sends shock waves through the college football world, you know that player matters a lot.
In this case, it's Georgia running back Nick Chubb.
The junior running back for the Bulldogs who tore up his knee in early October 2015 on his first carry versus Tennessee took handoffs from quarterback Brice Ramsey on Tuesday, confirming what head coach Kirby Smart said in his press conference.
"He is dead-on schedule," Smart said, according to Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald. "If you asked Ron (Courson), he probably would be a little bit ahead of schedule as far as what we expect of him."
Yes, Chubb simply taking some handoffs in practice is that big of a deal.
Georgia has plenty of running back depth, including junior Sony Michel and true freshman Elijah Holyfield, to take pressure off Chubb when he is back to speed, but that depth is nowhere near what it has been over the last three years.
If he's ahead of schedule—even by a little bit—that will keep Georgia in the mix for the SEC East title.
Whether it's right out of the gate or sometime during the season, true freshman Jacob Eason will likely be the starting quarterback for Georgia because of his talent and upside. If Chubb can be at 100 percent, or even in that ballpark, it will help Eason and the entire Georgia offense adjust to the new system under coordinator Jim Chaney.
Blessing in "DisGuice"
Along the same lines as Chubb taking handoffs, LSU running back Leonard Fournette's every move makes headlines.
Unfortunately, his latest move isn't on the practice field, according to Ross Dellenger of the Advocate.
As Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers would say, "R-E-L-A-X."
A "minor soft tissue" injury is cryptic, for sure.
But as long as a star player doesn't have a torn ACL, Achilles or something that is major during spring, minor issues that keep him out of practice can be a blessing in disguise.
Can you guess who led the SEC in yards per carry in 2015? It wasn't Fournette, Chubb, Henry, Jalen Hurd or any other star.
It was LSU's Derrius Guice at 8.55.
With Fournette out, Guice, Darrel Williams, David Ducre and other talented Tigers running backs will get valuable first-team snaps that will help develop that depth and familiarity when Fournette takes a breather during the fall.
That can be useful when Fournette is in action, too. While the superstar can be a weapon as a receiver out of the backfield, Guice is much more dangerous in that department. Getting Guice even more familiar with quarterback Brandon Harris as a first-teamer on screens and as a safety valve will allow head coach Les Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron to get creative with Guice now and fine-tune that plan once Fournette returns.
JF-Wow
Auburn lacked the threat of a mobile quarterback during its lackluster 7-6 season in 2015, but apparently that threat is back in the form of junior college transfer and former Florida State quarterback John Franklin III.
Franklin enrolled at Auburn this January and has already made an impression on head coach Gus Malzahn and the Auburn staff thanks to his ability to make plays on the ground.
"I've been impressed with his approach," Malzahn said last week, according to Brandon Marcello of AL.com. "He wants to be coached, his attention to detail, he's real hard on himself. He throws the ball well, we're just trying to get his timing down on the base offense as far as the run game, as far as the pass game.
"But he's naturally fast. When he takes off running, he's got the wow factor. He can really run."
That's enormous because he's the player who will give Malzahn the option of sticking with a pro-style passer or going back to the "Nick Marshall offense"—based off the quarterback Franklin emulated on FSU's scout team leading up to the 2014 BCS National Championship Game—with the quarterback providing a running threat off the edge.
The concern is his ability as a passer, but it's not like Marshall was Peyton Manning. If the staff can get Franklin to be consistent enough downfield, that's likely all he needs to take hold of the top spot on the depth chart—which is currently occupied by Jeremy Johnson.
One week in, Franklin is on the right track.
Big Talk from a Big Man
Who will take the place of Jonathan Bullard as the centerpiece of the Florida defensive line?
Caleb Brantley offers a candidate—himself.
"I think I’m the best D-lineman in the country," he said, according to Zach Abolverdi of SECCountry.com. "I’m coming out to try and prove it."
The 6'2", 300-pound redshirt junior has 50 career tackles, 10.5 for loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles during his first two seasons of action in Gainesville, and has benefited from the teammates drawing a ton of attention from opposing offensive lines.
This year, that attention will be on Brantley, who will be joined by sophomore Cece Jefferson, redshirt senior Bryan Cox and others on the new-look Gator defensive front.
Don't freak out over Brantley's assertion that he's the best in the country. There's a fine line between being confident and being arrogant, and the best athletes in the world routinely dance on both sides of the line.
Quick Outs
- The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will take place in Jacksonville through 2021, Georgia and Florida announced on Wednesday. That's not long enough. It should be there forever.
- What spring break? Alabama quarterback David Cornwell and tight end O.J. Howard are mixing in work with fun, practicing together in Texas while the Tide take the week off. Nick Saban likely approves (as does Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, of course).
- South Carolina true freshman early enrollee Bryan Edwards is already at the top of the Gamecocks' depth chart at wide receiver. A bold move from head coach Will Muschamp, but there's no doubt that Edwards needs to be a star in 2016 for a wide receiving corps that severely lacks experience sans Pharoh Cooper.
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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