SEC Extra Points: Is Kirby Smart the New Steve Spurrier?
ATHENS, Ga. — The SEC lost one of the best last October, when former South Carolina and Florida head coach Steve Spurrier resigned from his position as the head coach of the Gamecocks, leaving a void in the SEC's sound-bite department.
Sure, there's Arkansas' Bret Bielema, who's one of the best. As is LSU's Les Miles—a man who has a better grasp of the English language than you. Yes, you.
Judging from his first three months as the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, Kirby Smart appears to be the man to fill the Spurrier void.
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Is he a lightning rod? Apparently so. The minor "dust-up" regarding the transfer restrictions he placed on former running back A.J. Turman became a national controversy this week (still not sure why, and that's addressed here), and Smart didn't back down when pressed on his policy.
He also stepped to the mic and did his best Spurrier impression Tuesday night after Georgia's fourth practice of the season.
"Well, not a good day," he said upon entering the press room. "We didn't have a lot of focus or intensity out there. A little disappointed coming off Monday being off. We had a lot of mental errors. I think we've hit a wall with our installs. Maybe overloaded the players, I'm not sure. Real sloppy. Sloppy on defense. A lot of busts. A lot of bad snaps. Mishandled snaps on offense.
"Not where we need to be. Didn't throw and catch the ball really well. Gave up a lot of big plays on defense, which is never good. We have to do a better job as coaches and not overload them."
Other than that, Georgia looked great.
This is straight out of the Spurrier playbook.
He even does this in a joking manner:
Smart hasn't even coached a game as the main man in Athens, and he has already become one of the most polarizing figures in college football.
Because Alabama head coach Nick Saban rarely allowed Smart to speak publicly when Smart was the defensive coordinator of the Crimson Tide, he isn't the hero we expected.
He's the hero that we need, though.
Getting Thin
During spring practice, having a veteran playmaker or two sitting on the sidelines rehabbing from injuries isn't the worst thing in the world. Well, as long as those injuries aren't expected to linger into fall camp. With veterans out, youngsters step into their roles, and teams develop the depth that's required to contend for conference and national championships.
When those injuries mount, though, things can get dicey.
Tennessee lost star linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin for the spring, as well as fellow linebacker Dillon Bates.
Those stars who are out for practice include defensive end Derek Barnett, fellow ends Andrew Butcher and Kyle Phillips, tackles Shy Tuttle and Kendal Vickers, and offensive guard Jashon Robertson.
Whether Jones is joking regarding the "Orange and White Festival" or not, the quantity of spring injuries matters much more than the quality of player.
When a team starts getting to a point where it's simply looking for able bodies to run drills at each position rather than preparing for the season and building depth, that's a problem.
Tennessee is teetering close to that point.
The Savior Freeze Has Been Searching For
For three seasons, Ole Miss has failed to establish a consistent running threat between the tackles from anybody other than the quarterback.
Things might be changing.
Redshirt freshman Eric Swinney, a former 4-star prospect who sat out last season after suffering a stress fracture in his leg, has turned heads so far this spring.
He looked very good today," Freeze said on Monday, according to the school. "He hasn’t had a ton of carries, but today he looked quick, powerful, strong and he finished runs well. I like what I saw."
That's huge news for Freeze who, in a perfect world, would likely want to cut down on the 359 total carries he has given to his starting quarterbacks over the last three seasons. Swinney, a 5'9", 197-pounder from Riverdale, Georgia, is small in stature but a bowling ball between the tackles. He sneaks up on defenders in the hole and packs a surprising punch when he lowers his shoulder.
If Ole Miss can find a consistent running game to go along with its elite passing game led by quarterback Chad Kelly, the Rebels will be tough to stop.
Finding Franklin
One thing has become clear during the early stages of Auburn's spring practice—head coach Gus Malzahn wants junior college transfer dual-threat quarterback John Franklin III to win the job.
First, Malzahn complimented Franklin's "wow factor" on the ground before the Tigers broke for spring break, according to Brandon Marcello of AL.com. On Wednesday, according to Marcello, he gave another hint that Franklin needs to be his guy.
Malzahn floated the idea of his quarterbacks being "live" during Saturday's scrimmage, meaning they will be tackled to the ground rather than just touched "down." The last time Auburn did this, according to Marcello, was in August 2013, when former quarterback Nick Marshall essentially solidified the starting job after displaying his wheels and elusiveness on the ground in a live-game situation.
Why so early?
Because Malzahn wants to know the style of his offense before settling on its trigger man.
If Franklin follows Marshall's path on Saturday—or whenever Auburn's quarterbacks go "live"—he not only will be the front-runner, but the Auburn quarterback battle will turn into the college football version of the Harlem Globetrotters vs. the Washington Generals.
If he doesn't, then the race will remain open for the foreseeable future.
Giving Back
Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs made a cameo appearance at the Atlanta regional for The Opening on Sunday, and it wasn't just to give a speech to the campers in attendance.
Dobbs got down and dirty in quarterback drills, serving as a guest coach who routinely pulled players aside to give them advice—regardless of the player's star rating.
"It's fun," Dobbs told Bleacher Report. "I have a great relationship with the hole staff. Just being able to come back—I remember these days—and seeing guys who are in my position now come back is always great. It's awesome to come back. I know a lot of the guys from the Atlanta area and train with them, see them and give back."
Of course, it didn't hurt Dobbs to spend a little bit of time around another set of well-respected coaches during his spring break either.
Quick Outs
- South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp pulled off a recruiting coup, keeping true freshman Brandon McIlwain away from Major League Baseball during the 2016 recruiting cycle. He'll have competition. Jake Bentley, a 4-star quarterback from Opelika, Alabama, committed to the Gamecocks Thursday. Bentley has a big arm, and the difference in styles will give Muschamp options moving forward.
- Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh will hold a satellite camp in Pearl, Mississippi, on June 8. You can't blame Harbaugh for doing it. But with little talk of banning satellite camps nationwide, SEC head coaches better get ready to move. Commissioner Greg Sankey said last May that the conference will allow his coaches to do the same in 2016 if national legislation isn't passed. Game on.
- Alabama head coach Nick Saban is ranked 11th on Fortune's list of the world's 50 greatest leaders. Because, you know, it's been a while since good news has come his way.
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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