College Football Teams and Players Poised for Huge Bounce-Back Years
Spring is a time when hope arrives anew. Snow and winter’s chill fade away, and rapidly greening grass, flowering trees, the planting of flowers and sunny attitudes all arrive. That’s true in college football, too. While the failings and disappointments of the previous fall are not completely forgotten, spring is a time for a new chance, a fresh perspective and an improved outlook.
That’s true for players and teams across the country. Players who spent winter rehabbing from injuries, adjusting to new coaching staffs or adapting to new locations have an opportunity to improve without the pressure of opposing competition. Spring is a first chance or, in some cases, a last chance, and the latter certainly motivates.
Here’s a look at teams and players who are in line for big turnarounds in 2016. They’re on the mend from injuries, are in new situations, have a fresh pair of eyes looking at them or have talent that can be improved and push them to bigger heights this fall.
Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett
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Last fall, J.T. Barrett spent the season a little off-kilter for the most part. Barrett was a key cog in Ohio State’s 2014 national title run. He spent the regular season as the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback and threw for 2,834 yards with 34 touchdowns against 10 interceptions and rushed for 938 yards and 11 touchdowns before suffering a fractured ankle in the regular-season finale.
Cardale Jones finished the drill by leading Ohio State to a College Football Playoff championship, and he won a high-profile battle for the starting role last fall. Jones was inconsistent, and Barrett made his way back onto the field, but a one-game suspension following an arrest for driving while intoxicated stunted his momentum.
He finished with 992 yards passing and 11 touchdowns against four interceptions with 682 yards rushing and 11 scores. But by season’s end, he was Ohio State’s clear starter and threw for 211 yards and rushed for 96 in a Fiesta Bowl rout of Notre Dame.
Jones is gone to the NFL, and there’s no doubt Barrett is the man under center. He’ll have a young but talented team around him, but there's no one who will make him look over his shoulder. Expect a return close to his freshman numbers.
Wisconsin RB Corey Clement
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2015 was a lost season, in pretty much every sense, for Wisconsin tailback Corey Clement. Many expected Clement to become the Badgers’ next great backfield star following 2014 Heisman Trophy runner-up Melvin Gordon. He had rushed for 949 yards and nine scores as Gordon’s backup, and stardom was the next step, right?
Wrong. Clement played in just four games because of a sports hernia injury and was suspended for the regular-season finale against Minnesota following a disorderly conduct arrest. He finished with just 221 yards and five touchdowns, and he averaged 4.6 yards per carry.
This spring, Clement is healthy and motivated, per Jason Galloway of the Wisconsin State Journal.
“I’m feeling a lot better (physically)," Clement said. "Throughout the season, time wasn’t on my side. Now I have another chance to come back and redeem myself and come back for a stronger season that I hoped to have last year. Now I get a chance to recuperate, regenerate my mind and put it forward to a positive season.”
This is Clement’s last chance to cement his spot in Wisconsin’s backfield legacy, and it sounds like he is supremely motivated to do so.
Texas A&M QB Trevor Knight
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Trevor Knight just needed a fresh start. Knight ended the 2013 season on a high by leading Oklahoma to a convincing Sugar Bowl win over Alabama and taking home Sugar Bowl MVP honors. That built a level of hype Knight couldn’t live up to the following season.
He struggled in 2014, throwing 14 touchdowns against 12 interceptions and suffering a scary neck injury. The Sooners finished 8-5 and brought in East Carolina offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley to install the Air Raid system. Knight lost a quarterback competition to Texas Tech transfer Baker Mayfield and played sparingly as OU won the Big 12 and made the College Football Playoff.
If he wanted to play, Knight needed a new home. That home was Texas A&M, which had lost a pair of talented quarterbacks to transfer in Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray and parted ways with offensive coordinator Jake Spavital.
New offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone will run a pass-first system that Knight can thrive in, as he'll be passing to a great group of receivers led by sophomore Christian Kirk, who had 80 receptions for 1,009 yards and seven scores in 2015. All the pieces are in place for Knight to have a big final collegiate season in College Station.
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Auburn DE Carl Lawson
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For Carl Lawson, the problem has never been what he does on the field; the problem has been staying on it. The Auburn defensive end was a freshman All-American selection during the Tigers’ surprising run to the final BCS National Championship Game, but a torn ACL forced him to redshirt the 2014 season.
Last fall, he suffered a cracked hip in the first series of the season opener against Louisville and missed the next six games. He finished the season with 17 tackles, three tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits, but he was never fully healthy.
Now, Lawson is finally 100 percent and is emerging as a leader for Auburn’s defense and new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. If he stays healthy, Lawson will be a cornerstone of the Tigers defensive line and a likely early-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft. The Auburn defense will be much better with his pass-rushing skills in place.
Nebraska
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In his first season in Lincoln, head coach Mike Riley looked like a square peg in a round hole. Riley was a surprising hire from Oregon State following Bo Pelini’s firing, and he did little to inspire confidence in 2015. Even after a Foster Farms Bowl win over UCLA, Nebraska finished 6-7. Narrow games were Nebraska’s bugaboo; the Cornhuskers lost five games by five or fewer points.
Riley should learn from his mistakes in his second go-round, and an experienced roster will help. Sixteen starters return, led by quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. Armstrong threw for 3,030 yards and 22 touchdowns last season, and if he can cut down on his 16 interceptions, he can be a dangerous dual-threat QB. Leading rusher Terrell Newby also returns, as does No. 1 receiver Jordan Westerkamp (65 receptions, 918 yards, seven touchdowns).
NU’s Big Ten schedule is manageable. The Huskers have Indiana and Maryland while avoiding Michigan State and Michigan. They must travel to Wisconsin, Ohio State and Iowa, but a significant improvement is well within the realm of possibility for Riley and Nebraska in 2016.
Texas QB Tyrone Swoopes
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Suggesting Tyrone Swoopes has endured a tumultuous collegiate career is an understatement. The Texas senior quarterback begins his final season in Austin with his fourth offensive coordinator in as many years. Head coach Charlie Strong is feeling the heat following a pair of mediocre seasons, and he hopes former Tulsa offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert is the ticket to success.
Swoopes was Texas’ starter as a sophomore, but he faded to a complementary role behind Jerrod Heard last fall, throwing for 537 yards and four touchdowns with an interception. However, he was an excellent mobile threat, as he rushed for 451 yards and 12 touchdowns. Gilbert values dual-threat quarterbacks with good arms, which has pushed Swoopes ahead of Heard and a trio of freshmen this spring.
Strong told reporters that Swoopes is playing with confidence now, per ESPN.com's Max Olson.
"It’s now more or less, ‘Hey, I know I can do this. It’s about me going to get it done,’” Strong said. “It doesn’t surprise me. I knew it would take a little time, but it doesn’t surprise me. You like how he’s going about it now and his overall attitude. He works really hard, and you want to see good things for him.”
Working in the Air Raid system could be a good fit for Swoopes’ skill set. It’s now or never for him at Texas, and we’re betting on “now.”
Georgia Tech QB Justin Thomas
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Two years ago, Georgia Tech was one of the best teams in the ACC, and quarterback Justin Thomas was one of the best signal-callers in the league. The Yellow Jackets won 11 games, and claimed the ACC Coastal Division title and the Orange Bowl. Thomas was excellent in 2014. He threw for 1,719 yards with 18 touchdowns against six interceptions and rushed for 1,086 yards and eight touchdowns.
The offensive core of that team departed, and Tech’s fortunes slid, resulting in a 3-9 record. Thomas fell with them. He threw for 1,345 yards with 13 touchdowns against eight interceptions, and he completed just 41.7 percent of his passes. His rushing stats were down sharply, too: Thomas rushed for 488 yards and six scores, averaging just 3.4 yards per attempt.
This spring, Tech’s offensive skill players return around Thomas, who enters his senior season. At times last fall, he tried to do too much, which hurt both him and the Jackets offense. Leading rusher Marcus Marshall (654 yards, four touchdowns) returns, as does top receiver Ricky Jeune (24 receptions, 520 yards, four scores).
And there is depth around them in the backfield with Marcus Allen and Clinton Lynch, as well as redshirts C.J. Leggett and Quaide Weimerskirch. The receiving corps features Brad Stewart, Harland Howell and Christian Philpott.
If the depth improves around Thomas, he’ll be more relaxed and come a lot closer to his sophomore form than he did in 2015.
Tulsa
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Head coach Philip Montgomery’s first season at Tulsa was uneven. Montgomery’s fast-paced offensive system helped the Golden Hurricane show improvement by going from a 2-10 record to bowl eligibility. They finished 6-6 and earned an Independence Bowl bid. They scared Virginia Tech in now-retired head coach Frank Beamer’s final game before falling, 55-52.
Seven starters return from an offense that averaged 37.2 points per game, including quarterback Dane Evans (4,332 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, eight interceptions) and No. 2 receiver Joshua Atkinson, who had 76 receptions for 1,071 yards and five scores.
The big hurdle for real improvement is the defense, which allowed 39.8 points per game and yielded at least 40 points six times. If the defense can show progress, the Hurricane can challenge in the AAC, although a road schedule with trips to Ohio State, Houston and Memphis is daunting.
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