College Football Stock Watch: Who Is Rising and Falling Post-Spring Games?
College football's busiest season outside of the fall is complete, with spring games wrapped up all across the country and teams getting ready to transition to summer workouts.
(Never mind that summer doesn't start for another month-and-a-half. This sport has no time for your equinoxes and solstices.)
While there's always a danger of overreaction or no reaction to what happened in spring practices and scrimmages, several programs saw their stocks rise with impressive play over the last several weeks. Others took some hits due to injuries and added question marks.
Let's take a look at the players, positions and programs that improved in perception at the conclusion of their respective spring games and those that saw a downturn. Whether their stocks improved or worsened, there's still plenty of time for the market to fluctuate between now and the start of the 2016 regular season.
Who do you think improved their stocks the most during spring practices, and who do you think took a hit? Sound off in the comments below.
Rising: Alabama's Reloaded Defense
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Even though Alabama lost key defensive players such as Jarran Reed, Reggie Ragland and the age-defying A'Shawn Robinson to the next level this offseason, the Crimson Tide proved they are going to roll on just fine on that side of the ball.
Through several major transitions—including the arrival of a new coordinator—Alabama's defense simply looked ridiculous in its spring game. Neither offense could get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter of the contest.
Freakish running back Bo Scarbrough, who had ripped through the defense for huge yardage in previous scrimmages, was held mostly in check. Veteran quarterbacks in the Tide's battle couldn't get much sustained offense going in the wave of crimson and white defenders.
"Alabama's defense appears to not just be very good, but potentially outstanding," Christopher Walsh of Bleacher Report wrote. "Even with numerous new starters and defensive lineman Jonathan Allen held out after having shoulder surgery, it was credited with 16 tackles for a loss including 14 sacks, eight quarterback hurries and seven passes broken up."
Players such as linebacker Rashaan Evans, edge-rusher Tim Williams and cornerback Tony Brown had breakout spring game performances, showcasing the Tide's extremely talented depth in the face of several holes on the starting depth chart. Alabama leaned on the nation's No. 2 defense en route to a championship last season. This spring showed it could be even better there for 2016.
Falling: Tennessee's Healthy Depth
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For those wanting to get a complete look at presumed SEC East favorite Tennessee this spring, you're going to have to wait a while. The Volunteers, one of the deepest and most experienced teams in the country, were ravaged by injury during camp.
By the time Tennessee got to its spring game, injury held out two dozen players, including star defensive end Derek Barnett and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin. The Volunteers didn't look anything like they'll supposedly look in the fall, when they will gun for a long-awaited trip to the Georgia Dome for the SEC Championship Game.
"The major difference is we had 24 players out in the spring," Tennessee head coach Butch Jones said, per Dustin Dopirak of the Knoxville News Sentinel. "In years past, we would have had to cancel the spring game. A lot of those were preexisting injuries from the fall. We held individuals out that maybe could have possibly played, but we didn't want to risk anything."
As Bleacher Report's Brad Shepard wrote, no team can overcome losing a quarter of its players due to injury in the spring, and Tennessee missed out on a lot of valuable practice time for key playmakers up and down the depth chart. Back-to-back springs with large rashes of injuries perhaps played a role in the dismissal of the Vols' strength and conditioning director late last month.
A fully healthy Tennessee team is going to be a major problem thanks to the amount of firepower it returns on both sides of the ball from a team that almost reached 10 wins a season ago. But some of the Vols' offseason stock dipped this spring because of injuries that hampered their ability to take steps forward in development.
Rising: Clemson's Stacked Offense
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In a college football landscape marked by doubts at quarterback—more on that later—Clemson can have full assurance in the hands-down best signal-caller in the country, Deshaun Watson. The 2015 Heisman Trophy finalist smashed records in his first full season as a starter, and he's the favorite to take home the stiff-arming trophy in 2016.
But the sheer offensive power of the defending national runner-up doesn't stop with Watson. The Tigers also return underrated running back Wayne Gallman, top receiver Artavis Scott, tight end Jordan Leggett and a bulk of their offensive line. There's also Mike Williams, who was the team's No. 1 receiver in 2014 and was primed for stardom last fall before suffering a neck injury on the first series of the 2015 season.
In Clemson's spring game, the Tigers showcased even more depth on the offensive side of the ball. As Watson lined up for both teams, he was able to spread the ball around to the likes of Hunter Renfrow, Ray-Ray McCloud, Trevion Thompson and Seth Ryan. Williams and 2015 breakout star Deon Cain sat out the scrimmage, which allowed the Tigers to flash what will be an even scarier supporting cast for Watson this fall.
"It was important for [Watson] to get a feel for everybody and see who was ready," McCloud told Bleacher Report. "With [the backups] following him, they have a good role model in front of them. And I look up to him, too. He pushes me as well."
Clemson has a great chance to have the best offense in all of college football this fall as it looks to get back to the national championship game. While doubts remain on a rebuilding defense, these Tigers might be able to simply outscore their opposition in 2016.
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Rising: Florida State, Again
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The rest of the college football world better have enjoyed Florida State's "rebuilding" season in 2015, when a young Seminoles team still won double-digit games and landed in a New Year's Six bowl. Head coach Jimbo Fisher's squad looks incredibly dangerous for 2016, and the spring just added to its hype.
With returning starting quarterback Sean Maguire sidelined this spring, Florida State was able to square off both redshirt freshman Deondre Francois and true freshman Malik Henry in a fierce battle that ended with an entertaining back-and-forth final quarter in the Seminoles' spring game.
As star running back Dalvin Cook sat out the spring game in his recovery from shoulder surgery, FSU needed other offensive stars to pick up the slack. The Seminoles got a standout game from wide receiver Auden Tate, who looked like the large red-zone threat they have been missing in the last couple of seasons. Running back Ryan Green stood out, too, with some impressive gains on the ground.
Defensively, Florida State shined with the continued development of superstar safety Derwin James and the spring game MVP performance of linebacker Ro'Derrick Hoskins. With potentially 17 returning starters leading the way this fall, FSU should have what it takes to contend for a national title.
The Seminoles, like any team in the country, still have their question marks heading into the summer months, but the emergence of several talented players in addition to their returning starters will have Tallahassee buzzing all year long.
Falling: Texas QB Tyrone Swoopes
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The reports out of Texas' first few spring practices were a familiar tune for Longhorns fans. Senior quarterback Tyrone Swoopes had apparently taken control of the quarterback battle and had turned a new corner in the revamped Texas offense.
But Swoopes couldn't continue the momentum that had once again made him a favorite to be the starting quarterback at Texas, even after his regular-season struggles in recent years. In the spring game, true freshman Shane Buechele completely took over the quarterback hype in Austin.
The early-enrollee quarterback went 22-of-41 passing for 299 yards and two touchdowns in just one half of work, while Swoopes went 4-of-16 through the air for 71 yards and two interceptions. The spring finale was a chance for Swoopes to put some distance between himself and the competition as Jerrod Heard sat out with an injury.
Instead, Swoopes was completely passed by a quarterback who should still be in high school at this point. The new run-pass option offense by first-year coordinator Sterlin Gilbert perfectly meshed with Buechele's skill set, and it will be hard for Swoopes to pass the freshman in the coming months.
There's still a great chance Swoopes can finish his Texas career as the change-of-pace quarterback in the power-running package he starred in last fall. But in the race to be QB1 at Texas, Swoopes couldn't maintain his early advantage.
Falling: Sure Things at Starting Quarterback
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The ongoing battles at Florida State and Texas are just part of a larger picture in college football right now. Only a handful of top-tier teams know who will be leading them into the 2016 season at quarterback. For plenty of powerhouses, the battles rage on into the summer and fall.
"Having a reliable quarterback is no longer the norm. It is a luxury," Bleacher Report's Adam Kramer wrote on May 3. "Perhaps what's most startling about this development is it's nothing new or surprising. We've been inching closer to this place in time—a place where quality, dependable quarterbacks are on the endangered list."
Defending national champion Alabama left spring camp without much clarity on its third quarterback battle in three years. Florida State, Michigan and Notre Dame have serious Top 10 potential but are still looking for their best answers out of a list of options—many of them unproven over the course of a full college football season. Even teams such as Stanford and USC, which had clear favorites going into camp, left with tight battles.
There's no rush to name a starting quarterback, of course, as a lot of teams want to make sure they make the best decisions after a long evaluation process. But outside of names such as Deshaun Watson, Baker Mayfield, Brad Kaaya, J.T. Barrett and Josh Rosen, plenty of the brand-new quarterbacks of 2016 are still TBD.
One thing is for sure, though: The large number of quarterback questions at this moment should make for plenty of intrigue when fall camps start up in a few months.
Rising: A Young Ohio State Team
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What Ohio State pumped into the 2016 NFL draft had a lot of preseason prognosticators cooling on the Buckeyes' chances for this coming season. They had by far the least amount of returning starters in the country, and only a few sure things on the depth chart.
But after camp in Columbus, the tune around Ohio State is starting to change, because the large amounts of depth proved their worth over the course of scrimmages and the annual spring game.
Ohio State has recruited extremely well under head coach Urban Meyer, and it's continuing to pay off on the field. Running back Mike Weber, wide receiver Torrance Gibson, defensive tackle Davon Hamilton and safety Malik Hooker had huge performances. Even backup quarterback Joe Burrow outshone entrenched starter J.T. Barrett.
"We're not going to change our standards, and that was a message all week to our players," Meyer said, per Bleacher Report's Ben Axelrod. "We certainly don't lower our standards just because a player moves on—that's not what this place is all about."
Even with all the talent that went in the early rounds of the NFL draft this past weekend, Ohio State still has enough talent to compete for championships. This spring, that talent showed that while it may be largely unproven, it has the potential to do great things on the field.
Rising: Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh
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No single figure in college football dominated the spring months like Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. First it was his star-studded recruiting finish for the Wolverines, then it was the trip down to IMG Academy in Florida for spring practices.
Harbaugh was also at the forefront of the satellite camp debate, which seemed to be won by its critics until it was reversed in favor of the practice three weeks later by the NCAA. It was a major victory for coaches and recruits everywhere, but it was especially important for Harbaugh, who turned satellite camps into a headline-making machine.
"It has been just one year since Harbaugh took over at Michigan, and he immediately went right after the SEC," Bleacher Report's Greg Couch wrote. "He put his camps on their turf and set up in their backyard. He ripped into them fearlessly on Twitter. He outsmarted them."
And through all of this attention Harbaugh has received this spring, the hype surrounding his Wolverines continued to build. He has the most experienced roster out of the major players in the Big Ten, and they're steadily climbing up the preseason Top 25 polls. In Michigan's spring game, several pleasant surprises were on display, including running back Ty Isaac and linebacker Mike McCray.
Harbaugh was an instant caffeine jolt into what was a sleeping giant in Ann Arbor, and he continues to build up the buzz surrounding himself and his program. His stock is seemingly rising by the week.
Rising: Washington's Hype
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After taking several close losses with an extremely young team and then going on a high-scoring run to end the regular season, Washington is picking up momentum in the Pac-12 this offseason. This spring, the Huskies showed why they could be a dark horse not only on the West Coast but in the entire country.
Washington had the Pac-12's top defense last season, and it returned several star players, including all-conference defensive back standouts Budda Baker and Sidney Jones. The Huskies have eight returning starters on defense, and they excelled in their spring scrimmage by putting constant pressure on quarterback Jake Browning and coming up with clutch stops.
"Pure domination," linebacker Keishawn Bierria told Adam Jude of the Seattle Times when asked what his goals for the defense were in 2016. "I want that jewelry, you know what I’m saying? I want to make sure whatever we do, it lasts forever."
Offensively, the sophomore Browning looked more in command of the offense and flashed a more accurate arm in practices. The Huskies also welcomed the return of wide receiver John Ross, who showed he is still a constant touchdown threat every time he touches the ball, even after the injury that cost him all of 2015.
With a defense that is striving to be one of the best around in 2016 and a young offense that should build on the late success of the 2015 campaign, Washington will continue to be a hot name this preseason for a potential breakout campaign. The Huskies have all the components to create a dangerous storm in the Pacific Northwest this fall.
Falling: USC's Defensive Front
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USC is loaded with returning talent ahead of Clay Helton's first full season as the head coach of the Trojans. The offense could return up to nine starters, and the defense has a star-studded secondary led by Adoree' Jackson and Iman Marshall.
An area of concern, though, got even worse for USC this spring—the defensive front. USC lost six faces from the defensive line and linebacker spots this offseason, and the rebuilding effort took another hit when defensive tackle Kenny Bigelow was ruled out for the 2016 season with a torn ACL. Defensive end Noah Jefferson injured his elbow early in the spring game.
According to Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune, Helton said the Trojans are "going to have to play above [their] head" on the defensive line this year. There's plenty of young talent, but not a lot of depth for returning defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast to work with in 2016.
That lack of depth and experience up front could be a real problem for USC in what will be a murderous schedule. Two of the Trojans' first three games of the season are against Alabama and Stanford—two powerhouses that love nothing more than to ram the ball at the heart of a defense with power.
The loss of Bigelow on what was already a thin defensive front is cause for concern in Los Angeles. The Trojans have plenty of time to continue developing their young talent up front between now and the season opener against the Crimson Tide, but the talk around the unit put somewhat of a damper on the offseason hype surrounding a Trojans team that has plenty of experience everywhere else.
Stats courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
Justin Ferguson is a National College Football Analyst at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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