Spring questions: The biggest unknown for each SEC West program
When Kris Jenkins' breathtaking 3-pointer passed through the net Monday, it meant two things.
Firstly, Villanova became national champions for the first time since 1985, and secondly, we can now shift our attention to spring football.
Opening kickoff may be five months away, but April is the thick of the spring workout season for most major college programs. Here's the major question facing each school through spring workouts in the nation's best conference: the SEC.
Alabama
How good is Bo Scarborough?
How does a program replace the 6-foot-3, 242-pound battering ram that broke the SEC single-season rushing record and touchdown record during Alabama's national title-winning season in 2015? By finding a slightly younger, 6-foot-2, 240-pound battering ram to replace him, of course. Gone is Heisman trophy winner Derrick Henry. In his place is the highly touted Bo Scarbrough. Despite only holding 18 carries to his name, the freshman is already listed as just a 25/1 bet to win the 2016 Heisman. Scarbrough only added to the hype with an epic spring game performance, rushing for 132 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries. For the mathematically challenged, that's an absurd 14.6 yards per carry. Business as usual in Tuscaloosa.
Arkansas
How is Arkansas going to score?
Led by quarterback Brandon Allen, Arkansas' offense churned out an impressive 35 points per game in 2015. Unfortunately for Bret Bielema and the Razorbacks, Allen is gone, along with fellow offensive standouts Hunter Henry, Alex Collins, and Jonathan Williams. A five-player competition has emerged, with Bielema recently saying Allen's younger brother, Austin Allen, and Rafe Peavey have separated themselves. One will need to firmly establish themselves by the 2016 kickoff if we hope to hear any hilarious quotes during victory press conferences from Bielema.
Auburn
Who the hell is playing quarterback?
Gus Malzahn's frenetic Auburn offensive system looks complicated to the untrained eye, but it simply boils down to one thing. If the quarterback is competent, it's terrifying for opposition defenses. If the quarterback isn't competent, it's terrifying for Malzahn. Cam Newton and Nick Marshall leading the offense resulted in two national championship berths. Jeremy Johnson and Sean White leading the offense resulted in a 7-6 campaign, and Malzahn's seat turned red hot. Both the struggling pivots return, as well as incoming junior college transfer James Franklin III and true freshman Woody Barrett. Somebody has to emerge as a dynamic threat from the quarterback position or else Malzahn will likely find himself elsewhere in 2017.
LSU
Will Brandon Harris to enough to help Leonard Fournette?
The all-world talents of Leonard Fournette were on full display during the first two months of the season, but a trying November led to LSU's demise last season. Les Miles miraculously saved his job, but the age-old quarterback question facing the "Mad Hatter" has surfaced again. Brandon Harris enters his second season as starter for the Tigers having yet to meet expectations. The talent surrounding him is certainly strong, and another top recruiting class is coming to Baton Rouge. Harris doesn't need to be winging the ball around like he plays for Texas Tech, but enough of a passing game to stop an 11-man box against Fournette is needed.
Mississippi State
Dak Prescott is gone ... now what?
Perhaps the greatest player in Mississippi State history is gone, taking the Bulldogs' national recognition with him. Dak Prescott single-handedly placed the program in the national conversation, and now it's Nick Fitzgerald's job to keep it there. In very limited action during the 2015 season, the Georgia native performed well, completing 11-of-14 passes for three scores, and adding three more on the ground. With a stacked roster of running backs returning, Fitzgerald has all the weapons to shine. Whether he can do so under the bright lights of Stark Vegas is the question.
Ole Miss
Who are those people playing offensive line?
The high-octane Ole Miss offense goes as quarterback Chad Kelly goes, which is why the offensive line makeup is the biggest question facing the Rebels in spring practice. All five starters from last year's Sugar Bowl win are gone, including possibly the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, Laremy Tunsil. Hugh Freeze's torrid recruiting the past few years has left the cupboard stocked with talent, but turning that talent into production may be the difficult part. Kelly tied or broke 14 Ole Miss single-season records, throwing for 4,042 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also rushed for 500 yards behind the aforementioned offensive line. Similar numbers may be needed again if Ole Miss hopes to compete in the SEC West.
Texas A&M
Can Kevin Sumlin keep a quarterback happy and healthy?
Getting top quarterbacks to come to Texas A&M hasn't been a problem for Kevin Sumlin. It's the keeping of the quarterbacks that seems to be the issue. Gone are top-ranked recruits Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray, transferring out within a week of one another. In their absence, Oklahoma graduate transfer Trevor Knight. If Katy Perry's favorite college player can regain his form from early in his Sooners career, things will be fine for the Aggies. If he can't, look for Sumlin to be patrolling an NFL sideline in 2017.