By
Pete Fiutak
-
2006 SEC Spring Analysis
-
2007 Preseason Lookaheads -
SEC
East
Florida
Spring Practice
Begins: March 21 Game: April 14
The early spring buzz ... The whole national championship thing
is still sinking in. Ohio State went through the season
crowned by just about everyone as the champion, and with
the sudden shock of Florida's blowout, the year is still
being put into perspective. Now, of course, the
expectations are jacked through the roof. If Urban Meyer
could do that with Ron Zook's players (for the
most part), and his recruiting classes have been among
the best in the country, then anything less than a
national title will likely be seen as a disappointment.
No one's going to overlook the Gators now.
The big spring question is ... Are we talking USC East here?
Talent-wise, maybe, but it'll take a whole bunch of luck
to be as consistently successful as the Trojans have
been under Pete Carroll. The SEC is so loaded, Florida
might be among the three best teams year in and year out
only to see national title seasons fall short because of
the tough conference schedule. Ask Georgia, LSU, and
Auburn how tough it is, and how much luck you need, to
maintain SEC-championship status. If Jarvis Moss doesn't
block the late kick against South Carolina, if the
defense didn't hold every time late in games against
Florida State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Georgia, the
Gators wouldn't have been within ten miles of the
national title.
The most important position to watch is ... Quarterback. The
team's biggest issues might appear to be on defense,
where all the future NFL talent is inexperienced, but
everything will turn out fine with so many good
athletes. The real question is offense where Tim Tebow
goes from being a glorified fullback to a full-time
quarterback ... maybe. While he's the unquestioned
number one, Meyer might get other players some
meaningful work throughout the off-season, and even
platoon a little bit once the season starts, just to
have a viable option ready. Freshman Cameron Newton and
JUCO transfer Bryan Waggener will battle for the coveted
number two spot, while Tebow has to show he can be the
type of leader and steady playmaker Chris Leak turned
out to be.
Spring attitude... No excuses. Many will assume the Gators
will take a step back in 2007 to take a major leap
forward in 2008, but there are so many great prospects,
the coaching staff is so good, and the schedule is so
much easier than last year, that anything less than
another SEC title will be unacceptable. Even though
winning the best conference in the nation should be
enough, this program plays for national championships
now no matter what.
Georgia
Spring Practice
Begins: March 5 Game: April 7
The early spring buzz ... 2006 was supposed to be a bit of a
rebuilding year with issues at quarterback and several
new starters on defense. Despite the overall
inconsistency, going 9-4 with a bowl win over Virginia
Tech was more than just solid, and now it appears the
program is ready to challenge for its third SEC title in
three years if some key issues like the passing game,
punting, and defensive line can be fixed. Fortunately,
some of the big problems might be fixed right away
because ...
The big spring question is ... How much will the JUCO
transfers make a difference? Considering four starters
needed to be replaced off the offensive line and three
on the defensive line, there might not be as much
rebuilding as expected. For the first time in several
years, Georgia opened the doors to JUCO players and if
should make a huge difference. Jarius Wynn and Corvey
Irvin should ease the loss of Charles Johnson, Ray Gant
and Quentin Moses on the defensive line, while Vince
Vance and Scott Haverkamp will provide a boost to the
offensive front.
The most important position to watch is ... Wide receiver.
The media is focusing on the development of QB Matthew
Stafford, but he'll only improve if there's more from
the receiving corps that struggled so much last season.
Mo Massaquoi has to prove he can be a true number one
target for SEC defensive coordinators to worry about,
while A.J. Bryant and Kenneth Harris can do more.
Finding a reliable go-to target to replace TE Martrez
Milner would be nice.
Spring attitude... Get more offensive punch. Was it good or
bad that the Dawgs managed to play so many close games?
It was good that they won five games by seven points or
fewer, but three of those games were against Colorado,
Ole Miss and Mississippi State. On the flip side, they
lost three games by seven or fewer including the home
gaffe to Vanderbilt. A better offense would've made the
wins over bad teams easier and wouldn't have resulted in
the three close losses (including to Florida).
Kentucky
Spring Practice
Begins: March 28 Game: April 21
The early spring buzz ... Has there ever been more excitement
over Kentucky football? While Tubby Smith and the hoops
program still gets all the UK headlines, the football
team is making noise after an eight-win season with
victories over Georgia and Clemson. With QB Andre
Woodson returning for his senior year as the leader of
the SEC's best passing game, if nothing else, this will
be a blast of a team to watch every week. While the
offense will crank out 400 yards and 30 points per game
...
The big spring question is ... Can the defense be remotely
better? After finishing second-to-last in the nation in
total defense (yippee for Louisiana Tech), all the Cats
need to do is be mediocre defensively and they'll be the
SEC's reasonable sleeper. Youth was the biggest problem,
and now eight starters return including the entire
linebacking corps for new defensive coordinator Steve
Brown to work with. Mike Archer didn't get the job done
and is off to NC State (even though he wasn't kicked out
by any stretch).
The most important position to watch is ... Right tackle.
It's not like the offensive line was any good at getting
a push for the ground game or protecting Woodson, but
it'll miss center Matt McCutchan and right tackle
Michael Aitcheson. While help might come in from the
JUCO ranks, in a perfect world, true sophomore Justin
Jeffries becomes a mainstay and Eric Scott is decent in
the middle. The more time Woodson has to work, the
deadlier the offense will be.
Spring attitude... If this isn't a monster, double-digit win
type of season, it might never happen. Not only will UK
have the SEC's best offense, it only has four road games
while Louisville, LSU, Florida and Tennessee have to
come to Lexington. There's no way the Cats win all four
of those games, or even three of the four, but it's good
enough to win two of them, three of the four road dates,
and not brain-cramp against the below-average.
South Carolina
Spring Practice
Begins: March 20 Game: April 14
The early spring buzz ... After two years of mild success,
and not enough consistent offense for all the yards
cranked out, this is the year Steve Spurrier
might have the team Gamecock fans have been waiting for.
No, the team isn't as good as it's going to be once this
year's phenomenal recruiting class kicks in, but after
going 8-5 with skin-of-their-teeth losses to Auburn,
Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida by seven points or
fewer, it might not take too much extra to win the SEC
East.
The big spring question is ... Will all the returning defensive
talent turn into production? Sacks won't be a problem,
the secondary will turn out to be fine, and the run
defense should be better with all seven starters
returning to the defensive front. Now the defense has to
give up fewer yards even if it means taking fewer
chances. The scheme has been all about attacking and
getting into the backfield with good results in a
bend-but-don't-break style, but now the D has the
potential to be dominant if everything goes right.
The most important position to watch is ... Offensive
lineman. Even with the early departure of Sidney Rice,
the skill players are in place to do what Spurrier
wants. Now the line has to play well. The tackles should
be fine, but the interior will be the issue losing
center Chris White and guard Thomas Coleman and Seth
Edwards. If all goes according to plan, James Thompson
should step into one of the guard spots and provide some
nice bulk, but either the coaching staff will have to
rely on some newcomers, or there will be a drop-off in
overall size.
Spring attitude... Come close to winning the East. There's
just enough top talent returning on offense to
complement a defense that gets nine starters back led
by, arguably, the division's best linebacking corps, but
the schedule might be too tough. Four league road games
at Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and Arkansas are too brutal
for a team that's not national-title level to get
through unscathed. If USC can win two of the four, beat
Florida at home in the SEC regular season finale, and
not screw up at home against teams like Kentucky and
Vanderbilt, things could get interesting.
Tennessee
Spring Practice
Begins: Feb. 22 Game: March 23
The early spring buzz ... Last year was about restoring the
program's reputation and getting Phil Fulmer off the hot
seat. This year is about being considered among the
elite of the elite and being a top contender for the SEC
title. While the receiving corps takes a hit and the
defense has to replace the starting tackles and three
defensive backs, nothing less than double-digit wins and
a shot at the SEC East title will do. The expectations
are jacked up again.
The big spring question is ... Will there finally be a pass
rush? The Vol defensive front was great at making plays
behind the line of scrimmage and awful and generating
sacks. Xavier Mitchell and Antonio Reynolds are veteran
ends who need get even more pressure. They're playmakers
and were good against the run at times, but if they're
not pushing up the sack totals, the linebackers might
have to do even more work to hurry opposing passing
games.
The most important position to watch is ... Cornerback.
Quarterback is suddenly a huge issue after Erik Ainge went down early in spring ball with a torn MCL that'll keep him out for at least three months. Receiver is a concern after losing Robert Meachem, Bret
Smith and Jason Swain, but the Vols always crank out
elite targets. They're also good when it comes to
finding top-shelf defensive backs, but replacing
Jonathan Wade and Antwan Stewart will be the big worry
with a trip to California to start the season and a date
at Florida on September 15th. Roshaun Fellows is back
after missing all of last year with a torn pectoral
muscle and should be back at one spot. The other corner
job is up for grabs.
Spring attitude... Get through September unbeaten and the
national title will be there for the taking. Winning at
Cal would make a big splash, beating Southern Miss would
be nicer than many would make it out to be, and a win at
Florida would mean an instant spot in the top three, if
not number two behind USC. Georgia and Arkansas come to
Knoxville while the three remaining road games are at
Mississippi State, Alabama and Kentucky.
Vanderbilt
Spring Practice
Begins: March 13 Game: March 31
The early spring buzz ... This might be the best team yet
under head coach Bobby Johnson. The program took a turn
two years ago flirting with a bowl game thanks to Jay
Cutler, and then youth and a bit of rebuilding caused a
little step back. Even though the Commodores went 4-8,
they were hardly a pushover beating Georgia and
losing to Florida, Alabama and Arkansas by a total of 12
points. Nine starters return on offense and eight are
back on defense, but ...
The big spring question is ... Does it matter? This could be the
best Vandy team in decades and it could still finish
dead last in the loaded East. Three of the first four
games are against teams that didn't go to bowls (Alabama
is the lone exception), and then things get positively
nasty finishing up with seven straight bowl teams
including road trips to Auburn, South Carolina, Florida
and Tennessee before finishing up with defending ACC
champion Wake Forest. Catching the better teams
off-guard, winning the close games, and not making any
mistakes is are all musts.
The most important position to watch is ... Kick and punt
returner. Return men?! A team with one of the league's
worst defense has many things to bear watching in spring
ball, but to start winning all the close games and being
better overall, the little things have to be done right.
Vandy was dead last in the SEC in punt returns averaging
4.73 yards per try and averaged a mere 17.85 yards per
kickoff return. Improving the kicking game would also be
nice after hitting nine of 18 field goals and netting
just 33.52 yards per punt.
Spring attitude... Just keep improving. There will be days
when a more talented team comes out just blasts the
Commodores. In the other days when things are close, the
veterans on offense have to come through and surprise. A
more experienced team would've won at least two of last
year's close games. This is a better team that can
reasonably dream of six wins and a possible bowl game as
long as there's improvement on both sides of the ball.
East
Alabama
Spring Practice
Begins: March 24 Game: April 21
The early spring buzz ... Did anything happen to the program this
off-season? Oh yeah, Bama bought itself a coach to make
it one of the elite of the elite again, and this spring
should be extremely interesting with as much pressure as
any coaching staff in the country will have to deal
with. Getting paid the kind of money Saban is getting,
just getting to a bowl game isn't enough. The Tide has
to be a contender for the West title, get double-digit
wins, and beat Auburn; not necessarily in that order.
The big spring question is ... Will there be any sort of a
pass rush? The Tide defense was strong up until the
final four games, but it somehow survived without any
pass rush whatsoever with just 13 sacks and 55 tackles
for loss. Saban and defensive coordinator Kevin Steele
aren't going to allow that to happen a second year in a
row and will be certain to invent ways to generate
pressure making quarterbacks worry. Fortunately, no one
on the schedule can throw all that well until the date
with Florida State in late September.
The most important position to watch is ... Running back. The
passing game should be fantastic with the expected
emergence of John Parker Wilson into an even better
passer than last year and with D.J. Hall and Keith Brown
forming one of the SEC's best 1-2 receiving tandems.
Running the ball was painful throughout last year and
now starter Ken Darby is gone.
Top recruit Demetrius Goode will eventually be the man,
but this spring it'll likely be up to Jimmy Johns, Roy
Upchurch and Ali Sharrief providing a nice blend of
speed and power.
Spring attitude... It's not like the team was bad in 2006
under Mike Shula, so it might not take too much tweaking
to be really, really good. Remember, last season was
about rebuilding and the Tide went 6-7 losing three
games by a total of nine points. The defense, even with
several key starters gone, should be better under the
new regime, while the offense will be far more balanced
and more effective.
Arkansas
Spring Practice
Begins: March 13 Game: April 14
The early spring buzz ... Didn't Arkansas win the West? With all the
drama this off-season about Mitch Mustain, Damian
Williams and Gus Malzahn, and with the retirement of
athletic director Frank Broyles, it's been easy to
forget how the Hogs shocked the college football world
and played for the SEC title. Yeah, the three losses to
close things out might have ended things on a sour note,
but it's easy to excuse the four defeats on the year
considering USC, LSU, Florida and Wisconsin combined to
go 47-6. Now the bar has been set even higher while the
SEC has gotten better.
The big spring question is ... Will the offensive line be
able to patch and repair? All Darren McFadden and Felix
Jones need is a sliver of daylight and they're gone, but
it'll take a few unproven players to help make it
happen. You don't get better by losing three starters up
front including tackles Tony Ugoh and Zac Tubbs. For a
team that lives and dies with the running game, and gave
the quarterbacks ten days to throw, being strong up
front is vital to have any hope of repeating in the
West.
The most important position to watch is ... Quarterback.
Take the hissy fit out of the equation,
and Mustain is still an NFL caliber talent who could've
been the star of the offense even with its great
backfield and running scheme. Now the pressure is on
Casey Dick to be merely adequate and make the plays he
has to. With Marcus Monk and Marques Wade, who's coming
off a toe injury, to throw to, Dick has the weapons. Now
he has to get his completion percentage over 50% has to
put the last three games of last year (including a
three-of-17 day against LSU) in the past.
Spring attitude... Act like the
SEC West champions. There's no reason the formula can't
work again. If the O line comes together in a hurry, and
McFadden and Jones stay healthy, there's no reason to
shoot for anything less than another trip to the title
game. The schedule isn't all that bad until late going
on the road to play Tennessee and LSU in the final three
weeks, but the team might be fully jelled by then. Going
unbeaten probably isn't a must to win the West.
Auburn
Spring Practice
Begins: Feb. 27 Game: April 17
The early spring buzz ... Auburn
always likes to start nice and early to make sure
everyone is healthy for the fall. There's always
pressure on everyone in the SEC, but two years removed
from the unbeaten SEC title year, and with Mr. Saban
being picked up over in Tuscaloosa, the stakes have
impossibly been raised even higher for Tommy Tuberville
and his team. The defense was one of the best in the
nation last year and gets seven starters back, while the
offense gets most of the key skill players back, and has
replacements for RB Kenny Irons. However ...
The big spring question is ... Will the offense be more
consistent? Auburn suffered a textbook case of not being
able to turn it on after turning it off. You can't blame
Tuberville and his staff for limiting a banged up Irons
and not pushing the offense during a light midseason
stretch against Tulane, Ole Miss and Arkansas State, but
the offense was off in the 37-15 loss to Georgia to ruin
any national title dreams and struggled against Alabama
and Nebraska to close out the year. Consistency could be
a problem early on with four starters lost off the
offensive line, so ...
The most important position to watch is ... Quarterback. It's
time Brandon Cox went from being a decent caretaker to a
top playmaker. Oh sure, he's been efficient and solid
against the mediocre, but he's hardly been special
against the better teams. The veteran line didn't give
him a whole bunch of help last season, and the
inexperienced new group of starters isn't likely to be
much better in pass protection for a while. That means
Cox has to be sharp with his reads, has to get the ball
out of his hands in a hurry, and has to be the reason
Auburn wins and not just along for the ride.
Spring attitude... Hope for the
SEC title, be prepared for much less. It's dangerous to
underestimate what Tuberville and Auburn can do, but
with so many replacements needed on the offensive line
and so much more needed from Cox and the passing game,
if the defense isn't lights out, a division title might
be tough. The scheduling gods send the Tigers to Florida
and Georgia from the East to go along with dates at
Arkansas and LSU. At least the Alabama game is at home.
LSU
Spring Practice
Begins: Feb. 26 Game: March 24
The early spring buzz ... Spring
ball has already begun for a the national title
contenders, and while it's not quite right to take too
much from early practices, the team looks really, really
good. Both sides of the ball are shockingly sharp
including QB Matt Flynn and the passing game. After
battling USC for the unofficial title of being the best
team not playing for the 2006 national championship,
there appears to be a sense that this season could be
special as long as ...
The big spring question is ... Can Flynn and Ryan Perrilloux
actually fill the mega-shoes of JaMarcus Russell? Maybe
not literally, but each is good enough make the offense
go. It's Flynn's gig to lose, while Perrilloux is
getting plenty of work with the ones and might be folded
into the mix to get a few snaps here and there once the
season starts. Lost on the hubbub over Russell was how
much time he had to work. Oh sure, Russell's a
once-in-a-generation physical marvel, but he also played
behind a line that didn't allow him to be hit all that
often. The quarterbacks will shine as long as the front
five is strong again.
The most important position to watch is ... Safety. The front
seven should be oh-my-goodness good with six starters
returning led by All-America DT Glenn Dorsey and LB Ali
Highsmith. The corners are going to be tremendous, but
they're not going to have LaRon Landry and Jessie
Daniels to rely on. Craig Steltz and Curtis Taylor have
the experience to be decent, and now there needs to be
competition to find who the special prospects are.
Spring attitude... National title
or bust. The road schedule is a relative joke going to
Mississippi State, Tulane, Kentucky, Alabama and Ole
Miss while Virginia Tech, Florida, Auburn and Arkansas
all have to come to Death Valley. Basically, if the
Tigers go unbeaten at home, they should be in the SEC
championship with a shot at the national title. With a
defense line the one coming back, and more speed than
most on offense, there's reason to be very, very
excited.
Ole Miss
Spring Practice
Begins: March 2 Game: April 7
The early spring buzz ... Spring
practice has started and it's all about offense,
offense, offense, offense, and offense. After averaging
fewer than 16 points and 261 yards per game and
struggling to find any sort of a passing game, head
coach Ed Orgeron and his staff are looking for ways to
put points on the board. How? The competition for
starting spots has been cranked up ten-fold in the
search for offensive balance. With all the scrutiny ...
The big spring question is ... Can any of the Ole Miss
quarterbacks play? Yeah, Texas transfer Jevan Snead, but
he's not eligible until next year. Brent Schaeffer was
handed the starting job after transferring over last
year, stunk it up, and opened the door for Seth Adams,
Michael Herrick and Cliff Davis to be in the hunt for
the gig. Schaeffer has experience in the system,
something he didn't have last spring, and is likely to
still hang on to the number one spot. For now.
The most important position to watch is ... Besides
quarterback, linebacker. Players like Patrick Willis
don't hang around Oxford every year, and the loss of
weakside tackling machine Rory Johnson a year early to
the NFL isn't going to help. Jamarca Sanford is a
weakside defender who played on the strongside last
season, but he might get to play on the other side if
JUCO transfer Ashlee Palmer plays as well on the
strongside as he has over the first few practices.
Brandon Thomas and Allen Walker, among a slew of other
prospects, know what they're doing.
Spring attitude... The program
might be closer to being really, really good than many
make it out to be. If there was even the slightest
semblance of a consistent, balanced offense, the Rebels
probably would've won at least six games considering it
lost four games by a total of 18 points including
overtime battles with Alabama and LSU. Orgeron has
recruited extremely well on the lines, and now the labor
should pay off in the overall depth. It's taking too big
a step to call this a sleeper team in the SEC race, but
it'll be a spoiler for someone else.
Mississippi State
Spring Practice
Begins: Feb. 26 Game: March 31
The early spring buzz ... One of
the first teams to get spring practice rolling, and one
of the first that'll finish, MSU has cranked up the
hitting and intensity knowing there's plenty of time for
everyone to heal. Something drastic has to be done after
three years of futility under Sylvester Croom. That
change might have come from the JUCO ranks with several
players expected to make an impact on the defensive
side, while receivers Co-Eric Riley and Brandon McRae
might become deadly on the other side of Tony Burks.
The big spring question is ... Will the offense be any
better? If everyone can stay healthy, absolutely. While
no one will confuse Michael Henig with Peyton Manning,
the offense found more pop once he was healthy and
slinging it around. The backfield could be Arkansas-lite
with the young 1-2 punch of Anthony Dixon and true
freshman Robert Elliott. To help the improved skill
players, four starters return to what should be an
improved line.
The most important position to watch is ... Defensive tackle.
The Bulldogs are going to miss MLB Quinton Culberson and
can't quickly replace top end Michael Heard, but unless
a slew of untested prospects rock out of the gate, the
real problem will be at defensive tackle after losing
Deljuan Robinson, Andrew Powell and Antonio Johnson.
Jessie Bowman comes from the JUCO ranks with all the
hype, but it'll take several young players to fill in
the depth and compete provide an overall upgrade inside.
Spring attitude... Everyone's
going to pick MSU last, so it might as well embrace the
giant killer role. What would it do for the program if
it could come out of the gate and ruin LSU's national
title dream before September even started? It's not like
there a ton of gimmes on the slate playing LSU, at
Auburn, at South Carolina, Tennessee, at West Virginia,
Alabama, and at Arkansas, but if the offense improves as
expected, and Croom's recruiting classes start to kick
in and play well on defense, six wins isn't
unreasonable.