One burning question for each spring game
We’ve got four in the cooker today: South Carolina, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Ole Miss. What is the one burning question heading into their spring games?
By: Bossman Slim
Photo: Brianna Paciorka, News Sentinel
AHHHHH….more football. I’ve got my B&S gameday ritual out of the way, and now it’s time to sit back, enjoy a few cold ones and get the first real, meaningful chatter of the season going on these teams.
We’ve got four games on tap today: South Carolina and Texas A&M at 2:00 PM ET, Tennessee at 4:00 PM ET and Ole Miss at 5:00 ET. There’s a myriad of questions surrounding these programs. South Carolina and Tennessee welcome a new coaching staff, so this will be the first peek into what that will look like for the respective fan bases. Ole Miss has some momentum under Lane Kiffin, but they need to figure it out on defense. Texas A&M had arguably their best season since joining the SEC last year, but face some major questions after the departures of key seniors.
With the games about to kick off, let’s do some quick hits ONE BURNING question for each of these teams. It’ll be the main thing we’re watching here at B&S.
South Carolina
One burning question: What does this team have?
Photo: Travis Bell, Sideline Carolina
The Gamecocks are coming off a dismal 2020 season that saw Will Muschamp get fired and the team end up on the wrong side of too many beatdowns. The secondary was a bright spot, but the stars on that unit are gone. Luke Doty has potential behind center, but he needs some help, and he’s losing his top outside weapon in Shi Smith to the NFL. Kevin Harris returns at RB which should relieve some pressure off the young signal-caller. But honestly...what does South Carolina have? This is a depleted roster that saw many early departures to the NFL, and those who return were part of the old culture that has left a sour taste in Carolina fans mouths for years. The coaching staff is all-new, and the recruiting did not start off with a bang.
We’re interested to see who steps up for the Gamecocks today - all over the field. It could be a rocky road in year one for Shane Beamer.
Texas A&M
One burning question: Who has the edge at QB?
This one is the most obvious, aside from Tennessee. Kellen Mond had a roller-coaster career at Texas A&M, and fan sentiment waffled between “love him” and “replace him.” Mond tied it all together in 2020, having a respectable season and leading the Aggies to the verge of the College Football Playoffs and their highest ranking in the CFP era.
But Mond is gone now, earning more and more NFL Draft buzz by the day. So who is the successor to Mond’s throne? This is a hotly debated topic in Aggieland with the competition between sophomore “Hayseed” Haynes King and redshirt sophomore Zach Calzada. King is the leader in the clubhouse for the job, and just about anyone you talk to thinks it will be King under center in game one for A&M. But info coming out of spring practice has been scarce from Jimbo Fisher, only saying that both QBs are performing well.
So, is King really the obvious leader for the job? Or is Calzada squarely in the mix to win the starting job? We’ll know more today at 2:00 PM ET.
Tennessee
One burning question: Does anyone separate themselves from this crowded QB room?
Photo: Caleb Jones, Tennessee Athletics
Good QB play has been elusive on Rocky Top since the departure of Josh Dobbs at the end of 2016. The Jarrett Guarantano era is mercifully over, so now it’s a total free-for-all like a Barstool Rough N’ Rowdy fight. There are four possible options that could win the job, and another one was possibly added this past week in Michigan transfer and former 4-star Joe Milton. Milton backtracked late this week, saying he had not committed to Tennessee, but Vols Wire is reporting he’s in Knoxville for the spring game.
Has anyone separated themselves from the pack, or is Milton’s pending transfer to the Orange and White an indication that Josh Heupel is none-too-pleased with the talent in the room? Brian Mauer, Harrison Bailey, Virginia Tech-transfer Hendon Hooker will all get significant reps today. Highly touted freshman Kaidon Salter would be in the mix, but he’s been suspended indefinitely after a recent incident, so look for him to ride the pine in his first year unless one of those in front of him stumbles and he’s just too talented to keep off the field. Stranger things have happened.
So, from the three QBs who will play today...does it look like any of them could trot out as the solidified starter on September 4 against Bowling Green? We’ll have a good sense after today.
Ole Miss
One burning question: Defense? Is there one?
Photo: Joshua McCoy, Ole Miss Athletics
The once-vaunted sharks and the school of Patrick Willis and Robert Nkemdiche have fallen on hard times on the defensive side of the ball. The Rebels were atrocious all year in 2020 on D, finishing last in the SEC in total defense. The offense won them games last year while the defense tried to lose them games.
Lane Kiffin and co. were hard at work in the offseason to try and rebuild that side of the ball, reeling in the 6th best-recruiting class in the SEC. The class heavily leaned towards defense, with 15/25 of the signees being defensive players. Put another way, that’s 60% of the class. Kiffin and co-defensive coordinators DJ Durkin and Chris Partridge know they have a lot of work to do if they’re ever to ascend in the SEC West.
Today, we’ll get to see if that influx of fresh talent will help shore up this porous Ole Miss defense or if it will be another year where Kiffin and Corral have to put the team on their back.
Let us know what you’re thinking ahead of the games on Twitter @biscuitsandsec.