What I'm Watching in Football this Spring

Spring is in the air but football is always on our mind (and I'm not talking about the XFL, sorry The Rock). 

With the draft, spring practices, and a crazy quarterback carousel in the NFL, I wanted to shared my thoughts around what I will be watching, so you can be aware of key things and ready to go next August if you don't plan on watching spring games or the draft.

College Related

1. New College Coaches Leading Through Spring

Luke Fickell. Matt Rhule. Ryan Walters. Jamey Chadwell. Hugh Freeze. Jeff Brohm. Tom Herman.

Oh, and Deion Sanders.

These are just a few of the big names in new spots that will face questions. How does Wisconsin look with a more modern offense? Can Nebraska actually rise back to being a power? How do Walters and Brohm handle new jobs in more familiar spaces (the Big Ten and his alma mater respectively)? What kind of programs do Hugh Freeze and Jamey Chadwell run at Auburn and Liberty? What will Navy's new system look like? Lastly, how does Deion handle a Power 5 job with a lot of roster turnover? I can't wait to see how all these questions get answered.

2. Arch Manning

Football's golden family has a new member ready to write his story. It can feel incredibly disrespectful to skip over talking about Quinn Ewers, but his story and Arch's are linked. Our new character has already lost his student ID twice, but I can't wait to see how he competes with our mulleted gunslinger. Ewers has maybe the best arm I've ever seen coupled with the worst footwork. Will Arch's consistency win the day? What does the craziest booster team do with the Manning family? Stay tuned.

3. Transfers in New Places

Looking at Boulder is a great place to start. Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders were amazing last year in Jackson State, but their roster will not have the same advantageous this time for them to really showcase their traits. 

Sam Hartman may have the most impact on the College Football Playoff as he could elevate the Fighting Irish to the next level. Notre Dame is changing offensive coordinators so it will be fun to see what Hartman looks like without the unique Wake Forest offense.

Another player transferring to a contender I will be watching this spring is Josaiah Stewart, an edge player coming from Coastal Carolina to Michigan. Michigan was a pass rush by committee last year but would love to have a bell cow as they hope to get back to the playoffs and win.

4. The Hot Seat Heating Up

With all things college football, we have to talk about Texas a lot. Steve Sarkisian has had some good results, but Texas is heading to the SEC soon and they want results. The offense had Bijan Robinson last year but was inconsistent. Can he keep things together?

Elsewhere in the state of Texas, Dana Holgorsen and Jimbo Fisher are wearing thin. Jimbo is cost prohibitive for firing, but his personality is grating.

In the Big Ten, Pat Fitzgerald needs to have a comeback, Tom Allen is falling off, and Mel Tucker had a terrible sophomore slump. Can they rebound?

Lastly, I want to see how Dabo and his former staffers (Brent Venables and Tony Elliott) handle things. That offense they had such great success with is looking more and more outdated and people in Charlottesville and Norman definitely want better results than this past fall. Dabo has a new quarterback, and I think Klubnik is legit, but they have lost a lot of the talent advantage in the ACC outside of the defensive line. Dabo's seat is far from hot, but worth following.

5. Returning Powers and New Faces at Contenders

The top teams don't rebuild, they reload. Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State are all replacing prolific signal-callers and a host of linemen and skill talent. Sometimes five-stars don't pan out, but I bet they will in all three places. One group I really want to see improve is the Alabama pass catchers. That is a group that is usually at the top with Ohio State but fell behind last year.

Michigan does return a lot of talent on offense but will have a new offensive coordinator. I admire their consistent, physical approach, but I want to see more big plays like they had against Ohio State and TCU. I also would love to see more use of JJ McCarthy in different ways. They've shied away from the RPO game but I think it could complement Corum and Haskins.

NFL Related

1. Top Quarterback Pro Day's

Bryce Young (March 23) did not throw or work out in Indianapolis, so his pro day will be must-watch television. What I would do to see him step on a scale to see how much he actually weighs.

Anthony Richardson (tbd) lit up the combine and I think will have one of the great climbs up the first round and will go top 5. But he has to look comfortable in Gainesville.

Will Levis (March 24) threw the ball hard but was very robotic and didn't have timing with the unfamiliar receivers. Will we see a relaxed Levis in a more comfortable environment?

Lastly, CJ Stroud (March 22) was very business-like in his throwing at the combine. He's my top quarterback, but some question whether someone who's best comp is Dak Prescott is worthy of that spot. Can he showcase his mobility and wow with some throws?

2. All the other Pro Day's

This could start and end with Jaxson Smith-Njigba (March 22). This man lit up the Rose Bowl last year and then dealt with hamstring issues. He looked great at the combine, but people want the 40 time. Is he too small to play outside as a true WR1 in the NFL? What traits can he show? I want to see him and Stroud work.

What is Darnell Washington (March 15) going to do to try and secure his spot in the 1st round? His blocking video was hilarious compared to other tight ends, I want to see if he finds ways to showcase his unique skillset.

There are a lot of tackles, edge players, and corners gunning for the first round. Not only tracking how players like Peter Skoronski (March 14), Broderick Jones (March 15), Paris Johnson Jr. (March 22), Darnell Wright (March 30), Dawand Jones (March 22), Tyree Wilson (March 29), Myles Murphy (March 14), Nolan Smith (March 15), Lukas Van Ness (March 20), Christian Gonzalez (March 14), Devon Witherspoon (March 10), Joey Porter Jr. (March 24), Kelee Ringo (March 15), and other do at their pro days but also which teams show up will be fun.

Lastly, there is a running back who is making teams question whether not drafting a running back in the first round is really the way to draft. What is Bijan Robinson (March 9) going to do to showcase his explosiveness, power, and receiving ability? Austin truly is the place to be this spring.

3. The Quarterback Carousel

Specifically, who signs Lamar Jackson to a deal. Contracts are more about leverage than ability, which is difficult for fans to understand. It is intriguing to see them use the non-exclusive tag. I think the Ravens grew tired of negotiating directly with Lamar and want another team do the leg work. But what if they don't think he can win in the two minute drill in the playoffs and is too much of an injury risk? The AFC is loaded at quarterback, you have to have a guy. If they take the two 1st round picks and move on. We have seem several teams stuck looking for "The Guy" so that is always dangerous.

Aaron Rodgers needs to be a Jet, it will be embarrassing if it doesn't happen now. How will Rodgers feel taking the same path as his predecessor did in going to the Jets? I can't wait for those questions. I am sure Pat McAfee will get the time with him to discuss, I am glad we have gotten that peak into one of the more interesting characters in the NFL. A question we all have is what happens with Zach Wilson? He has shown some promise in spurts. He famously loved Rodgers growing up but felt like Rodgers didn't have enough swag. I would love to see them as teammates for the clips. Remember watching Tebow run wind sprints shirtless in the rain during training camp? New York is something else.

Jimmy Garoppolo is likely going to be a Raider I would imagine, but what are the 49ers going to do? I know we love that defense and all of the fun things they do on offense, but they need to win more. It is an interesting discussion around how you can pay a superstar coach without impeding the tax, but as we saw in the Super Bowl, the best quarterback usually wins in the biggest moments. I think the Trey Lance experiment is a big whiff; he has played barely any football in four years. Can Purdy come back quickly? Is Tom Brady really going to retire and NOT broadcast?

4. The Rest of Free Agency / Trades

As offenses have moved to more pace and space the league has become more free flowing in terms of player movement; it's not quite the NBA but it is moving more that direction. As these wide receivers get bigger deals do we see more of them move? I think some big pieces will move around beyond who is under center.

One team to watch is the Houston Texans. With a new coach, who should be given lots of patience, they have some veterans who could seek greener pastures. I would love to see Brandin Cooks get a ring after all of the movement he has gone through. 

Wrap Up

That's it from me right now, what story lines are getting you excited this spring? I would love to hear from people. I will have more draft thoughts in April, maybe even some mocks for the people. Should we do a draft prop bet bonanza as well? Degenerate nation let me know.

As we move through the offseason, please let me know what you would like more of. It is hard to follow college and the NFL in-depth while in grad school, but I could see it being fun doing more quick listicles of observations from the entire football weekend. If you have a play you would like for me to break down, please reach out! I also feel good with football gambling, so would love to expand on that (and hope you made some money with me this past year). 

Thanks all!