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ESPN Staff Writer- ESPN.com SEC reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2011.
- Graduated from the University of Florida.
Football is back. Well, sort of.
No games will be won or lost now that spring football has started back up in the SEC, but the work being put in now matters. In fact, how teams handle the spring could play a big role in determining the course of the season.
With that in mind, we asked two of our SEC writers to pick the most compelling potential development they're looking forward to seeing unfold in the conference this spring.
Edward Aschoff: Honestly, I want to see if Florida is going to have some sort of a respectable offensive identity. This is where Jim McElwain has made a name for himself, and this is where Florida has struggled tremendously in the post-Tim Tebow era. Let's not forget that PTT (post Tim Tebow) has gone on for six years now, so it's about time Florida figures out that moving with the ball is a good thing.
Since 2009, Florida has yet to finish a season averaging at least 370 yards of offense per game. During the span, Florida has averaged at least 26 points per game in SEC play just once (28/2010). Quarterbacks, offensive coordinators and wide receiver coaches have rotated in and out like seasons, and it's left Florida's defense as the best scoring threat the Gators have had.
Now, that it's spring No. 2 in Gainesville for McElwain, he has to get a sustainable offense together. He'll have to do so without former starting quarterback Treon Harris or top offensive threat Antonio Callaway, who have both been away from the team since January and will not participate in spring practice. Harris isn't a major loss -- he was likely moving to receiver anyway -- but Callaway is. That means McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier must put together quality pieces at a receiver position that has lagged for half a decade and is now full of unproven vets and young/inexperienced newcomers.
Is there a legitmate starting quarterback out of Luke Del Rio (walk-on), Austin Appleby (Purdue graduate transfer with 19 TDs/19 INTs), Feleipe Franks (raw true freshman) or Kyle Trask (even rawer true freshman). Can a more experienced offensive line come together? Can freshmen Jordan Cronkrite and Jordan Scarlett, or JUCO transfer Mark Thompson, fill in for the departed Kelvin Taylor at running back?
So many questions, but so little room to stumble in the coming weeks.
Alex Scarborough: Before I get to my choice, let me just say that what you laid out there adds up to a lot of questions for Florida to answer on just one side of the ball. While I've been impressed with what McElwain and Nussmeier have done thus far in Gainesville, I struggle to see how the offense makes a dramatic turnaround this offseason. Del Rio might be the most viable option at quarterback, but I'm not sure he's someone who can carry an offense on his shoulders.
That said, I see many of the same issues facing the program I'm most interested in seeing come together this spring: Georgia. While I'm confident Kirby Smart and his staff will improve the defense, I'm curious to see what kind of offensive identity they develop and who emerges as playmakers at the skill positions.
Who's the starting quarterback? While Jacob Eason is intriguing, he's just so young.
Who are the go-to targets at receiver? Replacing Malcolm Mitchell won't be easy.
And will Nick Chubb be healthy enough to make the impact we've become accustomed to? Sony Michel is more than capable of filling in, but Chubb is in another league when he's on.
To me, though, the issue of personnel takes a back seat to philosophy. Jim Chaney is a familiar name in the SEC, but what style will he utilize? He has been a guy who likes to run the ball with power at Arkansas, and he has been a guy who is willing to open up the passing game at spots such as Tennessee, where he produced a 3,600-yard passer in Tyler Bray.
With a first-time head coach, it will be interesting to see what direction Smart pushes Chaney and the offense. And, in the end, it may depend most on how they feel the roster sets up.