SEC Spring Notes
By Brian Edwards
With spring football underway, it obviously isn’t too early to start thinking about the 2009 campaign. As always, quarterback play will be pivotal and there are several QB situations to keep an eye on in the SEC.
With Matthew Stafford leaving early for the NFL Draft, Georgia’s QB derby will be between fifth-year senior Joe Cox and true freshman Aaron Murray from out of Tampa. Cox came to UGA in 2005 as one of the top prep QBs in the country and Murray does the same this season.
Cox redshirted his freshman year as D.J. Shockley led the Dawgs to the SEC championship. Shockley had patiently waited four years behind David Greene.
When Stafford came along as a true frosh in 2006 and took command of the starting position, Cox had the option to transfer. Like Shockley, he opted to wait it out and now his turn is going to come. Can he duplicate Shockley’s senior season or will he at some point give way to the talented Murray?
John Parker Wilson has run out of eligibility at Alabama, so the QB job is up for grabs between fourth-year junior Greg McElroy and redshirt freshman Star Jackson. Although all of McElroy’s playing time has come in mop-up duty, he has completed 16-of-20 career passes for 196 yards.
McElroy is a pro-style pocket passer from out of Southlake, TX. His competition comes from Jackson, who is a dual-threat QB who will likely see playing time no matter what, offering a change-of-pace style that could be pivotal when you consider how the Crimson Tide lost three offensive linemen.
Tennessee’s Jonathan Crompton dropped the ball as the starting QB in 2008 as a junior. Many were ready to write him off, but most initial reports out of Knoxville from spring practice indicate that Crompton has been the best of UT’s signal callers.
Crompton barely completed 51 percent of his throws last season for 889 yards with a 4/5 touchdown-interception ratio. Nick Stephens wasn’t any better, connecting on just 48.5 percent of his passes. B.J. Coleman is also in the mix in Lane Kiffin’s first season at the helm.
Jordan Jefferson seems to be the man at LSU after his outstanding performance in LSU’s 38-3 blowout win over Ga. Tech in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. However, his pocket-passing skills still have plenty of room for improvement. With that in mind, Jarrett Lee and Russell Shepard are on the radar.
Of course, Lee endured a disastrous 2008 season in which he threw 16 interceptions as a redshirt freshman. Seven of those 16 picks were returned for touchdowns and his mediocre play was the main reason for home losses to Georgia and Alabama.
Vanderbilt went to its first bowl game since 1982 last year, beating Boston College by a 16-14 count. QB Chris Nickson, the on-again-off-again starter the last three years, has now graduated. Mackenzie Adams is back for his senior season and will compete with Larry Smith for the starting nod.
Smith, who is a third-year sophomore, completed 10-of-17 passes for 121 yards without an interception in the win over the Eagles in the Music City Bowl. Adams has looked sharp at times (think of last year’s win over Auburn and the win at South Carolina in ’07) but Bobby Johnson is looking for more consistency from the veteran, who has excellent size and mobility.
Like Tennessee, Auburn dealt with abysmal QB play in 2008. And just like in Knoxville, it cost the head coach (Tommy Tuberville) his job. Kodi Burns and Chris Todd are back, but that won’t get the locals too excited unless new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn can work his magic.
In fairness to Todd, he struggled with a shoulder injury all of last year before finally going under the knife in January. Malzahn, the former offensive coordinator at both Arkansas and Tulsa, coached USC’s Mitch Mustain in high school in Arkansas. He also coached against Burns, a Ft. Smith, AR., native, so he knows the QB’s strengths and weaknesses.
There’s no QB controversy at Florida, which brings back Tim Tebow. The senior signal caller has already bagged one Heisman, two SEC titles and a pair of national championships.
The Gators will most likely be the favorites to repeat when Las Vegas Sports Consultants released its future odds in the coming weeks. They have all 11 starters returning on defense, not to mention safety Dorain Monroe, who was going to be starter before tearing his ACL last August.
There’s no controversy in Columbia, either. In fact, Steve Spurrier has zero experience at the QB position except for third-year sophomore Stephen Garcia. Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher left the program to pursue other opportunities.
Kentucky has Mike Hartline and Randall Cobb back, but it is Rich Brooks’ desire to play the dynamic Cobb at wide receiver if Hartline can be effective. Hartline went 6-2 as a starter and had his best game in the bowl victory over East Carolina.
Along with UF, Ole Miss and Arkansas have to feel the best about their respective QB situations of the 12 SEC schools. The Rebels have fourth-year junior Jevan Snead, who appears to be on the cusp of greatness.
The Texas transfer took advantage of his first season as a full-time starter, throwing for 2,762 yards with a 26/13 TD-INT ratio. Snead led the Rebels to a 47-34 win over Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl.
In Razorback Country, the faithful are anxiously awaiting the debut of Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett, who had a 7/5 TD-INT ratio for the Wolverines while sharing playing time with Chad Henne in 2007. Mallett’s cause will be aided by senior RB Michael Smith, who led the SEC with 1,072 rushing yards last year.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
--Remember how Alabama delivered woodshed treatment to Clemson in its season opener last season at the Georgia Dome? The Crimson Tide will be back in downtown Atlanta to start the 2009 year, but the opponent this time around will be the Virginia Tech Hokies.
--Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino has made only one change on his staff for his second year in Fayetteville. John L. Smith, the former head coach at both Louisville and Michigan St., will be the Hogs' special-teams coach.
--South Carolina DT Ladi Ajiboye has been suspended after his arrest for marijuana possession. Ajiboye, who has 22 career starts under his belt, could get reinstated if he keeps his lungs clean from now through August.
--Jerry Rice Jr. will walk on at UCLA.
--Joe Montana and his son visited Athens this past weekend.
--UGA freshman OL Austin Long is expected to miss the entire season with a back injury.
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