2024 Spring Games Updates for those who choose to endulge

[jbcarol]

O'Gara: 1 takeaway from every SEC spring game on Saturday

Eight SEC teams closed their springs with scrimmages, albeit in a different fashion. We had some teams treat spring games like high-stakes fall showdowns (Georgia) and others treat spring games like low-stakes Saturday afternoon parties (Ole Miss).

Alabama — Germie Bernard is exactly what the passing game needs
I've been saying this since the former Washington receiver followed Kalen DeBoer to Tuscaloosa

Arkansas — The Taylen Green-Bobby Petrino connection has ... optimism
All signs out of spring camp have been pointing toward the Boise State transfer being the unquestioned QB1 for Petrino in his return to Arkansas (I'm still not fully used to the end of that sentence).

Florida — DJ Lagway does things you can't teach and a couple of others you can
You can tell why Lagway brought home so much hardware in his senior year of high school and why there's hope that he can right Billy Napier's ship

Georgia — Dominic Lovett is ready to thrive in a post-Brock Bowers/Ladd McConkey world
I don't like getting too worked up about spring game performances. But when you watch a proven receiver have a day like Lovett had, it's hard not to get excited, especially when we know that Beck is searching for a new go-to receiver.

Kentucky — There's an obvious effort to keep this offense under wraps
The UK "spring game" wasn't available to be streamed

LSU — The defense will be better, but the spring game showing didn't make that look like a lock
Brian Kelly poached DC Blake Baker from Mizzou and made him the highest-paid assistant in the sport. There's no way the LSU can be the train wreck it was last year, even if Harold Perkins' usage remains a constant topic of conversation

Ole Miss — There's only 1 team in America doing it like Ole Miss
I don't know, man. Between the pregame slam dunk contest, the sorority tug-of-war contest and the Joey Chestnut-led hot dog eating contest, I think we can safely say that Lane Kiffin pulled out all the stops to live up to that "Party in the Sip"

Tennessee — Nico's mastering the tempo needed to run the Josh Heupel offense
That doesn't sound like a bold proclamation because he had the bowl game performance against an elite Iowa defense. But it's easy to forget that in this game last year, Iamaleava was entering his first few months in the Heupel offense while Joe Milton was entering Year 3

[jbcarol]

Pete Nakos@PeteNakos_

New Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green throws his second touchdown of the day.

Former Boise State transfer threw for 1,752 passing, 436 yards on the ground and 20 total touchdowns in 2023.

[jbcarol]

Spring game takeaways from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Florida and Tennessee

by: Jesse Simonton
•

On a beautiful mid-April Saturday across the country, a litany of schools held their spring game —

Georgia looks to have plenty of playmakers
Bulldogs are set to open the season as the No. 1 ranked team with the best odds to win a third national title in four years. Still, Kirby Smart's team isn't without question marks

Good news, bad news for Alabama 
Kalen DeBoer stood on the sidelines in Tuscaloosa for the first time Saturday, ushering in a new era for the Crimson Tide. Alabama's offense looked a lot like Washington's prolific attack —

Florida is just fine at QB but elsewhere

[jbcarol]

Rain, thunderstorms could force Texas to cancel Spring football game Saturday

by: Steve Samra
•

[jbcarol]

A&M spring game preview: Key storylines, players to watch
Spenser Davis | 1 hour ago

A&M will hold its annual spring game on Saturday afternoon at Kyle Field.

This year's game will be highly-anticipated as it will be the first with Mike Elko roaming the sideline:

How will A&M look in Collin Klein's offense?
This past offseason, Texas A&M hired Collin Klein away from Kansas State to be the program's offensive coordinator. Klein represents a major identity-shift for Texas A&M's offense after the Aggies were led by Jimbo and Bobby

Who will stand out in A&M's secondary?
Aggies lost several key defensive backs from last season, which led Elko and his staff to be very aggressive in adding pieces to the back end of this defense in the portal

"I think every secondary kid that we brought in, from Marcus Ratcliffe to Will Lee to Donovan Saunders to BJ Mayes – I think every one of those kids in the secondary and Dezz Ricks, we got to get healthy. But every one of those kids has flashed at times, and I think they are going to add a lot of value back there."

--Elko

[jbcarol]

2024 college football spring games: TV, schedule, times

By Thomas Lagrone | 

Prominent upcoming spring games:
Indiana: April 18 at 7 p.m. CT on BTN

Louisville: April 19 at 6 p.m. CT on ACCN


Michigan: April 20 at 11 a.m. CT on FOX

Notre Dame: April 20 at 12 p.m. CT on Peacock

Texas: April 20 at 1 p.m. CT on LHN

Oklahoma: April 20 at 1 p.m CT on ESPN+

Illinois: April 20 at 1 p.m. CT on BTN

A&M: April 20 at 1 p.m. CT on SECN+/ESPN+

Mississippi State: April 20 at 1 p.m. CT on SECN+/ESPN+

USC: April 20 at 2 p.m. CT on P12N LA

FSU: April 20 at 4 p.m. CT on ACCN

South Carolina: April 20 at 6 p.m. CT

ASU: April 26 at 8 p.m. CT on P12N

Nebraska: April 27 at 11 a.m. CT on BTN

Colorado: April 27 at 2 p.m. CT on P12N

Oregon: April 27 at 3 p.m. CT on P12N

[jbcarol]

Baylor cancels Green & Gold Game

Weather

by: Nick Kosko
•

Baylor announced it canceled its Green and Gold spring game due to inclement weather, according to a release from the football program.

"Due to the threat of inclement weather for the Central Texas area, Baylor football's Green & Gold Game on Saturday at McLane Stadium has been canceled," the release read. "Baylor will now hold its final spring practice of the season on Saturday at the Allison Indoor Practice Facility.

"The event will be closed to the general public due to limited space available and on-going construction for the Fudge Football Development Center and the Allison Facility. The Bears opened their spring practice season on March 19 and will conclude the 15-practice schedule on Saturday."

That won't be the end of all events this weekend

[jbcarol]

O'Gara: 1 question I have for every SEC spring game before camp closes

We're down to 1.

One final Saturday of spring will close the book on all the scrimmages in the SEC before we head into the dog days of talkin' season. Five SEC teams are in action Saturday

Texas is on the Longhorn Network.

Mississippi State, 2 p.m. ET
Texas, 2 p.m. ET
Texas A&M, 2 p.m. ET
Oklahoma, 2 p.m. ET
South Carolina, 7 p.m. ET

State — Does it feel like a Jeff Lebby offense yet?

Oklahoma — Does Brent Venables' defense have a clear advantage vs. a new-look offense?

Texas — Can Arch Manning do his best...

A&M — How does the Collin Klein offense look so far?

Carolina — Is LaNorris Sellers ready to be the guy?

[jbcarol]

Hayes Fawcett


Arch Manning 75 Yard TD 👀

No. 1 Recruit in the 2023 On3 Industry Rankings #HookEm

https://on3.com/db/arch-manning-7353/

[jbcarol]

O'Gara: My SEC spring game all-stars

Mykel Williams, Georgia DL
Go ask Beck about Williams on G-Day. The dude was everywhere. He tipped a pass to himself and picked it off, he tipped another pass and it felt like he was generating pressure play after play.

Dominic Lovett, Georgia WR
There was a clear go-to option for Beck, and it was the former Mizzou transfer.

Germie Bernard, Alabama WR
Bernard could be better than any Alabama receiver of the last 2 seasons. I would've believed that even if he didn't go off in the spring game, but he did. His highlight of the day was a beautiful route — he might've gotten away with a pushoff —

Cam Coleman, Auburn WR
I agree with Hugh Freeze when he says that Coleman "changes" Auburn.

DJ Lagway, Florida QB
Speaking of 5-star early enrollee skill-players who looked like SEC-ready game-changers, Lagway certainly checked that box. Lagway's size, precision and arm strength was on full display. His touchdown pass that had enough zip to split a pair of converging safeties and had enough height to get over a linebacker in coverage. It was an NFL-level throw from an 18-year-old.

Garrett Nussmeier, LSU QB
The headline of the day was how familiar it felt watching the LSU defense, and not in a good way. But the flip side of the coverage busts was that Nussmeier saw that and was excellent getting the ball to open receivers. He was 7-for-7 for 187 yards with 2 touchdown passes

Jeremiah Telander, Tennessee LB
I'm not saying that leading tackler Elijah Herring hit the portal just as a result of Telander's early emergence, but...

Nic Scourton, Texas A&M Edge
If you weren't aware of Scourton's game, well, let's just say that you should be

Arch Manning, Texas QB
You knew we were getting here. Manning was remarkable on Saturday. The redshirt freshman was 19-for-25 for 355 yards with 3 touchdowns and his last-ditch Hail Mary was picked off.

[jbcarol]

SEC spring recap: 1 true freshman to be excited about at every SEC program
Spenser Davis |

Arkansas: Braylen Russell, RB
Braylen Russell has earned some high praise from the Razorbacks' coaching staff this spring. A 4-star prospect out of Bentonville, Russell is Arkansas' highest-rated offensive signee from the Natural State in this class.

Russell is listed at 6-foot-1, 252 pounds, so he has the frame to compete in the SEC right away. If he's able to get a better understanding of the offense, as OC Bobby Petrino said, Russell could have a big impact as a true freshman in 2024.

"The youngster, Braylen, has done a great job," Petrino said. "He's big. He's really physical. He's got great hands. It's all new to him, so there's times he has a far-away look in his eyes when he doesn't know the play or can't picture it in his mind, but he's got a chance to be special."

Arkansas does have at least a couple of running backs who are expected to be higher than Russell on the depth chart come Week 1. Rashod Dubinion returns after rushing for 260 yards in a limited role last season. Arkansas also added Ja'Quinden Jackson, who rushed for 797 yards at Utah in 2023, out of the transfer portal this offseason. But it's not too much of a stretch to think Russell could work his way into the lineup at some point this fall.

Auburn: Cam Coleman, WR