1. The art of Cardale
We’re going about this Ohio State quarterback quandary the wrong way. This isn’t about who wins the job, it’s about how much better Cardale Jones can be.
From afterthought to the best future pro on the field — in all of three games. Three huge games.
The exciting isn’t in what is with three elite quarterbacks competing for one job. It’s in what could be with Jones.
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“A full offseason of working to get better and studying the offense and becoming the leader this team needs,” Jones said in January after the Buckeyes won the national title. “That’s what’s exciting about this offseason.”
And that’s what should be the focus of this quarterback competition — not if Braxton Miller can find his way back from shoulder surgery or if J.T. Barrett can win back his job after a brutal ankle injury late last season.
Because if Jones continues to develop after playing a little more than 12 quarters in 2014, the potential is there for Ohio State to have a Cam Newton-type player leading the 2015 team. Jones likely will receive most, if not all, first team repetitions in spring practice because both Miller and Barrett will be limited (at best) in spring drills, and won’t be full-go until fall camp.
So that leaves Jones, the fun-loving, gregarious and goofy newbie star, 15 practices to prove he’s serious about not only winning the job, but getting significantly better and separating from Miller and Barrett heading into the summer workouts.
He showed he was serious in January when he decided to stay at Ohio State — don’t kid yourself, some NFL team would have taken him in the first round — knowing coach Urban Meyer’s appreciation and affection for the two other guys in the competition. He also knows Meyer — like every other coach — is pragmatic when it comes to winning games.
In other words, he who practices the best, plays on game day. This, of course, leaves a tricky question that can’t be answered until well after spring practice: what to do with Miller and Barrett?
For Miller, it’s simple: he has one season of eligibility remaining. If he chooses to stay at Ohio State, he won’t play quarterback unless both Jones and Barrett can’t.
If he wants to play quarterback in the NFL, he needs game tape, and the only way to get that is to play the position — something he won’t be able to do with the Buckeyes. As far as Miller switching positions: where does he play?
He’s not getting on the field ahead of Ohio State’s current wide receivers and cornerbacks. His time there would also be limited. The best option is to transfer and play quarterback elsewhere.
Meanwhile, there is Barrett. He, too, could wait behind Jones and play in a few rotations (Meyer did it with Chris Leak and Tim Tebow in 2006 at Florida and won a national title), then assume the starting role in 2016.
Or Barrett could win the job outright in fall camp, something that will be increasingly difficult if Jones zeroes in on spring drills and carries it over through summer conditioning. Either way, the entire scenario hinges on the development of Jones.
Of the three quarterbacks, he’s the only one who controls the situation. And the potential of what could be is delicious for the Buckeyes — and devastating for everyone on their schedule.
Cardale Jones will take the majority of first-team reps this spring for Urban Meyer. (Getty Images)
2. Redefining Michigan
Too much is being made of the Michigan quarterback position, and not enough of what is the foundation of Jim Harbaugh teams.
The goal for Michigan this spring is simple: get tougher.
While Harbaugh has walked into a program with more talent than the one he was given in the mid 2000s at Stanford, the level of toughness and mental fortitude at Michigan isn’t much higher than the depths at Stanford. While you can’t minimize the quarterback position — Andrew Luck was a star for Harbaugh at Stanford — understand that Harbaugh beat Pete Carroll’s USC team as a 40-point underdog in his first season at Stanford.
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And he did it with a walk-on quarterback.
There isn’t a quarterback on the Michigan roster who has completed a touchdown pass, and none of the three likely candidates — junior Shane Morris, redshirt freshman Wilton Speight, freshman Alex Malzone (freshman Zach Gentry enters the mix in the fall) — will win the job this spring.
When you’re working with a unit that finished 115th in the nation in total offense last season; that had no run game and consistently gave the ball to the other team, progress is baby steps.
The heavy lifting is changing the culture and attitude in a program that got too soft, and too accepting of losing.
3. Finally, defense
The basic idea, Gus Malzahn said, was to build a defense from the ground up — all while the game’s most innovative offensive mind keeps as far away as possible from the whole deal.
This, everyone, is why Auburn spent head coaching money to hire Will Muschamp as its defensive coordinator. It’s why Malzahn has changed the way he views spring practice, and how he has set up the 15 practices to benefit the defense.
“Will is the best in the business at what he does,” Malzahn said. “It’s my job to help him any way I can and then get out of his way.”
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It began last month when Malzahn decided to split spring practices, using the first five to allow Muschamp to better evaluate the roster. Auburn will then go on spring break — giving Muschamp and his defensive staff time to further evaluate and install a defense to fit the personnel — and return for the final 10 practices.
Muschamp’s defenses the last four years at Florida were outstanding; the Gators were never worse than 20th in the nation in scoring defense and total defense. Auburn, meanwhile, has been better than 63rd in both categories only once — finishing 47th in scoring defense in Malzahn’s first season — over those same four years.
Two critical players in Muschamp’s defense will have varying impacts this spring. DE Carl Lawson has been cleared by doctors after missing last season with a knee injury but could be limited during practices. Freshman DE signee Byron Cowart is not on campus yet and won’t practice until fall camp.
4. Next in line
They’re two weeks into spring practice at Baylor, and they’ve made more news this offseason with the addition of yet more cupcake non-conference games.
In four of the next five years, Baylor has a FCS team on its non-conference schedule: Lamar (2015), Northwestern State (2016), Liberty (2017) and Incarnate Word (2019). This from the program that didn’t reach the College Football Playoff because of, more than anything, poor non-conference scheduling.
The bigger news: new quarterback Seth Russell might just be better than the guy (Bryce Petty) who had 61 TDs against just 10 interceptions the last two seasons. Russell, who had 8 TDs and only one interception as Petty’s backup in 2014, has a live arm like Petty, but might be more accurate on intermediate throws — an area that wasn’t used nearly as much as it could have been with Baylor’s deep and talented receiving corps (see: KD Cannon, Corey Coleman, Jay Lee).
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Despite the hype of early enrollee Jarrett Stidham, a 5-star signee, the future at Baylor is Russell. All it took was one game last season to show it: Russell started for an injured Petty and his game week preparation and play was nearly flawless.
From Robert Griffin III, to Nick Florence, to Petty to Russell — who might just put up better numbers than any of Baylor coach Art Briles’ quarterbacks.
“A lot of people are going to be shocked by the stuff (Russell) will do,” Cannon said. “It’s going to be something to watch.”
5. Moving on
At this point, the best way to look at transition at Florida State is track record.
The last three quarterbacks to play under coach Jimbo Fisher were (or will be) first round NFL Draft picks. Say what you want about the development at the next level for Christian Ponder and EJ Manuel; it makes little difference when assessing what’s next for the Seminoles at the most important position on the field.
The positives of the post Jameis Winston era at FSU, which officially begins in two weeks with the start of spring ball: less distractions, more football, and maybe, less turnovers.
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The negatives: for the first time since Fisher arrived as offensive coordinator at FSU in 2007, the ‘Noles will be without a quarterback who can dictate a game. Sean Maguire, who was serviceable in beating Clemson last season while playing for a suspended Winston, is the favorite to win the job.
But whether it’s Maguire or redshirt freshman J.J. Cosentino, John Franklin (who still might move to WR) or true freshman DeAndre Johnson (early enrollee), the offense will look more like what Fisher cobbled together his first two seasons as offensive coordinator with guys like Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee.
That might not be such a bad thing. Fisher won a national championship with LSU in 2003 using forgotten QB Matt Mauck. More importantly, the talent around the quarterback spot is significantly better than it was when Fisher first arrived in Tallahassee to call plays.
And that means a whole lot of star RB Dalvin Cook and a whole lot of safe play calling — and putting the ball in the hands of talented WRs Travis Rudolph, Jesus Wilson and Ermon Lane — no matter who plays quarterback.