5 Questions leading into Spring Practice

Spring Practice is upon us and after what many considered to be a disappointing season for Col. Phillip's first tour of "Operation Win", there isn't as much buzz compared to years past. This leads me to 5 questions we hope are answered by the end of spring practice.

1. How will Morgan Newton perform now that he is the man?

Freshman Maxwell Smith will be here for Spring ball but it's pretty clear that with the graduation of Mike Hartline and the transfer of Ryan Mossakowski, The Morgan Newton era has began. Will he be the up and down QB we've seen the past two years or will be finally get into his comfort zone and lead the charge like we all expected when he was a a highly touted recruit out of Carmel, IN?
2. How will life after Cobb be?
Randall Cobb is arguably the greatest player to ever don the blue and white. Whether it was playing QB, running "The Wildcat" , catching passes, or returning kicks, excitement was sure to follow. Randall Cobb will never be replaced and it would be crazy to think that. However, can any of the returning players step up in his place? Gene McCaskill looks to be the top candidate although he's coming off of ACL surgury. There are some freshmen (Bookie Cobbins, Daryl Collins, and Bubba Tandy namely) that could make a push for this role once fall camp starts.
3. Running Backs..who steps up?
Derrick Locke graduates and Donald Russell transfers out. This leaves us with Raymond Sanders and Redshirt freshman Brandon Gainer as the most likely candidates. Sanders saw a good bit of action in his first year but he is rather small. Can he be an every down back? Gainer has the hype and by all reports, the talent to go with it. He's not a bruiser but he does have the size you see in most SEC running backs. Fall camp will bring two freshmen from GA (Josh Clemons) and (Marcus Caffey). Look for a lot of Sanders, Gainer, and Jonathan George this spring.

4. The Nuclear D

Despite a nationally ranked Defense of 45, former DC Steve Brown took a lot of heat. He took so much heat that he was demoted to Co-Defensive Coordinator and Rick "Nuclear" Minter was brought in. It's no secret that The Nuclear One will be running the show. There is talk of a hybrid 3-4 D coming along with him. Fans need to realize that a 3-4 is not what we are going to as a base. However, we will throw in some 3-4 in to change it up. Watch the Jets and Ravens for a peek at how it is ran. Despite the surprisingly high ranking, the D needed a shot of new life. Can Minter bring that or will he falter just as his predecessors Mike Archer and Steve Brown did?

5. Danny Trevathan

Everyone was shocked when All American/All SEC linebacker Danny Trevathan spurned the NFL for his senior season in Lexington. Trevathan led the SEC in tackles and had a season as good as any linebacker has had in recent memory. Look for the hype he received last season to cause the Big Blue Faithful keeping a close eye on the Senior from Leesburg, FL.


We all get to find out Wednesday as Spring Practice kicks off.