College football is entering a quieter period as spring practices end, but the news cycle is sure to remain very busy.
While a few major offseason storylines were on display during the spring games, a few of the more notable topics (looking at you, transfer portal) immediately followed the exhibitions.
Either way, these are topics the college football world will be watching over the summer months.
You know Deion Sanders and Colorado are included. After all, it is impossible for more than 50 scholarship holders to enter the portal without being mentioned.
In the final moments before the April transfer window closes, Michigan State may have lost three key players.
Starting quarterback Payton Thorne, senior receiver Keon Coleman and starting corner Charles Brantley entered the portal. Any of them could staying in East Lansing, but all three will attract considerable interest elsewhere.
Without a doubt, this could have a major impact on MSU’s 2023 outlook.
Thorne has a lot to prove, but he’s a two-year starter and has played reasonably well in 2021. Michigan State already has to replace Jayden Reed, so a once-unexpected departure from Coleman would set back the receiving corps. The secondary is already a mess, and losing Brantley would also mean the departure of two years of valuable experience.
Although it’s not time to sound the alarm, Mel Tucker and the Spartans have a problem to solve.
Editor’s note: Brantley has took of of the portal.
Lincoln Riley took control of the program after the 2021 campaign and quickly bolstered USC’s roster through the portal. This offseason is more of the same for the Trojans.
Early in the year, they added Arizona wide receiver Dorian Singer, defensive lineman Kyon Barrs and corner Christian Roland-Wallace. South Carolina running back MarShawn Lloyd, Texas A&M defensive lineman Anthony Lucas and Oklahoma State linebacker Mason Cobb also chose USC.
And the Trojans aren’t done yet.
Since the April window opened, USC has landed a 5-star prospect for 2022 Alexander Bear from Georgia. Emmanuel Pregnon, a standout right guard from Wyoming, followed suit and went to USC.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Trojans are still targeting Houston’s Cam’Ron Johnson. He earned first-team All-AAC recognition as a left guard in 2022 and, according to Clint Brewster from 247Sports, returns to USC and Missouri.
USC is building a roster hoping to win a national title in what should be quarterback Caleb Williams’ final college season.
Deion Sanders does the silent part out loud. Very strong.
Every offseason, coaches across the country will push players into the transfer portal. Sometimes it’s a very direct statement. In other cases, the conversation is not necessarily definitive. The reality is that these discussions are happening almost everywhere.
Colorado, however, is turning over its roster at an unprecedented rate.
More than 50 scholarship recipients have decided to transfer since December. Due to recently changed NCAA rules, there is no limit on the number of newcomers CU can accommodate. Like it or not, Sanders is completely revamping the program through the portal.
Although the April window is closed, it’s safe to say that Colorado isn’t done adding transfers this offseason.
Last offseason, Texas hung on Quinn Ewers– the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2021 – out of the transfer portal. More recently, the Longhorns landed Arch Manningthe highest-rated player in the 2023 cycle.
At the start of spring, the main question was simple: would the newcomer beat Ewers?
Even though he held the title of QB1 for Texas when healthy last season, Ewers couldn’t be considered a lock to hold off Manning. However, this scenario now has a different focus.
“I think it’s pretty clear that Quinn is our starting quarterback,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. told reporters after the spring game.
If and when the Longhorns struggle in 2023, the clamor for quarterback royalty to get their first chance will inevitably grow louder. But when the season begins, Ewers will lead the Texas offense.
On the other hand, Alabama’s opening game starter is a mystery.
The spring portion of the competition included Jalen Milroe, Bryce Young’s backup last season, and 2022 5-star signee. Ty Simpson. While the spring game itself isn’t necessarily a deciding part of a QB battle, the scrimmage certainly didn’t offer much clarity either.
Given the Crimson Tide’s year-to-year rise in championship and expectations, the uncertainty surrounding the most important position has caught our attention. Yet shortly after, Alabama added Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner.
Milroe and Simpson are more familiar to the majority of Bama’s staff. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, however, coached Buchner at Notre Dame the past two seasons.
Nick Saban has hit the reset button on this contest, the one that will define whether the Tide returns to the College Football Playoff.
Stay tuned for more in-depth analysis of the quarterbacks. The short version is that, as usual, spring training left a lot of questions.
But there is no more impactful conversation.
Alabama deserved a special look because of Buchner’s late arrival. But the Crimson Tide are just one of several marquee programs with an unanswered quarterback battle.
Georgia, the two-time defending champion, needs its replacement for Stetson Bennett. Ohio State, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida and UCLA are among the other big-name schools with competition that will linger into the summer and likely won’t be decided until fall camp.
The rest of every team is important, but one quarterback is more likely to make or break a season.
