By John Sarianides

It is that time of your ladies and gentleman. Spring football practices are kicking off across the country. There are several major stories to keep an eye on as spring ball gets under way.

1. Brian Daboll’s Debut at Bama: Former Patriots tight ends coach Brian Daboll is making his debut as the new offensive coordinator at Alabama this spring. Daboll has plenty of weapons to work with in quarterback Jalen Hurts, running back Bo Scarborough and wide receiver Calvin Ridley. It will be interesting to see how Hurts fits in more of a pro-style offense now.

2. Who is Clemson’s Starting Quarterback? Dabo Swinney’s last two quarterbacks have been Tajh Boyd and Deshaun Watson, arguably the two most decorated quarterbacks in program history. Replacing them will be tough. Zerrick Cooper, Hunter Johnson, Kelly Bryant and Tucker Israel will vie for the job with Bryant being the favorite. Clemson’s offense require a smart quarterback who is a dual threat. All four are athletic but none are the athlete that Boyd or Watson were.

3. Michigan Must Reload: We will now find out how good a recruiter Jim Harbaugh really is. Harbaugh and his coaching staff will be busy this spring trying to identify starters at key positions on both sides of the ball. The defense was especially hit hard. Defensive coordinator Don Brown will certainly earn his salary this spring. Harbaugh has landed top ten recruiting classes the last two years so there should be plenty of talent on hand.

4. The Tom Herman Era is Under Way in Austin: Tom Herman was critical of the way the Texas football program has operated in recent years. Now he gets a chance to change that. Expect more intense, uptempo practices as Herman tries to get his players acclimated to the way he wants to play. Herman has plenty of talent to work with. Quarterback Shane Buechele is back but he will be pushed by incoming five star recruit  Sam Ehlinger.

5. P.J Fleck Rows West: P.J Fleck brings his high energy shtick to Minneapolis. It will be interesting to see if he can do at Minnesota what he did at Western Michigan. Fleck can recruit and he knows the Big Ten from his time at Ohio State. He will make the Gophers relevant but people are already questioning if he is in it for the long haul. I think it will depend on how he does his first two years. If Fleck feels he can build a consistent contender at Minnesota, he will stay. It is important that the Gophers get off to a good start in his first year on the job. This spring is vitally important.

6. Luke is “Fickell” in Cincinnati: New coach Luke Fickell is trying to set a physical tone at Cincinnati and judging by the start of spring practices, Fickell and his staff are doing that. Fickell is an Ohio guy who has plenty of inroads and connections in the state. He will get a lot of the talent to stay at home, particularly the three star recruits. Fickell isn’t going to settle for mediocrity. He wants to build a legitimate program at Cincinnati and this spring is the first step in doing that.

7. Can the Irish Bounce Back? 4-8 is unacceptable in South Bend. Brian Kelly and his revamped coaching staff need to turn things around and in a hurry. Kelly has recruited well so there should be plenty of talent on hand to orchestrate a turnaround. Kelly and new offensive coordinator Mike Sanford must find a starting quarterback this spring.

8.Jarrett Stidham Makes His War Eagle Debut: Gus Malzahn hasn’t had a quarterback that fits his offense since Nick Marshall. He finally has the quarterback he needs to make his up tempo spread offense work in Jarrett Stidham. Stidham is a pocket passer first but he is sneaky athletic and can be used by Malzahn in short yardage situations. He will make the Tigers offense potent again. Stidham has been the starting quarterback through two weeks of spring practices thus far.

9. Matt Rhule Starts the Healing Process at Baylor: Baylor will look to pick up the pieces after a tumultuous 2016 season. Matt Rhule was the right hire. He is a smart, innovative coach who will rebuild the program’s reputation. He is a good recruiter who will stock the cupboard again with top tier talent. All eyes will be watching this spring. People inside and outside the program want to see how Rhule will change the culture and get the program back on track.

10. The Lane Train Pulls Up to FAU: I still can’t believe Lane Kiffin took the Florida Atlantic job. Hey, just the mere fact that he is at the school makes the program relevant. I think Kiffin will do a decent job and then skip town. Two years, tops. Like most college football fans, I am curious to see how his first season goes in Boca Raton. A good spring will be a good starting point to his tenure.

11. Ole Miss Spring Practice Will Be Depressing: How many football related questions do you think Hugh Freeze is getting from the media after practice? My guess is not many. It is not a good time to be a Rebel right now. There is a dark cloud over Oxford and returning to the practice field isn’t going to make it go away.

12.  Tough Start for Willie Taggert at Oregon: New Oregon coach Willie Taggert has had a tough start to his tenure at Oregon. Between players being hospitalized because of workouts to an assistant coach getting fired after getting a DUI, it has been a rocky beginning for Taggert in Eugene. A good spring could change a lot of the negativity circling around the program right now.